Sun, 6 Mar 2005, 09:17 PM Drag Racing Pioneer Leong to be Inducted into International Drag Racing Hall of Fame

OCALA, Fla. -- Drag racing pioneer and long time team owner/crew chief Roland Leong leads the list of inductees into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame's 2005 class.

Leong with his new driver Prudhomme.

The 2005 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, March 17 at the Gainesville Paramount Resort in Gainesville, Fla. The event coincides with the 36th annual Mac Tools Gatornationals, March 17-20, at Gainesville Raceway as the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series makes it's only stop in the Sunshine State. The 2005 class includes Leong, Nick Arias, Tim Beebe, Kent Enderle, Stu Hilborn, Al Marcellus and Jim Walther.

"To put it into racing terms, it's like winning the U.S. Nationals, drag racing's most prestigious race," Leong said. "It's a real honor. Having spent your entire life doing something that you dreamed of doing and to be recognized for it is a great honor. I was really happy when I found out. Like I said, I dreamed of being a drag racer since I was a little kid and to be recognized by your peers is a very nice feeling."

Leong, a Hawaii native, first became involved with drag racing in the early 1960s before relocating to Southern California, the birthplace of drag racing, where he worked for Dragmaster Chassis in Carlsbad, Calif. After crashing his Hawaiian dragster at famed Lions Dragstrip in Long Beach, Calif., Leong teamed with drag racing prodigy Don 'the Snake' Prudhomme to drive his dragster. Prudhomme drove the Hawaiian rail to wins at the 1965 Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., before capturing the Top Fuel crown at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Leong, 60, repeated the amazing feat a year later, this time with the late Mike Snively at the wheel of his Hawaiian dragster, becoming the first team to earn consecutive victories at the two major National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) events. Leong partnered with many drivers, including Larry Reyes and Butch Maas, who raced Leong's Hawaiian Funny Car to Winternationals titles in 1970 and '71. In 1989, Jim White drove Leong's Hawaiian Punch Dodge Funny Car to victory in the Big Bud Shootout bonus event at Indianapolis Raceway Park and claimed the U.S. Nationals crown a day later to claim the coveted double-up bonus from NHRA. White's Leong-tuned Funny Car was the first flopper to surpass the 290-mph barrier during 1991 season.

Leong and Prudhomme joined forces again in 1997 when the veteran crew chief helped Prudhomme's Funny Car driver, Ron Capps, score two victories en route to NHRA Road to the Future award honors. Leong tuned Capps to seven victories from 1997-99, along with capturing back-to-back wins and the $100,000 bonus in the Budweiser Shootout at Indianapolis in 1998 and '99. Leong currently resides in Los Angeles and has remained active in the sport the past few years consulting with various NHRA teams.

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