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Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen
By Gregg Leary
Category:Auto Racing
#16 on the NHRA’s Top 50 Drivers
Don Prudhomme is #3
“Tom McEwen wasn’t one of drag racing’s most prolific drivers, but he was one of its most COLORFUL.”
5 NHRA National Wins in 35 plus year career
One of 13 drivers to win a national event in Funny Car and Top Fuel
1972 First Funny Car National win at SuperNationals at Ontario, CA.
1991 Top Fuel National win at SummerNationals
The US Nationals Funny Car win over Don Prudhomme in 1978, a few days after his son Jaime’s death from leukemia was considered to be one of NHRA’s greatest races. Jaime had told his Dad, “Go to Indy and beat Prudhomme.” Tom did. ( Prudhomme had encouraged him to race as good therapy.)
His gift for gab and promotional ability made him one of the sport’s most influential and controversial figures.
“I was the BSer and Prudhomme was the racer,” said McEwen. “I’d set up the deals, then we’d go out to the track, and he’d usually beat me.”
Tom began drag racing in 1953 at the Santa Ana Dragstrip.
McEwen allegedly nicknamed himself “The Mongoose” in 1964 to lure “The Snake” (Don Prudhomme) into lucrative match races. (Rudyard Kipling’s “Rikki Tikki Tavi” was a story about a mongoose fighting against cobras.)
In mid-1969 the two “animals” formed “Wildlife Racing.”
Mattel came on board from 1970-72…one of the first non-automotive major sponsors…the die cast cars brought drag racing into homes around the world…
Since 1968…Hot Wheels has sold more than 3 BILLION cars…enough to circle the earth 5 TIMES….140,000 MILES of die cast cars!! 7 cars sold per second…
Currently Tom McEwen is listed as the “Director of Motorsports” at Drag Racer Magazine and Street Trucks Magazine…Prestige Hobbies in Anaheim, CA has die cast, plastic car models and racing books