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Ron Capps’‘ Snake’ Tribute Lives On With New Hot Wheels Release
By Nate Van Wagnen
In 1970, Don“ The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom“ The Mongoose” McEwen signed a revolutionary sponsorship deal with Mattel and its Hot Wheels brand, kicking off a partnership that brought thousands of 1 / 64th scale versions of Snake and Mongoose Funny Cars to toy store shelves around the world. Fifty-five years later, Ron Capps’ modern version of the iconic“ Snake” Hot Wheels Funny Car that he raced to victory at the 2023 NHRA U. S. Nationals in Indianapolis is getting the same treatment.
Capps grew up collecting the Snake and Mongoose Hot Wheels cars with his younger brother, Jon, and the brothers would race them on the drag race track sets that were available at the time. The toys brought the match race action that was happening at the track into living rooms across the country, introducing drag racing to a new generation.
“ That was my childhood,” Capps said.“ We played with Hot Wheels and not just collected them, but we raced them. It was the real deal for us. Those cars had such an impact on me as a kid, as it did for a lot of people. It was cool as a kid to battle the Snake and Mongoose and then go with my dad to a race and watch them live and meet them and watch them go down the track together.”
Capps went on to race for Prudhomme and his Snake Racing team from 1997 through 2004, adding 13 event wins to Prudhomme’ s career stats as a team owner. The two have remained good friends ever since, with Capps more recently relying on Prudhomme as a mentor after starting his own team, Ron Capps Motorsports, in 2021.
Inspired by his relationship with Prudhomme, his childhood spent playing with the Snake and
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RON CAPPS AND NHRA
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