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- Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320
Don "The Snake" Prudhomme reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.
Imagine spending a year with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He'd tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You'd hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and "The Hawaiian" Roland Leong, racing all the legends from "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to "The Golden Greek" [Chris] Karamesines.
He'd say how he met Tom McEwen and recall how they became the Snake and the Mongoose, leading to a career in Funny Cars that netted him four championships in a row. He'd talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons, crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he'd speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder Keith Black and NHRA president Wally Parks, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing.
It wouldn't be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver Dan Gurney. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he'd always wanted.
This is the experience you'll get in Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320.
Pages: 192
Size: 8.5 X 11 (inches)
Format: Hardback
Illustrations: 138 b/w & 121 color photos
Publisher: CarTech
ISBN: 9781613255186
Product Code: CT662
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
FOREWORD by Rusty Wallace
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1: The Starting Line
CHAPTER 2: The Lure of Speed
CHAPTER 3: The 1960s
CHAPTER 4: The 1970s
CHAPTER 5: The 1980s
CHAPTER 6: The 1990s
CHAPTER 7: The 2000s
Reviews
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NHRA National Dragster
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(Posted on 9/24/2020)"Overall, this book did it all for me. I don't know that anyone could have done a better job at distilling the story of a 50-year career and enveloping it all into a comprehensive piece that will be inspiring, educational, informative, and just plain fun to read. Granted, I'm a huge Snake fan and I sat down and read it cover to cover until 2:30 in the morning because I just couldn't stop turning pages and wondering what came next, but if it can keep an "expert" like me doing that, I know it will do the same for you guys. It's a great book for "Snake" fans, especially those wanting to know as much about the man as his machines. It's packed with great photos and eye-opening anecdotes, and might even open some eyes of the non-Snake or even non-drag racing fans out there (they still exist, right?)."