{"product_id":"lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-don-the-snake-prudhomme-2-book-set","title":"Lions Drag Strip: 1955-1972 \u0026 Don “The Snake” Prudhomme 2 Book Set","description":"\u003cp\u003eHot rodders and the “drag” cars that they raced in unsanctioned\u003cbr\u003eexhibitions had become a nuisance with law enforcement\u003cbr\u003ein Los Angeles, California. So, in an effort to make racing\u003cbr\u003esafer, C. J. “Pappy” Hart (founder of the Santa Ana Drag Strip),\u003cbr\u003eNorris Poulson (mayor of Los Angeles), John Chadwick (member\u003cbr\u003eof the Wilmington Lions Club), and others collaborated to\u003cbr\u003ecreate the world-famous Lions Associated Drag Strip. With an\u003cbr\u003eapproved proposal, shovels sunk into the sand in August 1955\u003cbr\u003ein Wilmington, California, christening the birth of the world’s\u003cbr\u003egreatest drag strip.\u003cbr\u003eMickey Thompson was hired to operate Lions Drag Strip\u003cbr\u003e(also known as “the Beach”), quickly turning it into Southern\u003cbr\u003eCalifornia’s wildest venue to watch drag racing. Innovations,\u003cbr\u003eincluding staging lights, track lighting for night racing, and concession\u003cbr\u003estands, made Lions Drag Strip the place to be.\u003cbr\u003eThe world’s greatest drag racers, such as Jack Chrisman,\u003cbr\u003eTom McEwen, Art Chrisman, Don Prudhomme, Chris Karamesines,\u003cbr\u003eConnie Kalitta, and Don Garlits, as well as a cast of\u003cbr\u003ethousands of others, descended upon Lions Drag Strip for exhibition\u003cbr\u003eand match racing. Fabled East-West showdowns, Fuel\u003cbr\u003eAltereds, Funny Cars, and Jet cars broke attendance records\u003cbr\u003eand set national records throughout the 1960s. In addition,\u003cbr\u003ethrill-seeker Evel Knievel leaped over 13 cars at Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip to the excitement of 14,000 fans in December 1970.\u003cbr\u003eSadly, Lions Drag Strip closed on December 3, 1972, due\u003cbr\u003eto the location being valued as industrial real estate and the\u003cbr\u003eapproaching urban sprawl.\u003cbr\u003eLions Automobilia Foundation Museum volunteer Lou Hart\u003cbr\u003ebrings forth this year-by-year illustrated history of Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip’s most memorable events with never-before-seen images\u003cbr\u003ein Lions Drag Strip: 1955–1972!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• This is the first book ever that chronicles the entire\u003cbr\u003ehistory of Lions Drag Strip.\u003cbr\u003e• Lions Drag Strip was Los Angeles’s most famous drag\u003cbr\u003estrip.\u003cbr\u003e• Over the years, millions of fans visited Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDon “The Snake” Prudhomme\u003c\/strong\u003e reveals for the first time ever his incredible life and career on and off of the drag strip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImagine spending a year with Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, having coffee together and talking about his life, his racing, his friends, and his family. He’d tell you about how he rose from being a high school drop-out who was painting cars to a respected Top Fuel dragster driver and successful businessman. You’d hear how he toured the country with Tommy Ivo and “The Hawaiian” Roland Leong, racing all the legends from \u003cstrong\u003e“Big Daddy” Don Garlits\u003c\/strong\u003e to \u003cstrong\u003e“The Golden Greek” [Chris] Karamesines\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe’d say how he met \u003cstrong\u003eTom McEwen\u003c\/strong\u003e and recall how they became \u003cstrong\u003ethe Snake\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ethe Mongoose\u003c\/strong\u003e, leading to a career in \u003cstrong\u003eFunny Cars\u003c\/strong\u003e that netted him four championships in a row. He’d talk about the thrill of first wins and owning his own teams but also the struggles of bad seasons,  crashes and fires, broken parts, and broken contracts. Along the way, he’d speak about the people in his life, such as engine-builder \u003cstrong\u003eKeith Black\u003c\/strong\u003e and NHRA president \u003cstrong\u003eWally Parks\u003c\/strong\u003e, and those who were killed in the wild and unpredictable sport of nitro racing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt wouldn’t be only racing, though. Prudhomme would share lessons he learned about business and life from such varied sources as a neighbor in Granada Hills to Ford GT40 driver \u003cstrong\u003eDan Gurney\u003c\/strong\u003e. He also would talk about the importance of family: how his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Donna, changed his world and how finding out about his African-American roots opened his eyes to a culture and inheritance he’d always wanted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Don Prudhomme is arguably the most famous drag racer of all time\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• This will be the first time Don Prudhomme has talked publicly about his life both on and off the track\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Don Prudhomme won 49 NHRA races, 4 NHRA Championships, and won the US Nationals 7 times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Midlife Classic Cars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50514071519512,"sku":"KIT9781613258538\/9781613255186","price":64.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/9813\/3831\/files\/kit97816132585389781613255186.jpg?v=1772256762","url":"https:\/\/www.midlifeclassiccars.com\/cs\/products\/lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-don-the-snake-prudhomme-2-book-set","provider":"MidlifeClassicCars.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}