Fri, 28 Oct 2011, 10:52 AM NHRA Legends Snake & Mongoose to be Honored at 'The Strip' in Las Vegas

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Annual Fremont Street Fanfest and Countdown Drama also Highlight NHRA's Return to The Strip

LAS VEGAS -- The 11th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, the penultimate race of NHRA’s 60th anniversary season, will take place amongst the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 27-30.

Not only will the drama of the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship in all four professional categories get the fans’ hearts pumping, two of the biggest names in NHRA drag racing’s 60-year history, Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme and Tom ‘The Mongoose’ McEwen, will be honored throughout the weekend.

Snake and Mongoose are two of the most popular names in the NHRA in large part to their on-track rivalry in the 1970s. The duo brought NHRA drag racing to a mainstream audience when they partnered with Mattel for the Snake and Mongoose Hot Wheels cars, toys that an entire generation grew up with.

“Back when it all started with Mattel, we never could have imagined that the Snake and Mongoose rivalry would become such a big part of the sport's history,” Prudhomme said. “We were just a couple of guys trying to make a living drag racing and I am still amazed that it became such a big deal.”

Although the two of them were rivalries on the race track, off the track they worked together to promote themselves and the sport of NHRA drag racing during their driving careers and today, it’s no different. The pair often work together to do appearances and car shows to talk about their rivalry and their impact on the sport. Both of the NHRA Legends will also be the Grand Marshals and Honorary Starters of the event and will be available throughout the weekend for meet-and-greets and autograph sessions with fans and they will also participate in the increasingly popular Track Walk with a Legend on Sunday morning.

“More than anything,” Prudhomme said. “I am glad to see McEwen get honored because he was one of the guys that really helped NHRA become what it is today.”

The starting line at The Strip will sport a new and feminine look during the weekend’s Big O Tires NHRA Nationals. In honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness month, The Strip has decided to paint the starting line pink to bring awareness to the second most deadly form of cancer for women. Teams will also be flying pink ribbon decals on their racecars to show support for those fighting the disease, its survivors, and to encourage early detection.

Fans that plan on arriving early for the 60th anniversary race weekend will be treated to the traditional NHRA Fremont Street Fanfest, annually one of the best-attended Fanfests both in terms of driver and fan participation. The Fanfest will be Thursday, Oct. 27th at 5 p.m. on the 3rd Street Stage at Fremont Street and will feature some of the sport’s top drivers, legendary NHRA announcer Bob Frey and a NHRA-themed light show on the Viva Visions above Fremont Street. Fans will be able to participate in trivia questions and ticket giveaways as well as a driver Q & A session followed by an autograph session.

“Las Vegas is always one of my favorite races to attend for so many reasons and the Fremont Street Fan Fest is one of them,” Erica Enders, driver of the ZaZa Energy Cobalt said.

“The Fan Fest has a great turn out of our awesome fans as well as so many of my fellow drivers. Plus the light show and last year Bob Frey zip-lined into the show, which was great. I say it’s a can’t miss event.”

The Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, Oct. 27-30 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will mark the 21st stop in a year-long celebration that has been focused on paying homage to the evolution of the hot rod, the impact of the sport’s legendary racers, and the lifeblood provided by the many millions of loyal and passionate NHRA fans. The year-long celebration will make a turn for home after Las Vegas for its final pit stop Nov. 10-13, at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, for the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals.

The virtual tour through the first 60 years of NHRA drag racing extends beyond the track to the desktops, laptops and handheld devices of NHRA fans via the NHRA Facebook page. Throughout the 2011 season, NHRA has enlisted the expertise of the fans of the NHRA Facebook page to help determine the greatest moments from the first 60 years of NHRA drag racing. Fans are currently determining the Top 10 from among the 20 remaining moments and fans currently have the chance to go to the NHRA Facebook page to select the Moment they believe is the greatest from among the remaining 10 Moments of the original 60.