#TT1204
- Don Prudhomme
Army Cuda Funny Car
Drag racing legend Don "The
Snake" Prudhomme drove a lot of memorable race cars during
his long and storied career, from the Greer, Black & Prudhomme
Top Fuel car to the "Skoal Bandit" dragster that he
campaigned during his "Final Strike Tour" in 1994.
In between those two, Don ran both dragsters and funny cars and
he won dozens of national events on the NHRA, AHRA and IHRA tours
along with hundreds, literally, of independent events and match
races. And, when you ask most drag racing fans to name their
favorite Don Prudhomme car, chances are the majority of them
will say "the Army car."
Of course, most "Snake"
fans will be referring to the Monza that began terrorizing drag
strips around the country in 1975. But before the famous Chevy
hit the race track, the first Army car had a pretty good season
in its own right. This red, white and blue beauty was built by
another drag racing legend, John Buttera, and it won a couple
of NHRA's toughest races in '74, including the Gatornationals
and the U.S. Nationals in Indy. Throw in a win at the "PRO
National Challenge" at New York National Speedway, a national
Funny Car record at Englishtown and match-race wins from Lebanon
Valley to Irwindale and it's easy to see why "Drag News"
magazine dubbed 1974 as "The Year of the Snake."
