For reigning Funny Car champion Ron Capps, Hot Wheels cars are as cool at 58 years old as when he was a six-year-old boy growing up in Southern California.
As a result, Capps will be paying homage to the iconic diecast manufacturer Hot Wheels and former team owner Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme. The timing couldn’t come at a better time as this year’s event marks the 50th anniversary of Prudhomme’s victory at the 1973 U.S. Nationals and the 10th anniversary of the ‘Snake & Mongoose’ film. His NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra will showcase a throwback of the iconic Hot Wheels x NHRA Funny Car.
“This is a dream come true both as a kid growing up and now as an NHRA driver,” said Capps, who swept the 2022 U.S. Nationals by qualifying No. 1, winning the All-Star Callout race, and winning the event. “It’s exciting to bring together the old-school Hot Wheels fans like myself with the next generation and offer up a tribute car with Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme. It’s also a tribute to what Hot Wheels did for the sport with ‘The Snake’ and ‘The Mongoose.’ It’s going to be incredibly emotional to be on the starting line at Indianapolis Raceway Park with ‘The Snake’ standing behind the car.
None of this initiative would have been possible without the blessings of Capps’ longtime sponsor, NAPA Auto Parts, and others who he said embraced the idea.
“I’m grateful to our partners, especially NAPA, for graciously supporting this idea and allowing us to run a throwback car like this at such a big, historic race,” added Capps, who moved into the Funny Car points lead following his victory from the pole in Brainerd, Minn. last weekend. “The U.S. Nationals is the premier event, and with the history of ‘The Snake’ at Indy, it’s only fitting that we’re able to run this car next weekend at ‘The Big Go.’
Prudhomme, an icon in drag racing’s history with five Top Fuel wins, saw his Funny Car triumph at Indy take his career to new heights. He became the first drag racing driver to win a national event in two professional categories, adding the U.S. Nationals Funny Car win to his three Indianapolis titles in Top Fuel. Prudhomme went on to win four consecutive NHRA Funny Car world championships from 1975 to 1978 and amassed a total of 49 wins in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Furthermore, as a team owner, Prudhomme secured over 50 additional wins in both nitro classes.
Prudhomme made the NHRA U.S. Nationals his playground, winning as many as seven times at the Labor Day extravaganza.
“I got a little tear in my eye when Ron approached me about doing this paint scheme,” said Prudhomme, a seven-time U.S. Nationals winner. “It blew me away that he was doing that, and to have NAPA on board with the whole project is quite an honor for me. It’s really a throwback paint scheme. That paint scheme, along with ‘The Snake and The Mongoose’ Hot Wheels set, which was originally released in 1970, really made my career. Ron has a real, legitimate shot at winning the race, and I couldn’t think of a better guy to be teamed up with to run this paint scheme.”
The bright yellow Hot Wheels diecast version of Prudhomme’s car, along with partner Tom ‘The Mongoose’ McEwen’s red version, introduced drag racing to kids worldwide. These toy sets played a pivotal role in familiarizing Prudhomme and McEwen with a broader audience and significantly elevating their careers, as well as drag racing as a whole.
Bryan Benedict, Director of Vehicles Product Design at Mattel, the company behind Hot Wheels, expressed excitement about Ron Capps paying tribute to Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme and the Hot Wheels Funny Car at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“The Hot Wheels team is so excited to have NHRA Funny Car champion Ron Capps pay tribute to the legendary Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme and his iconic Hot Wheels Funny Car at this year’s NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis,” said Bryan Benedict, Director of Vehicles Product Design, Mattel. “Ron has been a great friend of the Hot Wheels brand and continues to push boundaries, inspiring the next generation of automotive legends through his perseverance, passion, and countless hours of ‘challenge accepted.’ And the fact that this is honoring the ultimate legend, Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme, makes this a perfect match.
The story of Prudhomme and McEwen’s early racing careers, including their pursuit of Hot Wheels as a major sponsor, was captured in the 2013 film “Snake and Mongoose.” Released during the 2013 NHRA U.S. Nationals weekend, the film featured special screenings near Indianapolis Raceway Park. Racing personalities like Capps and fellow Toyota driver Alexis DeJoria made cameo appearances in the movie.
“It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since the ‘Snake and Mongoose’ movie came out,” Capps said. “As someone who grew up idolizing ‘The Snake’ and ‘The Mongoose,’ it was really exciting to see their life stories played out on the big screen. To get to be a part of the production and have a cameo in the film was surreal. This throwback car is also a great way to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the movie.”
Along with the special livery, Capps’ firesuit and the team crew shirts will look similar to what Prudhomme and his team wore in the early 1970s.
As a part of the U.S. Nationals weekend festivities, Prudhomme will hop in the seat of the Ron Capps Motorsports entry for the warmup procedures prior to the first qualifying session on Friday, Sept. 1.
