Prudhomme Still Enjoys Life in Fast Lane

Forty years ago, Don Prudhomme, Roland Leong and Keith Black hauled Leong’s “Hawaiian” front-engine dragster to Pomona for the National Hot Rod Assn.’s opening event, the Winternationals. Tuned by Black and driven by Prudhomme -- already known as the Snake for his lightning-like starts -- the Hawaiian won top eliminator honors over Wild Bill Alexander in the Brissette & Alexander dragster.

It was Prudhomme’s first victory in an NHRA national event.

“Forty years. Has it really been that long?” Prudhomme, now 63, said when reminded of the milestone. “Winning that race really got me and Roland Leong and Keith Black going. The publicity we got afforded us to go on tour around the country for people to see us and get to know us. Pomona was big, real big, back then. It and Indy were the only major events, and we won them both that year.”

Next week, the kid from Van Nuys will be back at the Winternationals, still looking to win NHRA national events. In the 40 years since his first, the Snake has won 98 times, 49 as a driver and 49 as a car owner.

When qualifying starts Thursday for the 45th running of the Winternationals, opening event of the Powerade season, Prudhomme will have Larry Dixon in a top fueler and Tommy Johnson Jr. in a Chevy funny car. Prudhomme won in 1965 with a 201.34-mph run. It will take more than 300 for either to duplicate the boss’ success.

If all goes better than expected, he can reach the magical 100 mark a week from Sunday, a figure attained in the NHRA only by John Force and Warren Johnson.

“I’m not into statistics much, so I haven’t given much thought to that 100 figure,” Prudhomme said. “What matters is getting Larry and T.J. back into the winner’s circle. We had a rough year last year, but I think we’re a lot more organized with going to one funny car and having all the guys focus on one car.”

Johnson tested at Phoenix last week with a 4.79-second run, a time that would have been No. 1 at last year’s Winternationals.

Ron Capps, who had driven a funny car for Prudhomme since 1997, quit the team in November to drive a Dodge Stratus funny car for Don Schumacher’s team.

“I’m really excited for Larry about the coming season,” said Prudhomme of Dixon. “The dragster finished off last year running 4.51 seconds on its final pass [in a first-round loss at Pomona], and with some of the new things they’re doing on the car this year, I’m looking for a strong start.”

Dixon, series champion in 2002 and 2003, has won 35 nationals and is tied with Don Garlits for third in top-fuel wins, behind only Joe Amato, with 52, and Kenny Bernstein, with 39. He won twice last season, the last one at Memphis, Tenn., in August. Johnson has not won since April 2001 in Las Vegas.

Sprint Cars

The USAC/CRA non-winged sprint car series will open its Perris Auto Speedway season with a rare 30-lap daytime race Saturday on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds half-mile clay oval.

Indiana veteran Dave Darland won the series opener at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix on Saturday night and will be in Dwight Cheney’s car. It is the same one that J.J. Yeley drove to victory in a day race at Perris in 2002.

Series champion Rip Williams will be facing a formidable challenge with former champion Cory Kruseman returning to race a full-time schedule. Kruseman, who drove Tony Stewart’s sprint car the last two years on the USAC national circuit, will replace Mike Kirby in Glen Crossno’s car. Kirby, the 1993 CRA champion, will take over the Mark Alexander car that Kruseman drove to four West Coast wins last year.

Rickie Gaunt, winner of the SCRA and Non-Wing World Championship plus the Jack Kindoll Classic at Perris, is also entered with his teammate Charles Davis Jr. Davis finished second to Darland at Manzanita.

Daytona 24 Hours

One of the strongest long-distance racing entries in many years will take off at noon Saturday for the twice-around-the-clock Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

Adding spice to the event, in addition to sports car specialists Hurley Haywood, Scott Pruett, Max Papis and Bill Auberlen, the field of more than 250 will include NASCAR stock car veterans such as Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Bobby and Terry Labonte, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears and open-wheel champions such as Paul Tracy, Sebastien Bourdais, Cristiano da Matta, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti.

Bourdais and Da Matta will share the No. 79 Ford Crawford with Michael Brockman and Paul Newman, co-owner of the car Bourdais drove to the Champ Car World Series title, in the Daytona Prototype class. Newman turned 80 on Jan. 26.

Last Laps

Although the International Race of Champions series is all oval racing, Grand American sports car champions Pruett and Papis are among 12 drivers named for this year’s four-race series. Both, however, are oval veterans. Pruett drove in NASCAR and Champ Cars for many years. Papis drove eight years in Champ Cars, winning three times.

Other IROC drivers: Busch, Kenseth, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., Bobby Hamilton, Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski, Bourdais, Buddy Rice and Helio Castroneves. The first race is Feb. 18 at Daytona International Raceway.

Third-generation driver Marco Andretti, Michael’s son, Mario’s grandson, will drive a Formula Atlantic in this weekend’s Cal Club double regional sports car races at California Speedway.... USAC’s California Ford Focus midget car series will split into pavement and dirt track divisions this year. The pavement cars will open Saturday night at Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe. The dirt trackers open March 12 at Bakersfield.... Tom D’Eath, founding president of the Detroit River Regatta Assn., has resigned. The DRRA will conduct the Gold Cup hydroplane races July 17 on the Detroit River.

Passings

Don Francisco, 87, a pioneer in dry-lakes and off-road racing and a technical writer for many racing publications, died Saturday in Glendale from the effects of Lou Gehrig’s disease. He had been ailing since the death of his wife, Sunny, in September. A memorial service will be held Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona.

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This Week

THQ AMA SUPERCROSS

* When: Saturday. Gates open 12:30 p.m., followed by practice and qualifying. Main event, 7 p.m.

* Where: Angel Stadium.

* TV: ESPN2, 3 p.m. Sunday.

* Tickets: Beginning at $8, available at box office and through Ticketmaster.

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GRAND AMERICAN SPORTS CARS

Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona

* When: Saturday, 9 a.m. PST.

* Where: Daytona Beach, Fla.

* TV: Speed Channel, 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday; 5 a.m. Sunday.