Apparently, Paul Lee wasn’t finished having fun with Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen’s old paint scheme. Neither were the fans who got their first look at it during the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Lee is bringing his red, white and blue Bicentennial-inspired Funny Car back for an encore at the 61st annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, Nov. 12-15, at Pomona Dragstrip. The return comes 50 years after McEwen raced the original design in 1976, and this time the tribute will compete at the Mongoose’s home track.
The Indianapolis appearance was supposed to be a one-time deal. Fan response apparently convinced Lee and his team that the Mongoose deserved another outing before the season ended.
Lee had discussed recreating the Bicentennial Funny Car with McEwen years before the drag racing legend died in 2018. McEwen liked the idea and gave his friend permission to proceed.
At Indianapolis, Lee recalled telling McEwen what he wanted to do. The response was vintage Mongoose: “Go ahead, kid.”
Kenny Youngblood, who created McEwen’s original 1976 starburst design, returned to adapt his artwork to Lee’s modern Funny Car. The finished product brought back the English Leather branding that appeared on McEwen’s original machine, giving longtime fans a familiar sight with considerably more horsepower underneath it.
The project required securing permission to use the vintage English Leather identity, with Steve Cole helping coordinate the effort. The finished car made its debut at Indianapolis during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.
Lee didn’t just bring the car to Indianapolis to just get intention. He qualified 13th and defeated Spencer Hyde in the opening round with a 3.925-second pass at 326.87 mph before losing to Matt Hagan in the quarterfinals.
McEwen’s place in drag racing history goes well beyond the 1976 paint scheme. His rivalry and promotional partnership with Don “the Snake” Prudhomme helped introduce the sport to a generation of fans through the famous Hot Wheels campaign.
The Snake and Mongoose Funny Cars found their way into the hands of kids who had never smelled nitro. Some of those kids eventually became racers, while others became lifelong fans who still remember the rivalry.
McEwen also gave those fans plenty to remember on the racetrack. His victory over Prudhomme in the 1978 U.S. Nationals Funny Car final remains one of the defining moments of their rivalry.
Now the tribute heads west to Pomona, where McEwen spent much of his racing career. Lee will get another opportunity to put the Mongoose colors in front of fans who remember seeing the original car race.
Mongoose Paul Lee Racing tribute T-shirts will be available at the Horsepower Gear trailer on the Pomona midway and online at McLeodRacing.com. Supplies are limited.
For Lee, the return is personal, and he isn’t making any secret of why he wanted to bring the car back.
“Tom was a great friend and a mentor, and this was always my favorite of his paint schemes,” Lee said. “We had the chance to run it at Indy, and I’m proud to bring it back at his home track. I hope the fans who watched Tom race will see the car and remember what he meant to this sport.”
