Mon, 21 Apr 2014, 15:04 PM "Snive"

By Steve Reyes Photo copyright 2014 Steve Reyes

Steve Reyes

It was March of 1965 when I first saw a then twenty-two year old young man named Mike Snively drive a top fuel dragster. It was at Fremont's big annual Championship race of the Spring at the Fremont Drag Strip. With the March Meet at Bakersfield the week before, many of the stars of the sport were at Fremont for the event. The field of top fuel cars was stellar including: Garlits, Ivo, Malone, Logghe Brothers, and the Greek, just to name a few. When the nitro and smoke cleared on Sunday, Mike Snively , driving Ed Pink's Don Long built top fuel car, had spanked Big Daddy Don Garlits for Top Fuel Eliminator honors. Sure I had heard of Pink, but Snively, not so much. So I started to look into my back issues of Drag News, Drag Sport and Drag World. I wanted to know more about this guy named Snively. I found that he had driven for Bill Martin and his 400 Jr. Chevy powered top fuel car. In fact, Snively had posted a 201.34 mph run at Fontana in 1964, thus making the 400 JR., the first single engine dragster to break the 200 mph barrier on the West Coast.

After driving Ed Pink's old master top fuel dragster in 1965, Snively also piloted the Scotty's Muffler top fuel car, Blair and Hanna A/Fueler and the Beacon Auto Parts top gas dragster. Then 1966 dawned with a little shake up in the top fuel class! Don Prudhomme had steeped away from his winning ride in Roland Leong's Hawaiian top fuel car and went racing with Bob Spar's team B& N Torquemaster top fuel car. The season was about to begin and Leong had no driver. Roland reached out to Snively and offered him the race car ride of a lifetime. Could this kid fill the seat of one of the best top fuel cars of its time? The racing world would soon find out at the 1966 NHRA Winternationals.

Snively and Leong jelled and scored big, winning the 1966 Winternationals and the NHRA US Nationals. In 1967, the duo scored in Bakersfield at the Hot Rod Magazine Championships and then headed to the Midwest and East where they swept the three day event "Rockford 500" in Rockford, Illinois as well as the MR. USA Invitational on the East Coast. To be honest, I kinda lost track of Snively in 1968 and 1969. I know he drove part time for John Rassmussen and his top gas dragster. The Hawaiian top fuel car was in Fremont in 1968 but with Stan Shiroma at the controls.

Mike Snively at Riverside in 1965 I Ed Pink's car.

In late 1969, Snively hooked up with Diamond Jim Annin and debuted a brand new Dodge Challenger funny car at the AHRA Winternationals at Scottsdale, Arizona in January of 1970. Well, he didn't disappoint Jim Annin or any Snively fans. Mike was fearless and fun to watch in Annin's funny car. The car hadn't yet won a race in 1970 when it was featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine and yes, it looked as good as it ran! The dynamic duo of Snively and Annin ran mostly on the West Coast in 1970 and early 1971. Annin ended up selling his Challenger and it became the Crosstown Challenger in Northern California. Snively went back to his full time job at Keith Black's engine building empire.

One of the biggest races in Northern California was the 1971 Northern Nationals at Fremont, California, sponsored by Mattel/Hot Wheels. All the drag race heroes were there from Southern California and Northern California as well as the Mattel sponsored cars of Prudhomme and McEwen. As eliminations began on Sunday, I notice Prudhomme's square shaped top fuel car was just mowin' them down in top fuel. For the semi-finals, it was a battle between the two Hot Wheels top fuel cars of Prudhomme and McEwen to reach the final in top fuel. Well the white Hot Wheels fueler of Prudhomme said goodbye to McEwen's blue top fuel car putting it in the final round against the Keeling and Clayton's, California Charger. Then it was time for the final in top fuel with Prudhomme vs. Ramsey. Both fired and did burnouts, tires were wiped and the cars slowly crept into the staging beams. The staging bulbs lit and the tree went green. Prudhomme's Hot Wheels top fuel car took off, leaving sleepy Rick Ramsey in its wake. Prudhomme wins again, yawn.

But wait this is the first thing the car had ever won, so I went to razz Prudhomme in the winner's circle. The car was pulled into the makeshift winner's circle on Fremont's starting line with the crew and Fremont Manager Jim McLennen ready for photos. "Where is the driver?" I ask, searching for Prudhomme. Out of the push truck steps the all smiling Mike Snively. Yes, Snively had been at the wheel of Prudhomme's Hot Wheels top fuel car and it was he who had put it in the winner's circle the second time he drove it. I remember Mike was all smiles as we did our award photos. It was great to see him driving again, even if only for that weekend. Back in the day, I had only seen three drivers drive for Prudhomme; Jay Howell, Butch Maas, and Mike Snively.

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Also in 1971, Snively began a short stint driving Big John Mazmanian's candy red 'Cuda funny car. Mike climbed into Big John's ' Cuda in Mid-October for about a month. Later he was runner up at the NHRA Supernationals as a broken rear end gave Larry Arnold the Funny Car Eliminator victory.

At the beginning of 1972, Diamond Jim Annin came calling for Mike. Annin had decided to go top fuel racing with a brand new full bodied rear engine nitro burner. The pair was at it again only this time in the top fuel class. As usual, the duo raced mainly in Southern California. The car also made an appearance in the now cult classic "Drag Racer" feature film. At the NHRA Supernationals in Ontario, California, Mike piloted the sleek blue top fuel dragster to the first ever sub six second run in the top fuel class with a 5.97 clocking. Even with the team running so quick the team suffered a hole shot loss to Vic Brown in the Creitz and Dill top fuel car in the semi-finals.

The last race of the 1972 season was also the last race ever held at Lions Drag Strip. Snively and Annin were there and made it to the semi-final round before smoking the tires against Don Moody. After the 1972 season, Jim Annin sold his top fuel car to Dominic Cardoza. However, Snively wasn't without a ride for long. The team of Whipple and Mr. Ed quickly scooped up Mike for their funny car driver. Mike had driven the original Mr. Ed funny car briefly in 1970 or 1971. The Fresno, California duo quickly became a force to be reckoned with in Southern California funny car wars in 1973.

Snively did okay while in the Whipple and Mr. Ed car posting some big wins in local Southern California funny car events. After one of these victories, I received a phone call from Drag News asking me if I would shoot a piston ad for them using Mike Snively. Well, Mike and I got together and ventured down to the Long Beach Marina where we did our "fishing for a piston" shoot. Yeah, it was a cool deal hangin' out with Snively for most of the day. A few days later and the phone rang at my North Long Beach home and it was Snively. he wanted to come by and get a few prints of our "fishing photos." Since he worked at Black's, he was only about three miles from my house. A couple of hours later, I was sitting on the floor with Snively among a slew of 8x10 photos still damp from processing. For about two hours we sat and told tall tales of drag racing and racers we had known or wished we didn't know. Mike got his photos and I wished him well as he headed home. That was the last time I ever saw or talked to Mike, a few months later he had taken his life. Drag racing had lost one of its true pure drivers and a very nice guy.

If you wish to purchase prints of the photos below, they may be obtained by contacting us at sreyes@reyesontour.com. Other photos may be viewed by following the link at the bottom of the page at www.reyesontour.com.

My first sighting of Snively was when he was winning Fremont, California's Championships
in March of 1965. He was piloting the old master Ed Pink's top fuel dragster. Snively
wasn't perfect in Pink's top fuel car. Here he took a nap and lost to "Fat" Jack Williams
driving the Warren and Crowe top fuel car at the Hot Rod Magazine Championships in Riverside,
California in 1965.

In 1966, Pruhomme left Roland Leong's Hawaiian top fuel car for Bob Spar's B&N Torquemaster
top fuel car. Leong wanted a seasoned driver and Mike Snively got the call to fill one of
the best rides ever in the top fuel class. Snively didn't disappoint Leong or his fans.

For some reason Roland Leong really enjoyed racing in Northern California. In 1965, he
and driver Don Prudhomme won the Golden State Championships at Half Moon Bay. Then in 1966
with Mike Snively, the Hawaiian again flexed its muscle against Northern California's top fuel
cars of Don "Mad Dog" Cook at Fremont and Kenny Safford driving for "Terrible" Ted Gotelli at
Half Moon Bay. Yeah, the Hawaiian won frequently in NorCal.

During the winter, the Hawaiian was based in Southern California, but still Leong didn't
race much at open top fuel events. However, in December of 1966, Snively brought home the
gold defeating James Warren in the Warren and Coburn top fuel car at Irwindale's big UDRA
race the day after Christmas. What a nice way to cap off the 1966 season.

The twenty year old Snively was a perfect fit for Roland Leong and his Hawaiian. Snively didn't
just appear out of nowhere, he had driven for Bill Martin and his 400 Jr. top fuel car, the
Scotty's Muffler top fuel car and the Blair and Hanna A/FD. In the 400 Jr. he ran the
first 200 mph pass on the West Coast at 201.34 mph at Fontana, California on October 10, 1964.

Here is the view most top fuel racers got to see in 1965 and 1966. "Aloha y,all!"

After the victory at the US Nationals in 1966, the Hawaiian was damaged in the return home
from Indy. The car got a new front end and was stretched to 155 inches. The car was
only raced once or twice before the 1967 NHRA Winternationals. Here at the event, Snively
had his hands full with the Hawaiian top fuel car. It was very rare to see the Hawaiian or
Snively out of shape.

The old Hawaiian top fuel car was sold and shipped to Italy. Team Hawaiian was popular
for 1967. The No. 1 Hawaiian was Snively's ride and No. 2 Hawaiian was Mike Sorokin's ride.
Here Snively puts ex-Hawaiian driver Don Prudhomme on the trailer while winning
Top Fuel Eliminators at the Hot Rod Magazine Championships in 1967.
Roland Leong, Snively and Mama Leong were all smiles in the winner's circle.

It was funny car time for Snively when Diamond Jim Annin tapped Snively to drive his
new beautiful Challenger funny car for the 1970-71 season. The duo mainly terrorized
the funny car class on the West Coast. I saw them racing on the NHRA WCS Division 7
trail in 1970. Of course, they didn't miss any funny car events at OCIR, Irwindale or Lions.

After Annin sold his funny car in 1971 and before his top fuel car was built, Snively
could be found driving for Ed Wills and his Mr. Ed Mopar funny car. This was Ed's first
venture into the funny car class. Dave Beebe, Snively and Kelly Brown all had time behind
the wheel of the Fresno, California based funny car. Ed Wills was a well-known top fuel hydro
boat racer and he also built race boat hulls and fiberglass trailers.

In the fall of 1971 at Fremont, California, it was the Mattel Hot Wheels Championships and
Don Prudhomme's funky looking Hot Wheels top fuel car was beating Keeling and Clayton's
California Charger for top fuel honors. It wasn't Prudhomme at the controls but Mike Snively.
Snively and crew with track manager Jim McLennen were a happy group in the winner's circle.
This was only the second time Snively had driven the car and the first and only
Top Fuel Eliminator victory for the funky shaped Hot Wheels top fuel car.

Late in 1971, Snively could be found in the driver's seat of Big John Mazmanian's candy red
'Cuda funny car. Mike looked right at home driving for drag racing's garbage man. He became
the runner-up to Larry Arnold and his Kingfish 'Cuda. Big John's 'Cuda broke the rear end
denying Snively a chance at victory in Ontario, California and the NHRA's Supernationals.

Back in a top fuel car in 1972, Snively drove Jim Annin's top fuel car to the first ever sub six
second top fuel run in drag racing history at the NHRA Supernationals in Ontario, California.
Snively and son celebrated the milestone. However even a 5.97 couldn't overcome a hole shot by
Vic Brown in the Creitz and Dill top fuel car. Snively and Annin lost in the semi-finals.

The last race of the 1972 season was also the last drag race at Lions Drag Strip.
Annin and Snively were there with their sleek blue and white top fuel car. Snively
made it to the semi-finals where he smoked the tires against old nemesis Don Moody.

The Cragar five second club are featured in this photo include the following:
Back row left to right; Don Moody, James Warren, Gary Beck, Mike Snively and Dan Hutchins,
Front Row left to right; TV Tommy Ivo, Big Daddy Don Garlits, John Stewart and Larry Dixon.
Snively looked like an old western bartender according to my pal NHRA historian Greg Sharp
and I tend to agree with him.

Our "fishing for a piston" ad photo. Yes, I got paid to shoot this one. Just another fun day
in the life of a drag racing driver (Snively) and drag race photographer (me).

The last car I saw Snively drive was for his old friend Ed Wills, and yes, he won one of the
big funny car events held at Irwindale in the fall of 1973. Bobby Rowe then Leroy Goldstein
would also get to shoe for Ed Wills. Wills quit in 1974 and sold his Satelite to Texan Mike Burkhart.
This would be the only Mopar bodied funny car that Burkhart would race. "King" Richard Tharp
filled the driver's seat of Burkhart's Satelite.

For me Mike Snively was one of the best and purist driver's ever in drag racing.
His suicide in 1974 shocked and saddened the drag racing world. In 1996, Mike was
inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, a very deserved honor.