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Prudhomme & McEwen Coming To Tulsa
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Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park will celebrate its 50th anniversary in style with the NHRA Heritage Series Nitro Nationals and Old Time Drags next month, highlighted with the appearance of drag racing legends Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen.
Many other special guests will attend the Nitro Nationals, which will be held September 18-19, and numerous events are planned for the two-day celebration.
“On an annual basis, it’s one of our biggest shows,” said Todd Martin, who co-owns the track with Keith Haney. “This year, it’s going to be our top show. It’s our 50th anniversary, and there aren’t many tracks in the country that can say they’re 50 years old. It’s a total throwback.”
Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney have made appearances at Tulsa in the past, but getting “Snake” and “Mongoose” together is a big deal.
“They’ve all brought in great crowds, but to have ‘Snake’ and ‘Mongoose’ together is great,” Martin said. “That was one of the greatest rivalries there ever was in drag racing.”
“The Snake” and “the Mongoose” were a big part of the early days of the track, racing their famous Hot Wheels Funny Cars as part of match-race shows.
“It’s going to be fun going back to Tulsa,” Prudhomme said. “I haven’t been there in many years. It’s one of the main tracks that got the ‘Snake’ and ‘Mongoose’ going, where we match-raced in the early days. It was a big part of what we did, so to go back and see it and see the fans, it’ll be a great time.”
Prudhomme, a four-time Funny Car champion, raced McEwen countless times in their long careers, building one of the top rivalries in the sport.
“At a big PDA race (Tulsa) had, I beat him in the final years ago,” McEwen said. “We’ve run there a lot, and it’s a nice race track. We’re looking forward to coming in for the weekend.”
Tulsa Raceway Park helped promote the Snake and Mongoose movie in 2013, beginning by renting out a local theater for a private showing for racers and fans. The movie played at the theater for six weeks, the longest run in the United States.
“Don and McEwen both sent us a thank-you letter for the extra effort,” Martin said. “For us to be able to have them come back and be a part of our 50th anniversary, they’re helping pay back the favor for us promoting the movie.
“It’s a huge deal for them to come back. Those are some iconic names in the sport. They recognize the history of Tulsa. They recognize our effort to promote the history of the sport.”
Both icons are looking forward to seeing friends and fans from the past and the present.
“There will be new fans, old fans, all kinds of people,” McEwen said. “When our movie came out, they had a big thing in the town, and they showed it in the theater for six weeks. A lot of people went to it, so Tulsa is a drag race town.
“People will come from all around—St. Louis, Oklahoma, Texas—so it will be a big deal. We’ve always done well there, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Prudhomme and McEwen helped raise drag racing’s profile in the early days, and they both are still active in promoting the sport. Interacting with fan was — and still is—an important part of what they do.
“There are great stories from fans,” Prudhomme said. “People will come up and say, ‘When you were racing “the Mongoose,” I helped you pack your parachute,’ or, ‘I helped you change your tires.’ They often say, ‘You probably don’t remember me,’ and while I often don’t, I totally appreciate it.
“What’s so cool about it is it left a lot of great memories for young kids coming up. I’ve had kids say to me, ‘You changed everything for me. I wasn’t really doing much, but I got into cars because I got so excited about it.’ Those are nice things, and we get that a lot.”
In addition to Prudhomme and McEwen, other past stars of the sport will be in attendance, including Benny Osborn, John Collins, and Mike Edwards, among others. A private meet-and-greet will be held on Thursday night with all the legends, with tickets available to the public.
Many other special guests will attend the Nitro Nationals, which will be held September 18-19, and numerous events are planned for the two-day celebration.
“On an annual basis, it’s one of our biggest shows,” said Todd Martin, who co-owns the track with Keith Haney. “This year, it’s going to be our top show. It’s our 50th anniversary, and there aren’t many tracks in the country that can say they’re 50 years old. It’s a total throwback.”
Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney have made appearances at Tulsa in the past, but getting “Snake” and “Mongoose” together is a big deal.
“They’ve all brought in great crowds, but to have ‘Snake’ and ‘Mongoose’ together is great,” Martin said. “That was one of the greatest rivalries there ever was in drag racing.”
“The Snake” and “the Mongoose” were a big part of the early days of the track, racing their famous Hot Wheels Funny Cars as part of match-race shows.
“It’s going to be fun going back to Tulsa,” Prudhomme said. “I haven’t been there in many years. It’s one of the main tracks that got the ‘Snake’ and ‘Mongoose’ going, where we match-raced in the early days. It was a big part of what we did, so to go back and see it and see the fans, it’ll be a great time.”
Prudhomme, a four-time Funny Car champion, raced McEwen countless times in their long careers, building one of the top rivalries in the sport.
“At a big PDA race (Tulsa) had, I beat him in the final years ago,” McEwen said. “We’ve run there a lot, and it’s a nice race track. We’re looking forward to coming in for the weekend.”
Tulsa Raceway Park helped promote the Snake and Mongoose movie in 2013, beginning by renting out a local theater for a private showing for racers and fans. The movie played at the theater for six weeks, the longest run in the United States.
“Don and McEwen both sent us a thank-you letter for the extra effort,” Martin said. “For us to be able to have them come back and be a part of our 50th anniversary, they’re helping pay back the favor for us promoting the movie.
“It’s a huge deal for them to come back. Those are some iconic names in the sport. They recognize the history of Tulsa. They recognize our effort to promote the history of the sport.”
Both icons are looking forward to seeing friends and fans from the past and the present.
“There will be new fans, old fans, all kinds of people,” McEwen said. “When our movie came out, they had a big thing in the town, and they showed it in the theater for six weeks. A lot of people went to it, so Tulsa is a drag race town.
“People will come from all around—St. Louis, Oklahoma, Texas—so it will be a big deal. We’ve always done well there, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Prudhomme and McEwen helped raise drag racing’s profile in the early days, and they both are still active in promoting the sport. Interacting with fan was — and still is—an important part of what they do.
“There are great stories from fans,” Prudhomme said. “People will come up and say, ‘When you were racing “the Mongoose,” I helped you pack your parachute,’ or, ‘I helped you change your tires.’ They often say, ‘You probably don’t remember me,’ and while I often don’t, I totally appreciate it.
“What’s so cool about it is it left a lot of great memories for young kids coming up. I’ve had kids say to me, ‘You changed everything for me. I wasn’t really doing much, but I got into cars because I got so excited about it.’ Those are nice things, and we get that a lot.”
In addition to Prudhomme and McEwen, other past stars of the sport will be in attendance, including Benny Osborn, John Collins, and Mike Edwards, among others. A private meet-and-greet will be held on Thursday night with all the legends, with tickets available to the public.
