Pomona Exhibit to Salute Prudhomme

He had one of the best nicknames in sports, and after 40 years of participation, the public is getting its chance to take a closer look at Don “the Snake” Prudhomme.

Voted No. 3 last year among the NHRA’s 50 greatest drivers, Prudhomme will be honored at the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona with an exhibit that opens Saturday and runs through January.

Though not big on sentimentality, Prudhomme is happy to be showcased, with five of his cars on display, including the 1970 yellow Hot Wheels Plymouth Barracuda funny car that helped galvanize the rivalry between the Snake and Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen.

“It was quite a unique car back in its day,” Prudhomme said. “It was about a five-year project to get all the parts and pieces [back].... That’s the one that launched the Mongoose-Snake rivalry. It was just parts and pieces around the country.

“Back in those days, we couldn’t afford to keep the car and park it. You had to sell it to make enough money to build the next one. We were just a bunch of hot-rodders, and we couldn’t afford that. I never thought there was any sentimental value, I was just trying to make a living. We were always trying to build a bigger and better one.”

Prudhomme won his first NHRA race, the 1965 Winternationals, and went on to a 49-19 record in final-round appearances -- 35 victories in 45 funny car finals, and 14 in 23 top fuel finals. His 49 national victories rank fourth among NHRA leaders.

He is in his seventh season as a team owner, with both a top fueler and funny cars. Larry Dixon is on the verge of winning the first top fuel title for Prudhomme. Ron Capps and Tommy Johnson Jr. drive Prudhomme’s funny cars. Capps is seventh, and Johnson eighth.

“Snake is the one who made me aware that you could make a career out of this in any aspect you wanted,” said Dixon, 35, who was in junior high when he started hanging around Prudhomme’s Northridge shop, and became Prudhomme’s successor in 1995.

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Brandon Bernstein, who will replace his retiring father, six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein, next season, earned his top fuel license this week after making two runs at Texas Motorplex in the Budweiser King dragster.

The NHRA mandates that a top fuel applicant drive two runs in 5.20 seconds or better, at 275 mph or faster. Bernstein’s runs were 4.621 seconds at 322.23 mph, and 4.699 at 320.62. Brandon, 30, won the Pacific division alcohol dragster crown last year but did not race this year while acclimating himself to his father’s routine.

At least one opponent, Dixon, who has a 108-point lead over the senior Bernstein, thinks Brandon will pick up right where his dad is leaving off.

“I tell people that Brandon has the potential to go quicker and faster than his dad because he’s 20 to 30 pounds lighter,” Dixon said. “That makes a big difference in those cars.”

Motorcycles

Billy Hamill left little doubt who is the top rider in the United States when he won Costa Mesa Speedway’s national championship last week.

Hamill finished ahead of three-time champion Mike Faria, Gary Hicks, defending champion Chris Manchester and John Cook in the four-lap final.

It is the first Costa Mesa title for Hamill, who has won three nationals sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Assn., including this year’s three-race championship series.

“Unfortunately, the AMA championship is the one that’s recognized, and it would be nice to see Costa Mesa and the AMA unify,” said Hamill, a Monrovia native now living in Carlsbad, who rides professionally in the British Elite League for Coventry. “I think it takes away from both of them. But we just unified the title.”

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For the first time since April, Ricky Carmichael failed to win a race, and it cost him a championship as Honda rider Mike LaRocco put together solid performances on consecutive nights to win the THQ United States Open in Las Vegas. It ended Carmichael’s 15-race winning streak.

Carmichael finished fifth in the first night’s 20-minute moto after spinning out while leading on Lap 5. He won the second night’s moto, but LaRocco’s third-place finish was enough to win the overall title.

Carmichael finished second, followed by Timmy Ferry and Chad Reed.

“This season has been a phenomenon, a season you never expect,” said Carmichael, who was trying to sweep Supercross, Motocross and U.S. Open titles in consecutive seasons.

NASCAR

NASCAR is requiring its teams in Winston Cup, Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck series to use spotters in designated areas during practice sessions, beginning with this week’s events. The change was made after Eric Martin was killed Oct. 9 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway during practice in an ARCA race. Martin had crashed, told his crew he was OK, but about 15 seconds later was struck in the driver’s side door by a car driven by Deborah Renshaw.

Former Indy Racing League driver Stevie Reeves, who spots for Steve Park, suggests NASCAR go a step further and put caution lights inside the cockpit as the IRL does.

“While it won’t tell you what or where, it would raise your awareness level and even a slow-talking spotter wouldn’t leave you hanging,” Reeves said.

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Roger Penske’s Winston Cup drivers, Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman, will switch from Fords to Dodges next season. Newman is fourth, and Wallace fifth in the standings. Bill Elliott, in eighth place, is the highest-ranking Dodge driver.

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Despite his stunning victory in only his second Winston Cup race, Jamie McMurray won’t be racing injured Sterling Marlin’s Dodge at Martinsville, Va., this weekend. McMurray will honor his Busch series commitment in Memphis, Tenn. Mike Bliss will drive the Winston Cup car this week only.

Water Sports

Chris MacClugage of Baldwin Park had first- and second-place finishes at the 21st International Jet Sports Boating Assn., World Finals at Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

MacClugage won the Pro Runabout 1200 title by finishing first in both 25-lap motos. He also took second in Pro Ski Superstock by finishing fourth and first in two motos.

MacClugage’s Kawasaki teammate, Dustin Motzouris of South Africa, won the Pro Ski Superstock title with 1-2 finishes in those motos.

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The BP Motorsports Team 300, a six-hour endurance race for personal watercraft, is scheduled Saturday at Lake Perris as the season finale. Mike Follmer of Newport Beach holds a four-point lead over Tracy Malan of Victorville for the No. 1 plate. He lost last year by four points.

The race begins at 9 a.m., with two-man teams alternating drivers every hour.

Last Laps

IRL driver Jaques Lazier of Alta Loma turned 77 laps at Kentucky with Team Menard on Oct. 12, his first outing since he fractured a vertebra April 21 at Nazareth Speedway. “We ran ... in race trim and

There will be no racing Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway because of the Farmers Fair .... A United States Auto Club tripleheader tops the program Saturday night at Irwindale Speedway, with Western States Midgets, Sprints and Ford Focus Midgets in a preview of next month’s Turkey Night.

Kawasaki road racer Eric Bostrum and Formula One-Indy car icon Dan Gurney join L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca and Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona at the fourth Cruise 4 Kids motorcycle ride to benefit the Olive Crest Abused Children Foundation on Sunday, 9 a.m. Details: (800) 550-2445 or www.cruise4kids.org.

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Shav Glick has the week off.