Don "the Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen burst onto the drag racing scene in the mid-1960s and developed one of the most publicized rivalries in the sport's rich history.

Prudhomme earned his "Snake" nickname early in his career for his inherently quick starting-line reflexes, but his desire to win proved to be the biggest factor in his tremendous success. Said Prudhomme, "I raced for the sheer thrill of driving and winning. I certainly didn't get into drag racing for the money because it just wasn't there at the time -- just trophies. That didn't do much for me, but the winning certainly did."

Nicknamed "the Mongoose" in 1964, largely as a device to entice Don "the Snake" Prudhomme into a high-exposure match race, McEwen won only five NHRA national events during his 35-plus-year career, but his gift for gab and promotional ability made him one of the sport's most influential and controversial figures.

McEwen and Prudhomme joined forces in the early 1970s with "the Mongoose" and "the Snake" forming Wildlife Racing with unprecedented corporate backing from Mattel's Hot Wheels brand, one of the first large non-automotive sponsors.