Team owner of:
The Miller Lite Top Fuel Dragster Driver Larry Dixon
Skoal Racing Green Funny Car Driver Ron Capps
Skoal Racing Blue Funny Car Driver Tommy Johnson Jr.

SIGNATURE PROFILES
©1999-2001 Dwight Drum

DON "THE SNAKE" PRUDHOMME

"We don't live long enough."

I can only imagine trying to beat "The Snake" at the tree. I tried to match him question for answer, and that swiftly became competition to Don Prudhomme. After about five questions he was on his game dodging my direction and going his way with confidence and competence. To delve into Prudhomme's animated character, I've included as much of the interview intact including his comments to Gary's daughter Devon Larsen who apprenticed with us that day taking a break from pursuing her Masters Degree in Fine Arts. She was fortunate to sit next to "The Snake", who is a work of art in his own right. Have a seat with all of us, and follow the antics of a legendary drag racer, one who is uncomfortable with the word 'legend' attached to his name. Prudhomme's fans are probably more comfortable with his legendary status than he will ever be. Listen in as his spirited personality takes quick form.

DWIGHT CHATS WITH >> DON "THE SNAKE" PRUDHOMME

DOB: April 6, 1941
Birth Town: Los Angeles, Calif.
Home Town: Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

"I hang out with my dogs."

"Probably the way I look." (laughs) "That's a terrible question. I don't know." Prudhomme turned to Devon Larsen and asked. "How would you answer that?" "Sincerity," Larsen responded. "How about that! Sincerity," Prudhomme said. (acting astounded) "What else?" "Humor," Devon continued.
"My humor?" Prudhomme said. "I don't think you'll find my humor great either."
(We must have found something in Prudhomme's humor as we have been in his trailer only five minutes, and the laughter has been contagious)

"I think it's thrill, the fun and winning…all wrapped up."

"I've got a lot of them…Mario Andretti in oval racing. Richard Petty in NASCAR. In the NHRA, Keith Black and Wally Parks."

"Boy, you've got tough questions. Right now I'm not because my cars aren't running right. Yeah, I'm pleased with life, especially when you get my age. It's nice to wake up every day isn't it?"

"What could please me more than what? I don't think I can talk about that right now, but you can imagine."

"Oh yes. A big yes. Always."

"I have time for gardening and landscaping. It's probably my biggest hobby. That kind of sounds strange coming out of a guy like me, right? Gardening." Prudhomme turned to Devon Larsen again and asked. "What did you think I was going to say?" "You'll never know," Larsen responded. "Landscaping, putting in trees, boulders, and rocks, "Prudhomme said. "I love all that, and I do the usual stuff like riding motorcycles. "

"What could I have done in my prime, I don't know. Indy cars to NASCAR, I guess."

"Any part of my body?" (Prudhomme smiles) "You got it."

"Three dogs."

"I'm careful of what I eat. I eat most everything. I just don't eat a lot of it."

"If they are sincere and honest, and you can deal with them."

"When I'm upset I try to be cool. I try to be."

"I think so. Yeah, I did. I think every body has a routine to get your thoughts in the right place."

"Anywhere? I don't know. I've been racing forever. Scary moments? When I thought I bought the farm or something, is that what you mean?

"One time, I almost drowned in Mexico. I had a bad back and I was in the water taking it easy, and this big wave hit me and knocked me under. If I hadn't kept my cool, I'd have been history. The wave threw me against a rock, and pulled me back. Fortunately, I had a mask and snorkel, so when it pulled me back I came to the surface, blew water out and sucked in air. I knew the wave was coming again, and it hit me and threw me against the rock again, but that time I grabbed on to the rock. I looked like a clam holding onto that rock. I was bleeding, but I couldn't let go. That scared me. Outside of that not much scares me."

"I do landscaping and play with my dogs. I hang out with my dogs."

"Just one thing? If I could change one thing about drag racing…traction control. I wish we had traction control. That's on the technical side, but I wish they allowed us to have traction control. That would be cool."

"Hanging out with my dogs, and landscaping."

"I believe we understand the automobile really well, and it can hurt you. We see that at the race track. When the public gets out on a highway, they don't realize how fragile those cars are. I'm for seat belts and highway safety. I'm not the kind of guy who gets pulled over for speeding."

"Poverty."

My wife and daughter, of course."

"I'd like to take a trait from Richard Petty. What a great guy he is with people and fans. He always has time for everybody, and I don't. I haven't been able to do that because I've got my head and other places. Richard Petty is someone I've always admired for that. I also wish I was as good a person as my wife. She's pretty cool."

"A car club in Burbank, California called the Road Kings of Burbank. The car club had a club dragster and I started driving that. I was hooked."

"Poverty."

"What drives me? Mmm. Whatever it is that drives me to fear poverty."

"I think it's from growing up not having any money, and that holds you back from a lot of things. I wanted to achieve and have money."

"I really don't have to motivate the people in key positions on the team, because they're already highly motivated. Those days of getting up and giving a rah-rah-rah speech are pretty much over. We talk, but I support them a great deal and that's as much motivation as I think they need from me."

"I think knowing how the cars function, how they work, and watching them go down the track and doing a better than the next guy, or beating the next guy. It's a real thrill to be involved with the car, and be a part of that. To create something and go out here and succeed with it. That's what it's all about, I think."

"Extremely. Too curious sometimes."

"We don't live long enough."

"It's not as scary as it looks. It's like once you get adjusted to it. Once you get used to it, it's not scary. It's amazing what people could do, things they don't think they can do. If they just tried it."

"I don't know if I have a best win, because they were all special."

"When I was in Road Kings of Burbank. When I got to drive club car."

"I think the every driver who has a career as long as mine has doubts from time to time, but for the most part, no."

"It's all I've ever done, so what do you mean what surprises me the most?

"What's surprised me the most is what's happened to this sport…how big it has become. We never dreamed it would be this big when we first started as kids you know."

"I think I was natural. I had the desire."

"Regrets? Oh Geez. I really don't regret anything. I don't look back too much any more. I may have had a little regret here and there, but for the most part time comfortable with all of it."

"Oh I don't know," Prudhomme said.
"Better than a dead one," Joe Sherk said. (Prudhomme's public relations manager)
"Well put," Prudhomme said.

"We don't look too far beyond getting our two Funny Cars and the Top Fuel Car to win the championship. That's quite a goal. That's what keeps people coming out here. They all want to win championships. That goal will keep you for a while. When you win one, you want to win another and another one. That's what it's all about: winning championships."

"Magic?"

Anything special? "I had a lot of breaks along the way, and ran into the right people. Like Keith Black, and people like him. Keith was a huge help to me, to keep me going."

"How would I sum up myself?" Prudhomme turned to Larsen again…"Help us. Come on. What do you think?"
"Easy going. Intelligent," Larsen answered.

"Easy Going? Intelligent?" Prudhomme said. "Yeah. Easy going, probably. Intelligent? Wow!"

"Quick off the starting line is how I got that name. I was driving a top fuel dragster for Blair, Black and Prudhomme when one of the guys started calling me The Snake. I picked up on that nickname. Nothing was planned. It just happened."

Don Prudhomme was quick off the starting line and he's still quick out of his brain. His answers reveal many facets of his being, and we were privileged to be there to record his thoughts. Prudhomme was also trying to break in a rookie by asking Devon Larsen to help him with some questions, and we enjoyed the results. Picking one word to describe the character of Prudhomme is no easy task. He's smart, cool, humorous, cunning and more. We decided to stick with the one word that stuck to him long ago. I could find many good words for him, but no better word fits Don Prudhomme than…