Art & Inspiration New Prudhomme book excerpt

my friend Elana wrote a book with the Snake and there's an excerpt to read..

https://www.nhra.com/news/2020/excl...aD7R57pN4kB4HJUENq0H7Oy5Aa4LqSo3Pn4ROiL0TlEzE

 

That excerpt is great!! I just bought a copy.

 

That was a great appetizer, may go for the main course!

 

That was a great read. I saw the Hawaian race at the Nationals in Indy in 1966 when us 3 Aussies were doing our hot rod tour of the US. I didn't realise though that Don was the driver. I gather that the GBP car was gone by then.

 

Thank you.

 

Cool. Couldn’t stop reading it, was like listening to someone talking!

 

Just ordered a copy

 

Good stuff it was very interesting reading.

 

That looks like a great read, Jim. I put it on my Christmas list! I love Snake!

 

Hemmings did a video interview with the author a couple weeks ago. She had a lot of interesting takes on how she got the job to do the book.

 

Thanks ! Excellent !

 

One of my favorite drivers of all time, the book is on my Christmas list. When I was around 5-6years old he picked me up and sat me in the Army Funny car in Indy, the same race as the famous final round snake/Mongoose for the US Nats title.

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Nice story.

 

I enjoy Elana's writing.

 

Thanks. I'm sure that's going to be a great book.

 

Thanks for posting this, my Wife just bought me an early Christmas present that she doesn't know about yet! You should get a commission Jim!

 

Hello,

Nice find of a history of one of the most engaging characters in drag racing. That book will be a good afternoon read and as a So Cal local, plus a Lion’s Dragstrip attendee, will be like old home week.

Ever since Don Prudhomme was part of Tommy Ivo’s crew and friend, My brother and I have always liked the progress of his career. It was one long, successful, competitive career. He was seen as an integral part of each of Tommy Ivo’s Buick FED race cars. He was even part of the first professional USA road tour of the major dragstrips with the Ivo Twin Buick FED.

“Then, as history has told us, he and Don Prudhomme went on a cross country road trip to start the whole touring thing for the big time, big name drag racers, first from So Cal, then from all over. They were getting paid to tour and show up at various drag strips in the USA.”

Tommy Ivo Progression
early crew activities


Don Prudhomme’s Buick FED

He is/was a true legend. The famous Greer, Black, Prudhomme race car was the most successful FED built in a long time. It was an outstanding look from all angles.

Jnaki

Here is my take on what a field mouse at Lion’s Dragstrip would see as it scurries across the pits.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/fabulous-friday-art-show-11-22-19.1174244/#post-13333980

"Needless to say, a popular stop in the CHRR pits is Steve Davis' restored "Greer-Black-Prudhomme" Fuller car along with the recreated Keith Black 1958 Ranchero for a push car. Class act all the way."
"Pete" Garramone Photo

 

Cool. I got the Snake's autograph in the stands at the Phoenix NASCAR race about 25 years ago. I had to do a triple take because that's an odd place to stumble upon a legendary drag racer.

 

Just this morning, my wife and I scheduled a vacation in Puerto Vallarta for Jan. 2021. Now I have a book to find to read on the trip. On our last vacation the book "Go Like Hell", about the Ferrari-Ford battles, was pretty new and I read it with great enthusiasm. I have a feeling the book about The Snake will be much the same.

Lynn

 

I’ll buy the book for sure. Followed his career since the beginning an not only admired him, but always thought he was the “real deal”. Interesting that he grew into it just like all of us kids will all the same cares and worries.

 

Man... THAT is good chit!!! Thanks Jim for the heads-up! I'm a fiend for used books, but I'll happily blow my b-day money for this gem...

 

Man,,,that reading was addictive,,,I couldn’t stop .
Tommy

 

Puerto Vallarta
Hello,

We have driven on some very narrow roads with all sorts of hot rods, cruisers, sedan delivery (2) and station wagons. All over the West Coast and on our USA cross-country trip to see relatives. But, the USA roads from one place to another are pleasurable and not the grabbing the seats of our pants kind of place. When the USA dragstrip tour was happening in 1960, these cross-country roads were good, but not like it is today. So those two guys were the innovators of being considered professionals and having the summer of their lives.

One summer, my wife and I were adventurous enough to go to Puerto Vallarta on mainland Mexico via a jet. It was/is a great beach resort town. The people were extremely friendly and the places were so much different than the USA. The roads are narrow and not in the best shape. One day, there were several close calls coming down several two lane roads leading back into the jungle attractions. Since we were visiting, we were not driving at the time.

But, the extreme driving scares were the big, old Chevy and Ford trucks that are on the narrow roads loaded with just “stuff.” They are so close to the painted lane dividers and seem like they are an arm ripping distance, when they blast past going the other way. The big busses and stake bed trucks are another story about sharing the roads.

Jnaki

The whole area is lush, green and the beaches are pretty nice. But, my wife and I decided to go for broke and take a taxi about 10 miles South of the main town of Puerto Vallarta. We started in plenty of time to arrive at our dinner reservation overlooking the ocean for a fabulous sunset. We had a great time, the food was outstanding, the waitresses and waiters were very efficient and what is not to like about sitting outdoors on a cliff with the water swirling below? Le Kliff is a great name.

The great thing was our taxi driver was waiting outside, as we walked out. He knew since he took us there, we had to get back to our resort hotel. The daylight drive to the restaurant was scary enough on the narrow roads in this small 4 door taxi. The oncoming traffic is so close and sometimes weaving across the yellow line and especially around curves. The drive back was another story.

It is dark at night with only a few barren, major intersections lit up by a bulb or two. The headlights on the small taxi needed adjusting, as the road ahead was so dark it was scary. The curves were taken with the same speed and being next to a cliff was not the most reassuring. Then the driver put on his glasses...

The traffic coming back was bright headlights and they were ever so close. But, my wife just closed her eyes and said that we had led a great life up to this point. Ha! I just kept staring at the winding narrow road and oncoming traffic.

We arrived at our resort in one piece and lived to tell the story. Was it worth the 20 mile round trip that would give Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland a run for the money at any speed? The experience was worth it. The great dinner, was worth it. Being with my wife possibly for the last time…it was a shaky adventure in a foreign land, but being with her was definitely, worth it.

Have fun, but be careful.

 

The road trip I just took brought me to LA, so I visited Elana while I was there (she desperately wanted to drive the funky little car I was traveling in). I bought a copy of the book from her, and had her sign it.

I've just started reading, but it's great so far.

 

Is there a way to contact her to buy the book directly? Signed would be nice but not necessary. I'd rather find a source other than Amazon.

Lynn

 

you can buy one from The Snake himself

http://www.snakeracinggear.com/autographed-don-prudhomme-my-life-beyond-the-1320.html

I don't know if Elana has a way to sell them herself, over the internets.

 

Yeah....that'd be nice!

Lynn

 

Jnaki’s post reminded me of something that happened back in the late ‘80s. My then wife and I booked a long weekend trip to Puerta Vallarta from LA. While sitting on the plane a very tall guy walked by. I told my wife, “that’s Don Prudhomme!” She didn’t know who he was but she told me to go talk to him once we are in the air. So I did, we talked for a few minutes and I went back to my seat. At the baggage claim we talked again and our wives really hit it off. It turned out that they did the Puerta Vallarta trip every year, same time. As we left the girls said we should get together for dinner. That didn’t happen, but over the course of the weekend we crossed paths several times and laughed about the coincidence. We also had the same flight home. The girls met up and gabbed and I got a chance to talk to Don once more. At the LAX baggage claim the wives swapped numbers and Don gave me his shop number and said to drop by sometime, “call first to be sure I’m there”. I was speechless. One of my drag racing heroes just told me to drop by his shop. Me being me, (too shy for my own good) I didn’t want to bother him during his rare free time so I never did go to his shop.
I was a fan before but that experience demonstrated why he is a drag racing legend.
Needless to say, I ordered his book as soon as I saw the link.


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There will be a book signing at this store in Burbank, CA on Nov 14th., with Don and Elana.

 

^^^^^ Leno is known to stop by often as I've seen often. How ever I haven't been by for sometime now.