Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: A Legacy of Success and Speed

Summary

Episode Summary: Don "The Snake" Prudhomme – A Legacy of Success and Speed

Podcast: Herm & Schrader
Hosts: Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader
Episode: Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: A Legacy of Success and Speed
Release Date: July 24, 2025

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Introduction to Don "The Snake" Prudhomme

The episode kicks off with Kenny Wallace expressing his admiration for Don Prudhomme, affectionately known as "The Snake." Kenny highlights Don's legendary status in the drag racing world, emphasizing their long-standing friendship and the mutual respect between them.

Kenny Wallace [00:59]: "Don, how you doing?"

Don Prudhomme [01:34]: "I'm cool, Kenny. I've been looking forward to this, man. I watch you all the time. You know, it's fun."

Origins of the Nickname "Snake"

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the origin of Don's iconic nickname, "Snake." Don recounts how the moniker was bestowed upon him during his early days in drag racing, highlighting his quick starts and slender physique.

Don Prudhomme [04:31]: "Joel Purcell... started calling me Snake because I was tall, skinny, quick off the starting line."

Kenny adds context by contrasting the era of nicknames with the modern reliance on sponsorships, underscoring the personal branding that defined early drag racing.

Kenny Wallace [05:47]: "We are going to get to the Snake and Mongoose and the Hot Wheels Mattel. It's going to be big, but we're celebrating you, Don."

Career Highlights and Achievements

Kenny meticulously outlines Don's illustrious career, prompting Don to confirm and expand upon his accomplishments. They discuss his four NHRA Funny Car World Championships, 49 national event wins, and his induction into both the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Kenny Wallace [06:33]: "Four time NHRA funny car world champion. Don, when I rattle off all those stats, tell me where Your brain goes."

Don Prudhomme [08:25]: "I didn't pay much attention to him, you know, back then."

The Snake vs. The Mongoose Rivalry

One of the episode's focal points is the legendary rivalry between Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen. Don narrates how their competition began in the early 1960s and evolved into a celebrated match racing phenomenon, even inspiring Hot Wheels to create toy versions of their cars.

Don Prudhomme [16:38]: "The fans wanted to see the Snake, the Mongoose race. So we built up a hell of a following."

Kenny highlights the cultural impact of this rivalry, noting its inclusion in a major motion picture that dramatizes their story.

Kenny Wallace [48:52]: "We come out with a major motion picture... Snake versus Mongoose."

Personal Insights and Life Lessons

The conversation takes a heartfelt turn as Kenny shares personal anecdotes about how Don's encouragement helped him persevere in his racing career. Don reflects on the importance of passion in racing and the challenges posed by the evolving sport and sponsorship dynamics.

Don Prudhomme [22:15]: "These drivers have to be to thank their sponsors... there's no more Mario Andretti's."

Kenny Wallace [28:35]: "Don, you saved my life... You said, I miss drag racing so much."

Don emphasizes the irreplaceable thrill of racing, lamenting the decline in genuine passion among younger racers.

Don Prudhomme [21:31]: "I think that's what's missing today. Nicknames and characters."

Transition from Racer to Team Owner

Don discusses his seamless transition from driving to team ownership, highlighting his continued involvement in the sport without the physical risks associated with racing.

Don Prudhomme [71:39]: "My transition was great. Becoming a car owner. I enjoyed that aspect."

Kenny shares a personal story about Don helping him navigate his own career challenges, reinforcing the theme of mentorship and support.

Kenny Wallace [75:35]: "I forgot that I had money put away... It was hard, but I realized I'm Kenny Wallace."

Brotherhood and Camaraderie in Racing

The episode underscores the deep sense of brotherhood among racers, with Don reminiscing about friendships forged on and off the track. He shares memories of racing legends like AJ Foyt, Roger Penske, and Chip Ganassi, highlighting mutual respect and shared experiences.

Don Prudhomme [55:41]: "AJ was out at the drags... we've remained buddies ever since."

Kenny Wallace [83:27]: "I love that, that makes me happy."

Legacy and Retirement

As the conversation winds down, Don reflects on his retirement in 1994, attributing his decision to financial challenges and the escalating costs of racing. He expresses contentment with his legacy and the friendships he's maintained.

Don Prudhomme [71:14]: "My transition was great... I didn't have a hard time getting out of the car."

Kenny pays tribute to Don's unscathed career, acknowledging the inherent risks of racing and celebrating Don's longevity and success.

Kenny Wallace [68:09]: "A lot of people can't walk, can't talk. You went all the way and you still got your wits about you."

Final Reflections and Gratitude

In the closing segments, Kenny dedicates heartfelt thanks to Don, sharing how their interactions have positively impacted his life. Don reciprocates the sentiment, expressing fulfillment in their ongoing friendship and shared passion for racing.

Kenny Wallace [77:07]: "You saved my life. Thank you so much."

Don Prudhomme [86:44]: "It's cool, man. It's hanging out with everybody."

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Key Takeaways

• Legacy and Influence: Don Prudhomme's impact on drag racing is profound, both as a competitor and as a mentor to younger racers.

• Rivalries and Friendships: The Snake vs. The Mongoose rivalry epitomizes the thrilling competition and camaraderie that define the sport.

• Evolution of Racing: Don highlights the shift from personal branding through nicknames to the modern sponsorship-driven landscape, expressing nostalgia for the sport's earlier, more passionate days.

• Personal Growth and Support: The episode underscores the importance of mentorship, with Don playing a pivotal role in guiding Kenny Wallace through career uncertainties.

• Safety and Longevity: Reflecting on the dangers of racing, Don appreciates the advancements in safety that have allowed him to retire without physical harm, contrasting it with the fates of other racing legends.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kenny Wallace [05:47]: "We are going to get to the Snake and Mongoose and the Hot Wheels Mattel. It's going to be big, but we're celebrating you, Don."

• Don Prudhomme [16:38]: "The fans wanted to see the Snake, the Mongoose race. So we built up a hell of a following."

• Kenny Wallace [28:35]: "Don, you saved my life... You said, I miss drag racing so much."

• Don Prudhomme [21:31]: "I think that's what's missing today. Nicknames and characters."

• Kenny Wallace [68:09]: "A lot of people can't walk, can't talk. You went all the way and you still got your wits about you."

• Kenny Wallace [77:07]: "You saved my life. Thank you so much."

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Conclusion

This episode of Herm & Schrader serves as a rich tribute to Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, capturing his storied career, personal philosophies, and the enduring friendships that have shaped his life and the world of drag racing. Kenny Wallace and Don Prudhomme's candid conversation offers listeners an intimate glimpse into the legacy of one of racing's most beloved figures.

Transcript

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[Kenny Wallace]

Hello, everyone and welcome back to Kenny Conversation, brought to you by jegs, the leader in high performance aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to JEGS.com for anything you need and even to fix your hot rod up. Man, I'm a little nervous today because I don't have very many heroes. And you're look, you're looking at like number number one or number two right there for me. The great Don the Snake Perdome. Don, how you doing?

[Don Prudhomme]

I'm cool, Kenny. I've been looking forward to this, man. I watch you all the time. You know, it's fun.

[Kenny Wallace]

And you know what? Really, I'm serious when I say this. You are cool. You are a badass. My big brother Rusty loves you. And I think it's because of your demeanor. Like you and Rick Mears, you guys, you just kicked, but you won everything. Have you always been this calm demeanor?

[Don Prudhomme]

I guess, man, you know, I don't know. You know Rusty, your brother. Jesus, man, we. We go way back, you know, and he's been a big help to me. Miller liked when I needed something, you know, he helped me. And we're just. We're just buddies ever since. And along with the Blue Max days, the Raymond Beetle, you know, the funny cars, the Blue Max and NASCAR Pontiacs.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, 100%. Okay? And I want to put a disclaimer out there for everybody. Don Prudhomme is a dear friend of mine. We talk, we see each other every year here and there. And we've waited far too long, Don, to celebrate your career. But here we go. Now we're gonna, we're gonna do some talking and this is Kenny conversation that means you butt in and tell me when I'm wrong. But we're, we're here to celebrate your career. Okay? Are you still, are you still from San Fernando, California?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, I live in San Diego. That's where I was raised. Out in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area. Granada Hills, Van Nuys, those places.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Wife, Lynn. I know Lynn is a badass. She's the ultimate racer's wife.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Daughter Donna got us set up here on the camera. Is that your team, Donna?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, she's, you know, she. She runs me around and she's the boss. Yeah, she just is so. She's just great. You know, we've. We got a great relationship and love her to death.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Kind of like me, Don. I got, I'm a girl, dad. I got Brooke, Brandy and Brittany. Is it crazy? It's like my oldest daughter's 38 and I'm like, no, that can't be.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, how about mine's 52. And she looks, she looks 32, but you know, she's, she's cute, man. Good looking girl.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, that makes me happy. Okay, so my nickname, these nicknames are when you get, when you get a nickname that means you've done something. You know, whether I'm Herman the German, Rusty was Rubberhead. Dale Senior was the Intimidator. But you got the best nickname of all, and it's the Snake. So where did you get that nickname?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, it started in the early days, around 1963. I was driving a car called the Greer, Black and Purdone, Top Fuel Dragster. And our good friend Bruce Myers, he has it in his collection. It was the prettiest car. But Keith Black was just really, really good building engines. And there was a guy on the crew, Joel Purcell his name was, and just working with us, he started calling me Snake because I was tall, skinny, quick off the starting line. Of course, I didn't think much of it. Don't call me that. And then the next thing, the announcer started calling me that and it just picked up momentum. But the other thing, you talk about nicknames. Back in those days, we didn't have any sponsors. So you could put Snake on the front of the car or Mongoose, Big Daddy, Shirley. Nowadays they talk about their sponsors. You don't even know who the hell is driving the car. For the most part, they get out of the car about my sponsor. But back then, yeah, man, I was a Snake and the Mongoose and those were big days. Big Daddy Don Garlett's. And it just stuck the next day. And of course, you know, the Mattel situation didn't hurt us at all. That was great.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, and we are going to get to that. You know, Don, I want to make sure I do my very best. I got three pages of notes here and we. So for everybody listening and watching, we are going to get. We are going to get to the Snake and Mongoose and the Hot Wheels Mattel. It's going to be big, but we're celebrating you, Don. I'm going to tell you your stats and if I get any of them wrong, you tell me. But. There he is, ladies and gentlemen, Don the Snake Per Dome. Listen to this. 4 time NHRA funny car world champion. Now, was one of those in Top Fuel or.

[Don Prudhomme]

I have four funny cars. Yeah, they're all funny cars. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Four time man, 49 wins, 49 national events.

[Don Prudhomme]

49 national events.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. That's hard. That's hard to do.

[Don Prudhomme]

We did a lot more. 49 wins, but a lot of national events. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

How many wins you think you got total, Don, throughout your drag racing?

[Don Prudhomme]

A man. I don't know, you know, I don't keep track of that. Now you could ask Garlic and he'd tell you right away, but I never did keep track of that. All I cared about was turn the wind light on down there and God, that's awesome. That's all that matter. But you know, there several hundreds, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, right. 1991, inducted into the Motorsports hall of Fame of America.

[Don Prudhomme]

Uhhuh.

[Kenny Wallace]

2000 inducted into the International Motorsports hall of Fame. Now, now this next one, this next one just blows my mind. You won 389 races of.589. Now there's our race wins right there. You won 389 races of a possible 589 races for a winning percentage of 660. That means you won well over half your races. That, that, that's incredible. Okay, we're not, we're not done. We're still celebrating your badassery. This one here was big.

[Don Prudhomme]

All right.

[Kenny Wallace]

First funny car driver to exceed 250 miles per hour.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

And, and, and I know there's a lot more, but these are the big daddies. And, and finally, NHRA top 50 drivers. They say you're ranked number three. Man. Don, when, when I rattle off all those stats, tell me where Your brain goes.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh man, you know. You know, I never really keep track of much of that, you know, during my career we're always so damn busy, you know, going up and down the road and trying to make money and match racing and. But you know, I guess when you add it up, the end of the day it's nice to have those stats, but you know, hell man, you can get beat at any time. So I didn't pay much attention to him, you know, back then.

[Kenny Wallace]

And on that you said running up and down the road and I hear so many stories, you know, whether it's on social media. I remember the Snake coming, you know, somewhere. I mean, you literally raced all over America, didn't you?

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. You know, we would do maybe 70, 80 events a year, match races and you know, Kenny, back in those days, you know, which is the best because we, we run pretty much two or three times a week especially we're on the road and you just learn so much about racetracks, conditions and of course we got paid back in those. Now in today's world when you go to the races, you pay them. We used to go, they paid us. I like that a lot.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And we are going to get to match racing, everybody. That was, that was an incredible day. And we are going to get to match racing. The Snake versus the Mongoose. It's still to come. We're still in Don's early career right now. Okay, this one here just kind of gives me goosebumps because I see you still wear the shirt to this day and just reminds me of the great days like you said that it all started for you. Road Kings of Burbank. Tell me about this.

[Don Prudhomme]

Uhhuh. You want to hear about that?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh gosh. How, you know, how did you get started in drag racing?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, you know, I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, you know, school was really tough. I had this dyslexic problem, so I hated school and I got in the Road Kings Burbank, which was a car club and they had a club dragster and there was a guy in the club by the name of Tom Ivo who was a really a well known guy to this day. And he's maybe five years older than me, but he kind of took me under his wing and showed me a lot about the cars. And they had a club car there, had a little Buick engine in little nail head and I got to drive that and fell in love with it, you know, and there was no money in it, you know, you strictly did it because you loved it. And so that's really how we started, you know, just in the Road Kings, Burbank, with the Club Dragster. And that was it for me. I found my niche in life, you.

[Kenny Wallace]

Know, as a child, I grew up, you know, AJ Foyt, Marion Dreddy, you know, Don Perdome, Big Daddy, Don Garlett's. We loved racing here in the Midwest. And you, you do something this day that I really admire. I. I see you to this day wearing that Road Kings of Burnbank. It's a white shirt. You're a platinum member. You look good. I mean, that's very prideful for you, isn't it?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, yeah. I mean, yeah, I like it. You know, I, I've told many, many people, if it wasn't for the Road Kings of Burbank, the car club, I don't know where I would have gone or what I would have done. I mean, I found my niche in life by driving that car. That was it for me. And, you know, unfortunately, in today's world with a lot of kids, they don't have. I don't know if they have car clubs anymore like that, you know, but that was a great way to get started. And so when I do some appearances and so on and reunions, I always like to wear the Road King shirt. Yeah. Because it wasn't for them, I don't know what I'd have done.

[Kenny Wallace]

Don, you look good in that shirt, you know, you really do. And, and you know what we're gonna do? We're gonna have Charlie Marlowe drop that in right now. So, you know, we edit this up. We got the ability to constantly drop pictures in Don as we're talking. So you just look so good in that, signing autographs. Okay, so we, we got you started. Now you're a drag racer. And I watched a really good interview with you and Tony Stewart on MAV tv. As you know, I'm not kissing your ass down. I'm just a big fan. And one thing that really stuck out was we all remember, you know, when we, when we first start racing, it's like, how are we going to make money doing something we love? And you tell this. Yeah, you tell this story that you won a $50 war bond from Mickey Thompson at Lions Drag Strip. Tell me about that moment.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, yeah, once again, the Road Kings. I had a dragster down Alliance Drag strip, which is all part of, you know, California hell. We had five, six race drag strips in those days. But Lions was the best and guy by the name of Mickey Thompson that I'm sure you've heard of. Oh, yeah, he actually, actually built that track. And I knew him fairly well, but he was a tough son of a man in his day, you know, and he told me I was doing wheel stands and he told me that if I do another one, he's going to throw me out. Oh, my God. Well, unfortunately, I did another one. He threw me out of the track.

[Kenny Wallace]

But you're a badass.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, but the week before, I won a $50 war bond there. And in those days, you know, they didn't have money up. It would just come run your car and win a trophy. But Mickey was the first guy to that. I know they put up any money and it was a $50 war bond. I wish I still had it, but that was the first bit of money that I ever made.

[Kenny Wallace]

Drag racing, man. You know, I know, I know there's great racers all over America, but when I think of the west coast out there in California, I mean, Parnelli Jones, Mickey Thompson, man, there's some. I mean, do you feel like in your mind, where did drag racing get started? Did it get started on the West Coast?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I think so. You know, it really got started is out at Bonneville and the local Mojave out here in the dirt, actually. And that was more in the 40s, early 50s, and a lot of the guys discovered if they went to a paved, abandoned drag airport, that you could have a drag race there. And in Santa Ana out here, that's what they did. The first drag race on a quarter mile, I think was around 1950 or there. 1949, 1950. I wasn't there, but I'm sure Ivan, some of the guys were.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, I was on the Cal Petty charity ride and we stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats and it amazes me how much history is there. And between that and the. The abandoned air. Air Airplane fields. And there's a lot of great stories about those abandoned airports and where they would race. Okay, so here we go. This, this is the moment in this conversation everybody's been waiting for. You gained worldwide attention when Hot Wheels released the toy version of the car. But, but boy, you and Tom, you put your work in the Snake versus the Mongoose, and. And Charlie's gonna drop this picture in right now. Tell me about this 40 year rivalry with Tom the Mongoose McEwen. When do you remember it getting going?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, I'll bring you back to the Greer Black Prudhomme car. And that's where it started. I picked up my nickname Snake, driving that car. And Tom McEwan, he was a real regular at Lions Drag Strip. He lived right down the road, and he's a little bit older than me, not much. And we just started, you know, bull hanging out, and he. He was pretty good driver, and he beat us a time or two. And a guy by the name of Ed Donovan used to build engines, you know, aluminum 392 blocks. He's the first guy to do that. Anyhow, they. They. He had an engine in his car. McEwen was driving it. And Ed was the guy that started calling McEwen the Manlus. And all of a sudden, the announcer started calling him the Mongoose. And then the fans wanted to see us race. They want to see the Snake, the Mongoose race. So we. Yeah, in Southern California here, we. We build up a hell of a following. You know, it was great. No responses yet, but that's what we had. Mattel. Mattel came into the picture after Tom and I. Well, we were like brothers, you know, he'd come out to the Valley where I lived. We'd ride our Triumph motorcycles and hang around, but I was painting cars still. We had no idea that there would be any money that we could make or make a living, let's say, drag racing. And he had the idea of, because he had two little kids, of going to Mattel and talking to them about the little Hot Wheel cars, about the Snake and the Mongoose. And I said, oh, you're crazy. Get out of here. Are you kidding? Drag racers so bad. He comes screaming into my shop out in the Valley. I'm painting cars. He's. We got a meeting. I don't know. It was day after tomorrow. Something at Mattel, they want to talk to you, too. So we went back to that meeting and walked in, and they actually had sketches drawn up. A guy by the name of Larry woods drew these sketches up high, how these Hot Wheel cars were going to look. You know, the bodies are raised up on them, Snake and the Mongoose. And, man, it was. It was the coolest thing ever, because the folks at Hot Wheels were excited about it, you know, and it was just. It wasn't one of them sponsors where you had to twist their arm to do it. They were all in. And we still get royalty checks from them. So it's. It's been a nice hell. Yeah, it was great.

[Kenny Wallace]

And it makes sense, right? The Snake versus the Mongoose. I mean, these are.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, yeah, because of, especially, especially if you have a brother or a kid down the street. You're a little guy and I mean we had many, many guys come up say, hey man, I was my, my brother and I raced your Hot Wheel cars. I have the Snake and I beat him all the time. Really? Even today? Even today, if I'm placed to sign and stuff, a guy come up with maybe one of the original 500, $600 now hot wheel car of mine design and they cost 98 cents to buy them back in the day, you know, so it's still a real collector's piece and I still involved in that side of the business. Collectors.

[Kenny Wallace]

I like that, that you are not upset about your past. You're a winner.

[Don Prudhomme]

You love, you know, I loved it, man. My past, it was the greatest time, the greatest all time time in drag race. You had Garland, Shirley, Connie Coletta, Jungle Gym, I mean, the Blue Max. Those are the real racing days to me. I hate to sound like Mark Martin, but they screwed it up.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, hey, listen, here I am, I'm 62, Shirley Cha Cha Muldowney.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Big, Big Daddy Don Garlett, the Snake. Now we got you, John. Brute force, he's been roughed up. But you guys, there's no doubt in my mind. And we're going to talk about the major motion picture. And I went and watched it and then I called you afterwards. You, there's no doubt in my mind that the people that I just rattled off, you, Big Daddy Shirley, you know, Coletta, I just interviewed Doug, you know, and you, you guys made drag racing. There's no doubt. I want, that was a statement. But now I want to say this. Do you think that's what we're missing right now, Don? I mean, there's this dirt racer, we, we call him Uncle T Tyler Herb, and he just pays, he wins. But he plays this bad boy character. Do you think that's what's missing today? Nicknames and characters?

[Don Prudhomme]

You know, that's a good question. I mean, I think that's missing in all racing. I think that's missing in NASCAR. I think it's missing in IndyCar. And we have no more Mario Andretti's. We have no more AJ Fords, we have no more Unsers, we have no more Earnhardt's. We know more Kyle Petty, Richard Petty. Those are the guys that made Nick NASCAR and, and IndyCar Foy and all them. And I, I like to think, you know, we had a big hand in, in drag racing. But what's missing, you know, you're so. You're so in tune. Or these drivers have to be to thank their sponsors. Talk about their sponsors. Justin Ashley, I don't know if you know who he is, but he.

[Kenny Wallace]

He's.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, he's. He's a hell of a driver, this kid. I don't know how he leaves so quick. And let's face it, that's all a drag race is, leave quick. I told Tony Steward that. I said, baby, that light comes on and you leave. That's all the you could do, because the rest of it, your foot's on the floor. If it smokes, the tires, it does. So anyhow, that's another world. We can talk about that. But I don't know, man. You know, it was just different back then. I like it so much back then. I mean, I try and stay up with stuff, but they don't get any bigger crowds today than we used to get in our match races pretty much, or at winter nationals. We used to pack them in there. I don't know what happened, and I don't know what happened to nascar, but I think largely because these fans had followed all us, they quit going. They just don't. They just don't have that interest like they did years back. But I don't think the young man has that much interest in cars anymore. I mean, you can't raise the hood, do a God thing, you know, we raise the hood, change the carburetor. Yeah, you know, all that kinds of stuff. It doesn't happen. I don't even raise the hood of my truck. I don't even know where it looks like it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Hey, this is Dalenhardt Jr. And for the latest Herman Schrader gear, you need to go to shop.dirtymomedia.com We've got plenty of options for everybody, and we're adding new stuff all the time, so go to shop.dirtymomedia.com this episode is brought to.

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[Don Prudhomme]

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[Kenny Wallace]

I agree with you 100%. You, when you ra, you can't do anything. So I mean, listen, I don't know your business but, but I do talk to a lot of drag racers that clutch nowadays. I mean like you said, you hit the gas and the clutch does it all for you. In your day you, in your day you were famous for pedal fest. You know, you smoke the tires and you're both smoking the tires. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

But you know, it was so cool back then is that we go to Orange county and have a match race with the Blue Max Saturday night jungle Ghibli reminds 64 funny cars. And I guarantee you we'd all go down the track. I mean you would race going down the track in today's world. I don't know if you watch a lot of NHRA stuff, especially on Friday.

[Kenny Wallace]

I do.

[Don Prudhomme]

They spend the whole day just trying to get down the track, power a six disc clutch, 120 gallon fuel pump, 60 pounds of boost and they wonder why it won't go down the track. I mean they're just so popped up and over centered until if the sun isn't setting in the right direction and the drag temperature isn't at the right temperature and they don't go down the track, I mean it's that, it's that critical nowadays. And you know what the water grains. I never knew what water grains were.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yep, humidity.

[Don Prudhomme]

You put 95. I know, but you put 95% nitro on it. That's all you needed buddy back then, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah boy, man, you, you just got my conversation. Just. It goes everywhere with this.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, it does.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And I want to remind everybody and this is, this is something I dreamed up. You've seen it all. You started at 185, 187 miles per hour.

[Don Prudhomme]

100 miles an hour. 100 miles an hour. When I first started, that was it.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's awesome.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. 100. Yeah. 105. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

So you started drag racing at a hundred mile an hour and you ended your career at 317. Don, you've seen it all, my friend.

[Don Prudhomme]

You think? Yeah, man. Yeah, I really have it. But, you know, I hate to sound like Richard Petty or any of that stuff.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, it's good stuff.

[Don Prudhomme]

Richard's done the same thing. I mean, we've seen it all. And I'm sure there's things about cup racing these days. Richard just has a tight ass over. And there's a lot of things about Drag Race that I'm the same way. You know, it really bothers me that, that it didn't grow and keep going at a bigger level than it is now. You know, I mean, we get our TV on, it's maybe 600,000, maybe, you know, that's. We need million, 2 million people watching it on Sunday to catch sponsors and people's attention. You know, 600,000 people on a, on a viewing audience isn't that big a deal.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, I want to bring this up because I'm thinking about this right now. So you and I, about three years ago, we're out in Sturgis, and I looked at you and Walker Evans and I needed advice and I looked at you and I said, guys, I'm going to be 60, I'm thinking about quitting racing. You literally came out of your lawn chair and you, you looked at me and you said no. And you said, I miss drag racing so much. And Don, I want to tell you, that really affected my life. You saved me. You saved me a couple, a couple times in my life, and I'll bring that one up later, but you saved me because you, I could see that emotion. You said, I miss drag racing so much. And, yeah, I mean, I love racing. And you, you said no.

[Don Prudhomme]

You know, Kenny, I gotta tell you, you know, as you know, I've been along for a long time, but, you know, once you race and do what you've done and what I've done, yeah, man. I don't care if you become a lawyer, what you are after that, or make a big billion dollars. Still, the most exciting thing to ever do in your whole. God life is drive that quarter mile at 300 miles an hour. Yes. And you know, it just. They're just in another feeling like that when they get down the quarter mile, you know, when they can make a good run. It's amazing. It's just. Yeah. So there's just nothing replacement. So I get guys, they went with, you know, I've been retired for a while, but guys would come back that I used to race, hang around the track, and they missed the hell out of it. And that taught me a good lesson. So I, I tried staying in as long as I could, but, you know, the financial part of. It's a whole different ball game. I got out. But for yourself. Yeah, I highly recommend it. Man, you're still full of piss and vinegar, man. You. Yeah, you got. You got time on you, you know, and that's. That's great, Kenny. You're. You're fortunate. You got your health, you got everything. Keep going, buddy.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, I just want to let you know, and, and I'm not exaggerating. I mean this from the bottom of my heart. You saved my damn life. Because, you know, there's just this philosophy, you know, you have so many people look at you. People that are not in the game. People, they are not competitors. They don't know what it's about. And, you know, there's just this thought, oh, I'm getting older. I guess I should quit. And when you. When you said you taught me what you learned and you said no, and I'm like, all right, it was awesome. No, thank you.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, well, you know, if. Let me tell you, if you weren't the type of individual you are and the health you are, and as active as you are, I'd say, yeah, you ought to quit. But no, man, you're still a full of piss and vinegar, so.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's right.

[Don Prudhomme]

You got. You got some miles on you.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's right, baby. Okay, so let's get back to Snake versus Mongoose and this 40 year rivalry with Tom the Mongoose McEwen. We lost Tom, what, a couple years ago?

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. Yeah, but. But it's been about four or five years ago now. Yeah. Yeah, we sure did. Yeah, he, you know, cancer got him, you know. Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was a real shame. We. We were still tight, you know, we still did business together. We're completely different guys, but when it comes time for racing and business and stuff, we're real tight. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I'm sorry about that.

[Don Prudhomme]

Hate to lose him, you know, I.

[Kenny Wallace]

I followed that and I'm. I'm really sorry about that. Okay, so the evolution of match racing, from what I understand, I want you to straighten me out for everybody that's watching so you all match raced so you could make a living. Then they started, like real drag racing. Start like what? Real drag racing. Like what? I mean, like nhra, A series, these match races. How did the drag strip. Did they call you? This is the way you guys made a living back then? Tell me about match racing before nhra.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah, well, that that's how we made a living, like you point out. Well, we. What would happen. They had this paper in drag race. A newspaper come out every week. It's called Drag News. And it was like, man, you couldn't wait to get your. It's like the Rolling Stones, you know, you couldn't wait to see who's on the COVID And you wanted to be on the COVID and everybody strive for that. Well, you know, if you win a big race. Bakersfield in 1962 Fuel and gas championship. Don Garland, Chris Karamosini, Pistol and Rod Stuckey, they all came out here to Bakersfield to run fuel nitro methane. In those days, NHRA didn't run nitro. Nhra, we didn't pay attention to them because they didn't have nitro. They were gasoline.

[Kenny Wallace]

That was my point. That was my point.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. Hey, man, after running nitro, gas is just for cleaning parts, you know what I mean? I mean, that's all it was good for. But you know, after you run nitro, man, it's like champagne going back to beer, you know?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

Ain't the same. So anyhow, that's. We won that race at Bakersfield. And I was driving for Zuccho and Fuller and this badass dragster, Fuller Build, he was a big chassis builder. And we won that race, beat all the guys came out. And so that name became. That race really launched me. So I built a name there it was in Drag News. I got the chance to drive a gerblach prone car that Bruce Meyers owns still, and he's got a bitching collection. But you pick up a Dane, you know, you're on the COVID of National Drags, you're back, you're going to win this. So Trax would call you from Cecil County, Maryland, wherever it might be, or there would be a guy booking tracks and book you in. You know, hey, we want you to come run for us at Cecil Valley, Maryland. I think at the time we're getting maybe 1200 bucks for an appearance. Twelve hundred dollars?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

Garlis was getting maybe 15 that we were getting 1200. That was big money because, yeah, you didn't tear all your up like they do now. You know, you just pour the nitro in and make a pass, come back, cool it down, erase somebody else. So, you know, you can make money at 1200 bucks going to track. You know, you made a living like that. Then you go to another track the next day, maybe Union Grove, Wisconsin, they'd have you paired up with, I don't know, Chi Town Hustle or something like that.

[Kenny Wallace]

Nicknames. Nicknames, yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

The Chi Town Hustler. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes.

[Don Prudhomme]

I love it, man. Yeah. So the shitty town, the steak, the Mongoose, Big daddy that they booked us. So we run maybe 70 dates a year doing that. And then every so often, we'd go to an NHRA race.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And, boy, that was a whole new world. We start running NHRA races, you know, whole new world.

[Kenny Wallace]

So you and Lynn, and then later Donna comes along. When you did that, Match Racing now. Now that. Now that you look back on it, tell me, was it exciting living that vagabond lifestyle? Because I do it. I run these dirt cars. I go from track to track, and I. I. You know, you get tired, you know, the older you get, but I like. No, I like the process. What was it like back then? I mean, did you like it? Did you not like it? What was it like?

[Don Prudhomme]

I loved it. I loved it. Yeah. Are you kidding? To get a chance to load your car on a trailer and hook it up to your truck. We didn't even have enclosed trailers yet. We had, like a Tony Nancy make a cover to go around the engine or something. We had what we call lollipop. Lollipop trailer, single axle. That was it. Put your car on there. So, yeah, you go down the road and you're in business. My wife's with me. I remember 66B and Torquemaster car. We took it on the road. Yeah, it was a business, you know, we were making money. We got home, back to California. I think I had 12 grand saved up. That was a lot of money.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's still a lot of money.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, I hear you, buddy. Yeah. But I made it. Match racing and drag racing, it was. It was unbelievable, you know, but any. I don't want to get too excited about it, but those are the best days, for sure. Yeah, man. You run Cecil County, Maryland, racing, Jungle gym. And let me tell you something, too, that people, I don't know if they're aware of it when we were out there and they were watching us, but we were running them to the balls, buddy. I mean, we. We didn't want to get beat. You'd run as hard there as any place, you know, load it up, you know, and. Because you wanted to leave there a winner and, you know if you won, they'd book you in again and make more money for next year.

[Kenny Wallace]

Man, I got to tell this story because it. It. The Perdone family means the world to me. And you all taught me lessons that you don't know, this. This story is going to shock you. So your awesome wife, Lynn, I say you guys are the ultimate racer family. Well, when I got racing in nascar, you know, all the wives are walking up and down pit road with their hair all goofed up and big diamonds and everything. And. And I thought that's what I needed to do was, you know, get my wife all, you know, hur her around like a damn. I don't know. But.

[Don Prudhomme]

But I know what you mean. I know what. I used to see that. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

So I'm talking to your awesome wife, and she just got a little. Little bitty ring on. And I made mention. I, you know, nice ring. And. And she made mention that that's her ring and that we race. We don't. You know, she didn't say. She never said we buy big jewelry, but basically that the impact your wife had on me, that, like, we're not buying big diamond rings. We're racing.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

And, man, that. That was one of the greatest life lessons. You guys were racers, weren't you, Don?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, my God. Yeah. Yeah. We live for it. My wife Lynn was never really a racer. Otherwise. She didn't pour down the glue or bleach like Jungle Pam. Yeah, Pam was hot, man. Remember?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Yeah, baby.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, right. But that's another story. But, no, she never did that. But she. She just more of a. She real classy gal back then, you know. It still is. But no, she was more into. Oh, man. You know, just sharing that. Sharing that life with me, you know, and it was. You couldn't be any closer, man. You know? Yeah, I don't. I don't know. It was bitching.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, that was my story. And I want to dedicate that to you and your wife. Thank you. She don't even. You guys don't even know. You taught me that. But in a world.

[Don Prudhomme]

You know what? One thing she always did, Kenny, before we spent any money on anything, we pay our bills. And I had credit to the day I quit Keith Black. I don't care where it's at. Piston people. We always paid our bills. And it pissed McEwen off because he never paid. He would say to me, you're screwing up my reputation, man. You know, you're paying your bills. I'm not. You know, he. He just. He'd rather buy a chicken diamond ring or something, you know, and I'd rather buy a new blower.

[Kenny Wallace]

I think that's. I think that's awesome.

[Don Prudhomme]

And.

[Kenny Wallace]

And that's what I was wanting to get to, you know, brother, Rusty watched watch Bobby Allison get hurt really bad at. At Pocono.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

And Rusty would say to me, you know, Rusty would sit me down. Rusty's tough love to me, you know, I know Rusty loves me, but he would say, herman, hope. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. And there's nothing better than paying your bills and not having anybody on your ass.

[Don Prudhomme]

Tell me about. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes. What a great conversation right there.

[Don Prudhomme]

It was a life lesson. And I think all that stems from when you're growing up, you know, as a kid, you know, I tell you, I had a rough time. Have you ever read my book?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, God, yeah. I got it. I got it right here.

[Don Prudhomme]

All right, man. You know, it talks about my childhood, you know, and they didn't pay the bills, and the bill collector would come around. Oh, embarrass the hell out of me, you know, my old man. Ah, you know, we'll pay him later anyhow. That's another story. But no, I just. First thing, we paid our bills, man, and it's great. Credit was. It was great before we spent any money on anything.

[Kenny Wallace]

Do you credit your wife for some of that?

[Don Prudhomme]

Absolutely, absolutely. More than just some of it. I mean, yeah, she. It's amazing. You know, she's. She's a. I just can't say enough good about it. Of course.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I gotta like Richard.

[Don Prudhomme]

Like Richard Petty's wife. Yeah, we were, we were tight with Richard and his wife back in the 80s, and he was running a Pontiac. Yeah, he'd say poniac.

[Kenny Wallace]

Pontiac. Yeah, Pontiac. Yep.

[Don Prudhomme]

Remember that?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And I. Goodies. And I had a Trans Am and a funny car and, you know, from the factory. And I. I see Richard a lot. And his wife and he, he was cool. He kind of. Linda. Yeah, he. Richard kind of. Kind of took me under. Under his wing, so to speak, I guess. I don't know. He. He was just real cool, you know, from day one.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, I can tell you what, I know this for a fact because I'm very close with, With Kyle.

[Don Prudhomme]

Uh huh.

[Kenny Wallace]

If Richard takes you under his wing, that means you're. That means you've accomplished a lot because greats like you guys, I mean, you are very good to me and I think that's why I love you so much because.

[Don Prudhomme]

Thank you.

[Kenny Wallace]

When you, when you get around AJ Foy, Don Perdom, Rusty Wallace, greats, you guys are so rare and, and you have a lot in common. I mean, I. I get it, but. But for Richard Petty, I tell Kyle, to this day, I say, kyle, I'M afraid of your dad. And he goes and he says, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of dad, too. You know, he's so. I mean, I. You know, man, if you. You put, you know, you, Don Perdome, AJ For Richard Petty together, I mean, that's. That's as big as it gets. That's mega. That's my. That's what I got to say. But I gotta. I gotta tell you this about the great Dick Trickle. You know, we lost Dick, but Dick reminds me of you. You know, he would travel, get appearance money. We didn't call it match racing in oval racing, but.

[Don Prudhomme]

Right, right.

[Kenny Wallace]

He said. He'd say. He called me my boy. He'd say, my boy, they would pay me a lot of money. And I would say, don't give me the money. Send it straight to my house, because if you give it to me, I'll spend it. Darlene, like Lynn. Darlene would take care of the money. Man, sometimes these wives are. They save our lives, don't they?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, man, yeah. Big time. Yeah. Yeah. Well, she was just. You sharper than me, you know, in school and everything else, so, you know, you gotta let the. Let her do her thing, man. She's.

[Kenny Wallace]

She's.

[Don Prudhomme]

She's damn near an accountant, you know. My wife. He knows. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, so we're. I just, you know, those are stories, you know.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, I hear you.

[Kenny Wallace]

So it's getting back to Match Racing. So what made you. And I don't know if I'm saying this right, but I. This is in my head. You go from match Racing to, why did you go to nhra? Why did you go to a series?

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, that's a good question.

[Kenny Wallace]

Was it time? Was it just the way life was?

[Don Prudhomme]

It's a way of life for all of us. You know, the NHRA, we were running there 63, 64. Right about that time, you know, and they only had. I'm talking 1965. They had maybe. I think it was just two national events. Two? Yeah. One was the Winter Nationals, the other one was the U.S. nationals. Yeah. So we ran them both with the Hawaiian in 65 and won both races, the Winter Nationals and the US Nationals in the same year. And we were on Goodyear tires and M and H was a tire to have at the time, but we stuck with Goodyears and Leo, Mel and all those guys, and. And end up winning. So, you know, it's. It just launched my career. What the hell was the question? What else are we talking about?

[Kenny Wallace]

No, you're on it. It's it's like, how did we go from ma Match Racing. Match racing was just freedom, you know. Now. Now you go with a organized series.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, well, we started getting sponsors. They liked the NHRA because they had television. You know, it was a big deal. But what really, really happened was in 1975 was the first year Winston came into drag racing and changed the whole God sport. Yeah, I mean, they. People had uniforms and the tracks were better and the fences were painted and it was the banners on the wall in Winston and the big thing guy by the name of Ralph Seagraves. Remember?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah. Oh, I remember him.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, he was. Man, he had. He had a cigarette going out. He was like this.

[Kenny Wallace]

Man.

[Don Prudhomme]

He was cool though. I remember him. But yeah, they put up 25 grand for the world champion and they had. The world championship was going on the year before that. But I didn't know what the hell it was because it didn't mean anything. I mean, financially it didn't. You might win a trophy, but, you know, we were looking for the money. But. So Winston came in and put up 25 grand. Oh, man, that changed the sport. And then we wanted four years in a row after that, the next year it be 100 grand. Next year this, that. But Winston, in my mind, they did more for drag racing, nascar than any of the sponsors I've ever seen come along. That's what I think. Winston. I loved Winston.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love your. I love your. I love your reasoning. I love your answer because I. I agree with you. I haven't seen a sponsor come in like them. It was almost like Ralph Seagraves was family. Yeah, he was involved, wasn't he?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah. And it was. It was a different world back then. You know, you're going go into stores and see point of purchase stuff, you know, Winston cardboard stand up of a guy, Dale Earnhardt, you know, all that. You know, I mean, that's kind of what made Earnhardt too, you know, it was Winston and all the stuff they all did. Harry Gantz, all those guys, you know.

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[Kenny Wallace]

So we try to keep this under an hour and a half.

[Don Prudhomme]

All right, man.

[Kenny Wallace]

All right. So big fan here. So we come out with a major Motrin picture. I mean, in all, all the theaters, all the movie theaters, it's the Snake versus Mongoose. Charlie's gonna drop a picture in right here. I mean, this, this is a great movie. I go and watch it. I, I go by myself. I emotionally affected by it because it tells your story and you know, it said so much about you being in the body shop and, but really, you, you, you guys, you ushered drag racing to the world, you know, to America. So this major motion picture, tell me about that moment when they came to you and maybe Tom, you know, the Mongoose, Tell me about this, this major Hollywood production which is so awesome for me. I loved it.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, thank you, thank you. Yeah, that came about another Mongoose deal. Mongoose says, hey, I got this guy wants, they want to talk to us about doing a movie, Snake of the Mongoose, because there were a guy writing a book or something for Mattel and the story all about it. And Tom read it and Thompson says this ought to be a movie. Well, lo and behold, we found someone that wanted to invest into it. That's of course the biggest thing getting a racing movie done especially is to put the money up. And so they did. And guy by the name of Jesse Williams played me. He was from Grey's Anatomy. Great actor and yeah, it's a great movie. It's a low budget movie. Let's face it, you know, I mean, racing movies are really hard to do and to get financed for one thing, and especially a drag racing movie. So it was a low budget movie, but I really, really think it had a great story. And the story is that Tom, I was catching the. Out of him on the race, excuse my language, I'd beating him a lot, you know, and his son came down with leukemia, his little boy. And bottom line, he passed. And 1978 with the US Nationals and we were kicking ass in our army funny car. And I came up Against Tom the last run, and, man, I had him covered, you know, was just going to beat him again, basically. And lo and behold, it smoked the tires and he went on and won. And in the movie, you'll see that his son asked him before he passed to race me again and beat the Snake. And you're going to the US Nationals, beating there. And, you know, all that's in the movie. And it's all true. It's all true. Yeah, it's a. It's an emotional movie when you get into it, losing his son and him winning the race and, and all that. And it's just. It was amazing times, you know, but it's a great little movie. It's just called. Hell, I think they could find it on YouTube or. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's a cute movie.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, it is a great movie because I, I, I, you know, because I'm a racer. It told. It told the story, you know.

[Don Prudhomme]

But hey, man, let me ask you something. You know, I like to meet is Junior Dale Jr. Come on. I swear to God, I don't even know the cat. We were down. I was down his way, oh, years ago, and went over to the shop where his dad was. Yeah, we went. Guy by the name of Jay Wells, worked for Skull. He took me over there. He says, oh, you got to meet Earnhardt. So he's sitting in there, man, in boxes of stuff he's signing. He says, man, I'm glad you guys are here all the time. It's because he called nowhere. It's coming. He took me all around his farm, took me to his new gray shop. And then he pointed out the window and see right over there, that's where my God. Kid lives in a little moat, you know, in a. Yeah. Mobile home. And I had to throw all the. Matt, you know, I guess he went over to all his buddies out there, all drinking beer one day.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

But, oh, Earnhardt, for all you NASCAR fans, in my opinion. Yeah, he was the coolest all time dude. We got done going through the farm, went back to his deer shed or whatever they call it. We had deer heads, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

He said, you want something to drink? I said, what do you got? You know, I said, I'm with Miller. I can't drink that pud stuff. And he goes, I said, you got any liquor? He says, do I. And he pulled two bottles, you know, sent Jack Daniel down. We got hammered. And it was. It was just a moment that I'll never forget. It was great.

[Kenny Wallace]

That makes me really happy. That makes Me really happy. So. So Dale Jr. Is. Is a very good friend of mine, and he is, you know, you can get him to be a smart ass, but. But it's very rare. He is the most. Dale Jr. Is the nicest person you'll ever want to meet. But I mean, yeah, Dale Jr. Is very smart, very intellectual.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, I'm sure. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, he's very smart. He would love to meet you. He. He. He what? The reason I tell you he's smart, he's intellectual. Is.

[Don Prudhomme]

He.

[Kenny Wallace]

He knows a lot. And. And he's very good on the computer. You know, Don. He used. He would build his own computers. Dale Jr. Oh, yeah. To this day, he'll race. Eye racing. I mean, he's 50. He's 50 years old. And he'll say, I got. I gotta sneak downstairs so my wife don't see me racing on. He loves it. You know, he loves racing. So let me ask you this. Last year, you know how we get. It's called an epiphany, I think it's like you watch something and you're like, I got to meet that person. So I grew up around AJ Foyt. When Rusty would race USAC in. In 79, 1979, 1980, we would race you, shack. We race AJ Floyd. Well, Flow Racing had this special on AJ and, and. And I know AJ's of age right now, so last year I went to Indy Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and I hung out with AJ Foyt. And. And I know you did, too. I see the pictures. And. Charlie, let's drop the picture in right now of. Of the great AJ Foyt and the other great one, Don Perdome. What was your experience? I. I think AJ's so gnarly, he ain't got no time for any bullshit.

[Don Prudhomme]

No kidding.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, tell me your experience with AJ Floyd.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, you know, I first met AJ. Pick up on this, man. 1967. I was running 1967, running a Ford camera and this car for Ed Pink built the engine. And Ford was involved, not with me, but with Pink, the motor. And so we were in Vegas and I did a. They did a publicity shoot, and they had other racers there doing the shoot. AJ Foy, Mario Andretti.

[Kenny Wallace]

Damn.

[Don Prudhomme]

Dan Gurney. Wow. Yeah. And we took this picture together, and I still have that picture. I should go get and show it to you on camera. But. But that's where I first met Gurney and Foy. And, you know, I've kind of remained buddies with those guys ever since, especially the aj. AJ was out at the drags years Back at Indy, he was over in the garage working on his stuff and he came over to watch us and we end up winning the race, you know, and hanging out with him. And I've just known him forever, you know, this year at Indy, went to Indy and walked right in his garage. Excuse me, everybody. And he would hush people out. Just myself and my buddy Pat Gowen. We sat there both for the longest time and he's. Yeah, enjoy it. Yeah, he's a wonderful guy.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, he, he, he, I mean, in my day, like, if he likes you.

[Don Prudhomme]

If he likes you.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, I got lucky. He remembered me as Rusty's kid crew member. And so they knew I was coming and I had the most wonderful experience I wanted. I saw that picture of you and AJ and yeah, yeah, man, it just made me happy. Okay, so we're, we're at the point right now in Kenny conversation, Don, where we've talked about your early beginnings and how great you are and I, I want to go to what I call kind of, I want to celebrate some loose ends. I want to talk about some different things. I know I follow you on Facebook and it seemed like when we lost Roland Leong, it really affected you.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Tell me about Roland.

[Don Prudhomme]

Roland Leone. I met him in 1963. The Greer Block, they shipped it over to Hawaii. Guy by the name of Jimmy Pfluger had a drag ship over there and he was a customer of Keith. He was a real well known guy. Real badass guy too. Anyhow, we took the car over there in Keith black. He built a few engines for Roland Leong. A little gas engine, a little gas traction and. And that's where I met Roland for the first time. Is in Hawaii at the drag strip with his mom and his dad. And he was just a little guy. Of course, we're about same age, little guy. We're both little. And I just took an instant liking toy.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And when he came up, when he came over to the mainland, as he calls it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

We started hanging out together and. And then he built a car just like the rear black car Keith did for building the car. And I strapped him in it, Lyons drag ship one evening. And you know, to me you just get it and go down through there, you know. But he got in it and, man, he went over here, over there, crashed, went up on top of the railroad tracks.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, no.

[Don Prudhomme]

I come running up to him at the end and he says to me, he called me vice versa. What happened? I said, you tell me, man. I don't know. So after that he black sat him down, said, dude, you can't drive this car. Get Don to drive it. And then I started driving. I drove for about a year and a half for him and we won a lot of races. And most of all, we become the best of friends. We were like brothers even when we split up. And I went on and did other things. I'd always be in contact with, even go to lunch up until recently when he passed, you know. But yeah, we, we're, we're, we're a family.

[Kenny Wallace]

What qualities? I'm interested in this, you know, because it's hard to have real friends. I mean, I don't care who you are. We have friends, we have friends and then there's friends like, you know, I've had enough of you, you know. But Roland, I mean, I can see it. What made him different? What quality did he have that like you wanted to go to lunch with him? Was he just easy going?

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, he was easy going. He's Chinese, Hawaiian. Yeah, he had total pigeon English when he came over here. So Mongoose mainly and me a little bit, we used to make fun of him.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, you could back in those days.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, but you know, going down the highway together and you know, this Kenny, you know, you spend going thousands of miles around the country. You live together, man. We used to pop pills, bounce them off the dash to keep awake going down the road. We'd both be talking so much and we got going. Your jaw sore? Remember them days?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And so, yeah, we just. It was cool. Yeah. Brothers.

[Kenny Wallace]

That makes me happy. There's an old song, everybody loves somebody and it's. It's rare to have somebody that you can really talk with, you know, I find a lot of. I find a lot of people that I look up to that, that are very famous, that I'm not saying they're lonely, but man, it's not very many people we can talk to. Just talk, you know, I hear you.

[Don Prudhomme]

You know what I mean?

[Kenny Wallace]

Some people are famous or uptight and you just say, you know.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, I don't know about you, Kenny, but you know, for me, probably the all time best time I ever had with a bunch of guys was at Ron Pratt's place. Oh yeah, all those cup guys were there, you know, your brother, you name, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ray ever, all of us, you know, you playing, playing cards and stuff at Ray at Ron Pratt's place. But most of them went out in those dude buggies, you know, and going crazy out in the hills and come back drinking beer at Night. And everybody kind of bonded, you know, it was, it was cool to see Ray Everham and Gordon. I don't think they had been doing much hanging out until we all started doing that and those guys kind of bonded again. I could feel that it was kind of cool, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Let's have Charlie drop that picture in here right now. Ron Pratt. Okay, so Ron Pratt is a wealthy man. Made this beautiful place out there in the desert up from Yuma, Arizona. And I run my dirt car out there, but have these badass dune buggies. I mean, and he, and he loved you guys. Oh yeah, he, he would invite you all out there and if, if the media ever got a hold of what was going on, I mean, the greatest racers of all time, you all would meet out there. Yeah, he'd have a place for you to shack up and I mean, you guys have the time of your life.

[Don Prudhomme]

Really did. Yeah, I had my motor home there. You know, he had all those plugins just plugging in property. Kyle Busch, I didn't know Kyle Busch before that. You know, to be honest with you, I kind of thought, man, you know, I don't know about this guy, you know, but after meeting them and hanging out with him and he knew how to drive a sandrael, man. And Biffle, you know, Biff, he's now.

[Kenny Wallace]

He'S a sand buggy guy.

[Don Prudhomme]

You put him in a Sandra, man. I remember one day he was smoking over there through the desert, going over to Ron's place and he comes pulling in there and I didn't really know him. And his wheel was flopping. He had a big ditch. It bent the hub up in it took it off in the shop. It got a big sledgehammer. He pounded on the, on the rim so I could seat back on again. But I thought, man, this is a hell of a guy here. I like this stuff.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, Biff is the real deal a lot.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, he's the real deal.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And Ron Hornaday too. These guys have got, you know, mechanical abilities beyond belief. And, and we're great race car drivers. Hey, Don, it is fun when you see drivers that are good and like you. I mean, you know, all of us. It's fun to see drivers that can do stuff work. It is, isn't it?

[Don Prudhomme]

Okay, big time. Big time. How about, how about out there? Tony Stewart, he's got, Ron's got those Polaris is one seaters with dirt wheels on them. They're fast. Yeah, we're all running around out there. Steward would go flat out around the corner Never lift. And Rusty had Covid over at the guardrail there to look at him, see how he's doing that, you know, because, I mean, he was that. For me as a drag racer to see those guys and get in the same kind of car with them and see the talent that they have was pretty remarkable. And Kyle Busch, he ain't bad either at dirt, you know, and it's just, and your brother. But it was just kind of cool. I mean, it was once, you know, I don't know, just fortunate to be able to do that.

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[Kenny Wallace]

We, we live in a, a tough world now where everybody wants to criticize anybody. But those guys have massive talent, don't they, Don? You saw that?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, my God, yeah. Do they ever, do they ever. I, I, I totally respect those guys, man. I mean, and I love drag racers, but there's so many of them that they don't. I could do that. Try it. Yeah, yeah, just try it sometime. You think you're pretty good, man, and let's smoke around you like you park.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, so, you know, you know, out there at Pratt's place, it's okay to bring this up because it's happened. A long time ago, Tony Stewart made World News Area.

[Don Prudhomme]

Remember?

[Kenny Wallace]

He jumped in and, and landed so hard he hurt his back. That, that was out there at Pratts. And he's okay now, but that was a sketchy time where we thought Tony was done because he went over a dune and then landed flat.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. You know, so we were with this group and we got split off from Tony. I mean, he's way faster than I am and all those guys are, but I could kind of keep up. So we got split off and somebody said, where's Tony? Don't want to see him in a while. Some guy come along, said, hey, I think what you guys have heard over here off this dune over there. So we went over there. Sure enough, Tony laying there beside his car. He got out of his car, laying on the ground with a broken back. Oh, yeah, man, he was in pain. It was, yeah. So everybody started getting hurt out there. So they kind of quit going pretty much, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Because racers are competitors. Don't, don't put a racer in a race car and say go slow.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. Like Rusty said, man, I like to go again, but I don't want to go as fast. I said, rusty, you know your foot's going to be on. They're going to go fast, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. You know, it's funny, the older I get, I, I, I get in my dirt car and I find myself going fast. I'm like, what the hell? It's just the way it is, man. You just, it never, it never leaves us, does it? Don't. Or just. Well, you know, a competitor.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. You know, to be honest, it's left me. Well, it's, I don't, I, I wouldn't drive a drag car again. I mean, they're so fast and I just don't have that desire anymore, you know, I just, I just don't. And I'm happy that I don't. Man, I don't lay awake at night wishing I was driving a rail car, I can tell you that.

[Kenny Wallace]

Don, I say this with love and respect. Congratulations. Because you, you came out unscathed.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, look, you know, you're so right, Kenny. I mean, look at John Force. I, I mean, you know.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Look at everybody that had those head injuries. You know, you look at Donnie shots the world of outlaw sprint cars. He made it all the way through 60 years old, unscathed. So congratulations, you're not hurt.

[Don Prudhomme]

He's done. He's still racing or he's done.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, no, no. My point is, is that, you know, racers get hurt.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

You went, you went all the way and you still got your wits about you. A lot of people can't walk, can't talk.

[Don Prudhomme]

You're so right, Kenny. You know, Garlic, to me, he was the all time drag racer of all time. Big dad, John Forrest. I don't care who they are, no one has been as good as him. Yeah, I seen him from the Beginning till he was 80 years old driving, he was the best. But, you know, he cut off a piece of his foot. Half his foot's gone. Shirley Muldowney, her legs are all broke up. When you see her walk, she's constantly in pain. And all that to the revolution of drag racing, regardless of transmission blew up on him. So he put himself in front of the engine, built a new car, came out with a rear engine car. Change the sport completely. Surely they redid roll cages and all kinds of stuff to. To get involved with the safety aspect. But that's where nhra, you know, nhra does a hell of a job with safety. I mean, as much as they run as far like that crash John Forrest stuff, man, he's lucky to be alive, you know, but if it wasn't for all that padding and all the they put in there, man, you. He wouldn't walk away from it.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, it's sad because in a weird way, they always say. And this is just something people say. They. They always say, yeah, Kenny, but, you.

[Don Prudhomme]

Know, he's like 75, 76 years old. John Force, you know, and, you know, there's a time. I don't give a who you are. There's a time, man, you don't need to do that anymore.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And I'm. I'm agreeing with you here. They always say, you know, you have your worst accidents close to your house on your way home. And we know for a fact that. And I'm not putting words in John Force's mouth, but, you know, I. I've t conversations with John.

[Don Prudhomme]

Uhhuh.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, they. They say, and I don't want to get in trouble here. Nobody get mad at me. But that was going to be his last year. That was going to be his last, you know, year, whether it was or not. But we know he was coming to the end. And so. Congratulations. Snake on.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, well, thank you, man. Thank you. Yeah, you know, it worked out. I. I just. Just been really fortunate, you know, I have a great wife, and when there's a time for me to hang it up in. 94 is my last year of final strike tour. They called it to drive, put Larry Dixon in the car. He was doing a better job than I was doing. I didn't have a hard time getting out of the car because I was still a team owner, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

So my transition was great. Becoming a car owner. I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed that aspect of having Ron Caps drive for me and Tommy Johnson Jr. It was cool.

[Kenny Wallace]

I. I want to go right there. So I was at a Bob Evans restaurant years ago, and. And I get. I get a newspaper, and it says, don Perdone retires. You know, not going to be a car owner or not going to drive anymore, whatever it was. I called you up, and you might not remember it. I called you up and I said, don, congratulations. And you were awkwardly. You were quiet for a little bit. And I said, don, people don't get to retire. And I said, you retired.

[Don Prudhomme]

You.

[Kenny Wallace]

You told me this story, and I'm just kind of prodding you on a little bit. And. And you. And you said to me, yeah, you know, Herm. He said you'd walk in the CEO's office. And that, you know, Rusty tells me the same story. You get to a point in your career where you got to introduce yourself, and you're like, I'm out, man. You know, I mean, you got to the point. I get to the point, Rusty, where you get these new CEOs. In your opinion, what made you say, I'm out?

[Don Prudhomme]

The sponsor.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, right. Yeah. I was just reminding you of the story you told me.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, well, yeah, it's. In 09, I had two teams going 09. And with UST was a sponsor at school. And, you know, they got run out by the government, pretty much. Marlboro took them over. And at the 11th hour, there was no. We couldn't find a sponsor. Now, if you remember, in 08.09, man, those were tough times for the economy. And so basically, I don't know, man. I. Real quick story. I'm looking for a sponsor. It's the 11th hour. My guys are calling me, do I have a job next year? You ever heard that before? Oh, Lord, I still got a job.

[Kenny Wallace]

I lived it.

[Don Prudhomme]

Do we have work on. My wife's wondering and the drivers. People are trying to hire him. And I was the 11th hour out. I was out at Monster, who's out here in California, meeting with them. And the guy there, I won't mention his name. He says, well, maybe yes and maybe no. They never told me no, but they never told me yes. And it was at the 11th hour, you know, and I went across the street and had to get gas. I drive. My wife's. She had a Cayenne car, and I'm putting gas in it. And I pulled off and pulled the God pump right out of the. Right out of the deal because I'm so stressed out about the sponsor. And boom, you pulled it, the gas thing right out. And, God, I stopped, got on the freeway Called Lynn and I says, how much money we got? We got enough to retire.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

She says. She says, I'll call you right back. She called me back. She said, we're okay. I said, we're done. It's over. It's over. And I. Yeah, that was. That was great. That was. I mean, I hated with the people letting people go and all that kinds of stuff. Stuff. And. But I was done. I was done. Yeah, there was. As far as I was. There was no more real money in it. The cost of racing got so expensive. To go to a sponsor, man, you need $4 million, you know, and at least back in those days, that ain't nothing compared to cup. But still, it was hard to get.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, I want to zone in on something you said there's. When we're racers, we forget that we put money away for our life. We live our life through money for the car.

[Don Prudhomme]

There's two.

[Kenny Wallace]

Two different deals there. And you explained it, right? I was in a shower one day and I was stressed out to the max because it was my. It was my job.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Because of my mouth. You know, I run my mouth. I promote my sponsors.

[Don Prudhomme]

Right.

[Kenny Wallace]

But I realized one day, oh, my. I forgot that I had money put away. I lived my whole life through giving the money to the race teams. And. And like you said, you. You one day it hit you like a ton of bricks, don't it, Don?

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, it really did. Yeah. It was just. The sport was changing. Yeah. It was just tough, you know, financially. It was just. You know, one thing is cool though, man. I never spent my own money, you know.

[Kenny Wallace]

You're a badass.

[Don Prudhomme]

My wife said, no God way. I mean, you know, we put it away, cd whatever.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

But. Yeah, I wouldn't take money out to support the race car and try to run that way. I see too many guys do that, losing their sponsors and ask. I'll just keep going. Well, you'll never make it back. You'll never make it back.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, and when they do make it, they're. They're great stories, but boy, they're. They're. They're scary stor. They're. They're scary stories. When you. I'm gonna mortgage my home to buy a motor. I'm like, no, no.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, my God. I know, I know. I've seen.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, so it's been. Been an hour now and I want to thank. Well, we're not done by any means.

[Don Prudhomme]

We got.

[Kenny Wallace]

We got about 10 minutes to go. And early in the show, I said, you saved my life. Two times. And the other time, you saved my life. The first one was you said, don't quit racing. Get it out. You know, basically, keep going. But this is something you did for me, and I want to thank you in front of everybody. You know, when you grow up around a winning family. My dad was great. My mom won Powdered Puffs.

[Don Prudhomme]

I knew you. I knew your dad through. Rescued your mom. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Well, dad was good, Don. He won a lot, and he was damn good. My brother Mike was good. And then I come along, and I went to the big time right away. Russ. Rusty Hill. I took this shortcut, and I won some Xfinity races, but I went to the Cup Series, and I was struggling. And you and I. I had. I had Red Dog, which was a Miller Beer. I had a sponsorship. And you and I were in Vegas at the. At. At Elvis. Elvis Presley's Hilton there. And. And you looked me right in the face, and you look. And you said, you're showing up, man. And I said, what do you mean, Don? And you said, when I watch those NASCAR races, they're showing you. And I. And I said to you. I said, man, I said, you know, I just don't. I said, I don't have the talent. I'm not as good as Rusty. And you looked me right in the face. You saved my life. You said, hey, man, Rusty's damn good, but you're Kenny Wallace, and you cannot change. From that day on, I was like, abi, damn. I realize I'm a person like Roland Leung. Roland's rolling. And you loved him. And from that day on, you saved my life. Because I realized, oh, damn, I'm Kenny Wallace, and that you really helped me. Thank you.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, yeah, man. You know, you. You've got this talent. Look at you, what you've done. You know, most guys, you know, done as long as you have, they're sitting in. You know, they're at home sitting on the couch, you know. Yeah, you're out. Hitman. Got your. Got your TV stuff. And all the stuff you do is. It's pretty doggone cool, you know?

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, the reason I want to tell this story is because everybody needs somebody. And. And sometimes people say things, and we. And we don't know it means much, but, you know, listen, I've had. I'm no. I'm no Don Perdone by any means, but, buddy, like Schrader would say, I don't want to do over. It's been good. I don't want to do over. Okay, couple things here. You Introduced. You introduced Leah Pruitt to Tony Stewart and you. And, and you walked her down the aisle to marry Tony Stewart. How did you set that whole deal up, Braun?

[Don Prudhomme]

Pratt. How's that?

[Kenny Wallace]

That's awesome.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, we were at Ron Pratt's and everybody's having a cocktail and just bullshit around a whole bunch of guys, you know. And my phone rings, it's Leah. And her and I are pretty tight, you know, we've always been good friends. And I kind of helped her with her driving a little bit when she first started, you know, about the, you know, drag. People not that familiar with drag racing. Let me tell you, it's a tough son of a. When you're at that starting line, trying to leave with that engine roaring behind you and 10,000 horsepower and this light coming on and all that staging, I mean, it's a lot to go through. Well, she wasn't. She was having some trouble, so I was kind of coaching her. Plus, she's easy on the eyes too, right? Huh? Leah, right.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, we like a good looking girl. There's nothing wrong with that. As I would tell people, I'm a guy, baby.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, but there was something about her, you know, she was like a. I don't want to say a daughter to me, but kind of, you know. But anyhow, so she's FaceTiming me. She was in Havasu, I guess, and she had on this real short skirt, you know, and where the camera was at in her car, I think, God, I'm looking at a lake. So Stuart, Stuart walks by and he says, who's that? And he grabs my phone, just God's truth, grabs my phone, he's gone. Talking to her, talking to Leah. And I said, so, you know, I finally get my phone back and he says, hey, buddy, can I have her number? Do you mind? I said, no, I don't care. Yeah, sure. So next thing I know, they called me from Havasu a week later, days later, whatever, they're in the car going through some pharmacy or something, you know, just together. And I don't think that was it. Once he went to have a suit better, it was over, man. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's awesome.

[Don Prudhomme]

She, without doubt, is the coolest chick. I mean, she's just. I'm saying she's my daughter, but I mean, she's. She's like that. She's really, really cool. And when I got to walk her down the aisle, man, I didn't even know I was going to do that. We, Lynn and I went to the Cabo Cabo Azul. And of course, Tony had a nice spread there, you know, really nice deal. And everybody was in the pool. I was out there too, in the pool. And Aaliyah was there. She got out, came back with Tony and they called me aside. Hey, got a minute? And then Leah says, would you walk me down the aisle?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my.

[Don Prudhomme]

Holy shit. I'm not really. So I was like, stoked, you know, and, yeah, so I walked her down the aisle. We had a great time. See, I was there, I went there, kicked back. I didn't even have any socks, you know, so I'm sitting there with no socks on. So Tony let me a pair of socks and I don't know, they're just great people. I really like him, you know, I know he's a big time drag or racer and all that, but he's, he's a, he's a really, really cool guy. I mean, just good, good people, you know. And marrying her and that little boy, Dom, I got to hold him. I went to have him in holy. When he was.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, Dominic.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah, yeah, Dominic. Yeah, we call him. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Good stuff.

[Don Prudhomme]

That's great. Yeah, it's a great, yeah. So I'm tight with her.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love that, that makes me happy. And of course, that picture was seen around the world. You walking her down. You guys look good and you look happy.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

All right, Snake. One last thing, buddy. And this is it. Easily we went, you know, I've done a couple of these with Tony Stewart. We get to the end and he don't want to stop. I find them therapeutic because they're fun. And we, we've celebrated your career and we're going to celebrate like this. I see you on these motorcycle rides down in Baja, Mexico, and I know you like your BMW. You got your friends. I, I, I love the videos, the pictures. You stopping on the ocean. I mean, you're living life right? Right now. You're doing it right. Tell me about these, these trips. You know, Baja, lots of sand.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, I live in San Diego. You know that, right?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, San Diego.

[Don Prudhomme]

And so Baja is just right up the road. It's not that far. And so this buddy of mine, Scott Sterman, he's got a hotel in Loretto. If you ever been to Loretto, Mexico.

[Kenny Wallace]

I've heard of it.

[Don Prudhomme]

It's about 300 miles from Cabo. We wrote our, we rode our BMWs down there and it took us three days stop these little fishing villages and you know, and just, it was, it was the greatest. Yeah, we wrote it was like 900 miles to get there. And then we left. Then we came back and went to Cabo and did a. You know, rode them home. Yeah, that's another thousand miles. So, yeah, they're BMW 1200 GS road bikes, you know, and cruise control and had a ball. Just. Just loved it. Yeah, I'm going to do it again soon. Soon.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, there he is, everybody. And I. And I know we can go easily three hours, but the great Don Perom. And like I. I say lately, Don, you know, we don't use the word great very much. No doubt in my mind. You know, and you said it yourself, Big Daddy Don Garletts down for dome. You. You two definitely ushered in drag racing to America and made it a worldwide sport. I love you, man. And. And let me leave everybody with this. You know, if you want to see Don Perdom's pretty face, you watch this on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show, but you'll also hear this on Dale Jr's Dirty Mo podcast. Don, thank you so much. Anything else, buddy?

[Don Prudhomme]

Man, I don't know. Just, you know, thrilled talking to you. You know, I love it. You know, I. I miss Sturgis. You know, we all used to go to Sturgis and Stephen Wallace and all the bikes they build and stuff.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's crazy.

[Don Prudhomme]

You know, it's. It's cool, man. It's hanging out with everybody.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, I love stuff.

[Don Prudhomme]

I got more roundy round. I call it round around you guys and Indy cars like Chip Ganassi. I have more buddies that does all that than I do in drag racing nowadays. So I go to the Indy 500 going up.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know what? You know what's funny is right at the very end, I'm going to show you this. This piece of paper. Right at the very end, I said hanging with Chip Ganassi right there.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

You and Chip end like this. You and Chip. Why are you guys. And I love it. I love it. You and him have got a hell of a friendship. What is it about you and Chip Ganassi? Is he another one of those guys you can talk to?

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah. He is the greatest. I mean, as far as I'm concerned. Yeah. I mean, there's Roger Penske, of course.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And there's Chip Ganassi.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And they're a complete one eight.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

Well, Chip knows how to have a good time.

[Kenny Wallace]

Roger's buttoned up perfect.

[Don Prudhomme]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I totally respect Roger, but Chip is like, he's one of the guys, you know, he's not a. I don't know, man. He's just cool to hang around with, you know, he's just. I don't know. What can I say, you know, about a guy like that? You know, he's just. They win every. They win a lot, do a lot of stuff, but he's still a regular guy. I just. I just love being around.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. I can say it. Chip Ganassi WINS the Indy 500 wearing blue jeans.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Roger wears it. Wins. Wins the Indy 500 wearing a suit.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. Yeah. Really? Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, real quick, Indy 500, I kind of think Roger Pinsky got hosed over there. I feel bad for Roger. He's got such a great reputation and because he had this little chicken problem on the. On the tail of his car or something, to put him. To do that to his cars, to put him in the back of the field and all that, I. I didn't feel good about that because I know Roger Pinsky is not a cheater. I've known him all life. And Tim Cindric, you know, all those guys, let those guys go. He had to do something, you know, you know, all the politics and everything. But I. I just. I just really feel bad because Roger Penske is taking his own God money and put into Indy car racing.

[Kenny Wallace]

If it weren't for Roger Penske, they wouldn't even have INDY Car racing.

[Don Prudhomme]

10, 4, 10, 4.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

And to embarrass them the way they did at the Indy 500, that was a shame.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

I wrote him a letter. I wrote Kathy, his wife, a letter telling her the same thing. And Roger, he appreciated, you know, he's. He just one and only Roger Bansky. And even Chip will tell you that about it, business wise and everything. The guy's amazing, you know, he's just amazing. I don't know how he does it. I mean, the brain, he's like Trump. He never stops.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Smart. You know what? You said it, right. Roger Penske ought to be close to 90, at least. And he's. And it's like, my God, where does he get the energy? It makes me feel guilty about myself.

[Don Prudhomme]

Yeah. Yeah. A low achiever, man. I feel like a low achiever around him, man.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

I mean, yeah, he's amazing. Look at him.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

I think he's 87 now, maybe. And, you know, he's got health issues and all this stuff, and he keeps going, you know, so. God bless you.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Don Prudhomme]

I just hate to see the way they drug his name through the mud over there. No, that. That bothered me. But outside of that there, racing's racing.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, well, I sure did have the time of my life. Thank you for an hour and a half. Don. Thank you and all right everybody, that's it. The great Don the Snake per Dome. Until the next Kenny conversation. We'll see you all next time. Check out Dirty Mo Media on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

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[Don Prudhomme]

In the past six months.

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Tax applies.