Folks Of Interest DRAG RACING a little less cool today...

Awesome story, thanks for sharing it.

It's a sad, sad day for the NHRA, but I can't wait to see what happens to Nostalgia Drag Racing once Prudhomme gets more involved. It will probably end up becoming more popular then the current version of the NHRA.

I'm sure the Snake could have found a few sponsors to put to a car on the track for a few races out of the year,. But he's always been about having a first-class, top of the line drag racing operation, that's capable of winning the championship every year. I'd rather see him go out now as one of top teams, then watch him struggle just to make it to the next event like some other teams.

 

I'd say him being the #3 all-time greatest drag racer (as per NHRA list) and not able to secure ample funding for 2010 racing season sends a serious message that "professional" drag racing is in major trouble.

Regarding nostalgia, there's ZERO money in that, it would be just for fun perhaps, but very possible to piss away some serious money there too.

 

SNAKE STATS ..thanks NHRA

Career accomplishments and highlights
Career wins/final rounds (driver): 49/68 (35/45 FC, 14/23 TF)
Career wins/final rounds (owner): 63/128 (18/41 FC, 45/87 TF)
Career total victories: 112
Career No. 1 qualifying awards (driver): 58
Career No. 1 qualifying awards (owner): 40
First Professional victory (TF): Bakersfield March Meet (1962)
First NHRA victory (TF): Pomona 1 (1965)
First NHRA victory (FC): Indianapolis (1973)
Best points finish (driver): First (1975-78 FC)
Best points finish (owner): First (2002-03 TF)
Career-best elapsed time (TF): 4.736 (Reading 1994)
Career-best elapsed time (FC): 5.157 (Dallas 1989)
Career-best speed (TF): 302.72 (Brainerd 1994)
Career-best speed (FC): 279.67 (Reading 1989)

• 49 victories (driver)
• 63 victories (owner)
• Eighth-winningest driver in NHRA history (49 wins)
• Fourth-winningest Funny Car driver in NHRA history (35 wins)
• Four NHRA championships as a driver
• Two NHRA championships as an owner
• 1989 NHRA Showdown winner
• Three NHRA Showdown wins as team owner (Ron Capps, 1998-99, 2002)
• Three NHRA Shootout wins as team owner (Larry Dixon, 1995, 2001-02)
• First member of Cragar Five-Second Club (FC, 5.98 seconds, Oct. 12, 1975, Ontario, Calif.)
• First member of Crane Cams Funny Car 250-mph Club (250.00 mph, May 29, 1982, Baton Rouge, La.)
• 15th member of Cragar 4-Second Club (TF, 4.980 seconds, Feb. 2, 1991, Pomona)
• Third member of Slick 50 300-mph Club (301.60 mph, March 6, 1993, Houston)
• First NHRA driver to win in both Top Fuel (1965 Pomona) and Funny Car (1973 Indy)
• Second NHRA driver to qualify No. 1 in both Top Fuel (1965 Pomona) and Funny Car (1970 Ontario)
• One of three driver/owners (John Force and Warren Johnson) to have reached 100 wins
• Still holds the NHRA record with seven consecutive Funny Car national event victories (1975-76)
• Still holds the NHRA record with 30 consecutive Funny Car round-wins (1976-77)
• Still holds the NHRA record with 13 consecutive Funny Car final-round appearances (1975-77)
• Still holds the NHRA record with eight consecutive Funny Car final rounds to start a season (1976)
• Shares the NHRA record at seven consecutive Funny Car No. 1 qualifying positions (1976-77)
• No. 8 all-time with 52 NHRA No. 1 qualifying efforts

 

I agree entirely.

Yep, I also remember sitting in my living room watching ABC's Wild World of Sports and seeing that crash. Jim Nichols' car suffered a clutch explosion which cut the car in two. The wreckage veered across in front of Prudhomme's car. It was definetly one of the nastiest crashes in NHRA history.

Here's a video covering that crash:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSAuf8mE_k4

 

Snake: The Best ever