Tom 'Mongoo$e' McEwen

[exhippy]

I'm sure you ol' time drag race fans have heard by now that Tom McEwen has passed-away at the age of 81.

The lights have staged and in a blink of an eye Tom has taken that last quarter mile run to biggest drag meet in the sky...

Rest in Peace Tom!






I was given this set when I was eleven years old in 1970.

 

[exhippy]

 

[exhippy]

No drag race fans on Audiokarma.
Not surprised...

 

[lokerola]

RIP Mongoose.

To quote William Wallace - "Every man dies. Not every man lives". Mongoose looks like he lived a full and interesting life.

I was never a huge drag racing fan, but I always loved the look of the funny cars. I did go to an NHRA race a few years ago. It was cool to get up-close with the teams and cars. They're much more accessible than pro teams in other sports. And nothing like a mutli-thousand horsepower dragster thundering by!

 

[Guest127]

Hey,we're here! Sad news,but I never was one of his fans. Loved the ASSASSINATION funny car out in Colorado.

 

[Cactus Bob]

Saw the "Mongoose" many times at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, WI in the 70's running against Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, good times. RIP

 

[Eric n Kc]

Hey
Oh no we're here.
I never seen him race although I seem to remember his and snakes cars on display at Indy (the big go) . The cars on display are worth the price of admission.
RIP . Eric

 

[exhippy]

Hey,we're here! Sad news,but I never was one of his fans. Loved the ASSASSINATION funny car out in Colorado.

I understand, Tom rubbed a lot of people the wrong way over his years as a racer.

 

[jcamero]

I got to see him race in the Hot Wheels car, (red one). Tom and the "Snake" were a good crowd draw. That was when drivers actually drove their cars and not "peddled" them.

 

[grillebilly]

One of the biggest names in the history of Funny Cars. Gone but not forgotten.

 

[grillebilly]

That was when drivers actually drove their cars and not "peddled" them.

All the pro categories are heads-up, first to cross wins. They only "pedal" when they lose traction and are trying to get it back.

 

[Guest127]

I understand, Tom rubbed a lot of people the wrong way over his years as a racer.

Yeah, but he wasn't the only one. It was a tough way to make a living. He survived in a cut throat business for a long time. Gotta give him credit for that.

 

[jbailey930]

RIP. Had the Hot Wheels track and matchbox cars. Built some funny car models. I preferred Tom over Don on those Wide World of Sports Saturday 1/4 milers.

 

[ETLS]

RIP

 

[Eric n Kc]

Hey
Checking out the pictures posted. You see the cowboy boots he's wearing? Old school for sure. Gotta love that.Eric

 

[bigstereo]

I remember those guys well. I built a model of one of "Grumpys Toys" (Bill Jenkins) when I was a kid.
Going to the Summit Racing NHRA Nationals down in Ohio in a couple weeks with a bud from work.

 

[exhippy]

I remember those guys well. I built a model of one of "Grumpys Toys" (Bill Jenkins) when I was a kid.
Going to the Summit Racing NHRA Nationals down in Ohio in a couple weeks with a bud from work.

Speaking of Grumpy's Toy. His 1972 'winning' Vega was stolen outside of St. Louis.

At Gateway International Raceway in 1973. The drag strip sits across from downtown St. Louis, MO and the Mississippi River.

On August 4, '73 while Grumpy was eating breakfast at the Roundtable Restaurant in Collinsville, IL on IL 157. The car was taken off the open trailer along with $50K in parts (probably in the truck.) The cops (probably a farmer.) found what was left of the Vega in a field. The engine & transmission where no where to be found (among other things!)

Grumpy was pissed! ...said he'd never come back.



.

 

[MaxxVolume]

On August 4, '73 while Grumpy was eating breakfast at the Roundtable Restaurant in Collinsville, IL on IL 157. The car was taken off the open trailer along with $50K in parts (probably in the truck.) The cops (probably a farmer.) found what was left of the Vega in a field. The engine & transmission where no where to be found (among other things!)

Grumpy was pissed! ...said he'd never come back.

I remember that quite vividly....shortly after that incident, a new contender mysteriously appeared on the street racing circuit down in Newark, NJ....a Pro-Street\Pro-Stock Vega wagon that nobody had seen before was all of a sudden making big noise and putting a serious ass-whipping on much of the local competition. Rumors sprung up that Grumpy`s missing engine might have traveled east, and been resurrected in this new car.

Tons of fast cars around back then, even ex-race cars from the likes of Sox & Martin, and Holman & Moody. Those were exciting, spontaneous times....nothing like the staged crap you see on "Street Outlaws".

Anyway, back on topic, RIP Tom, you were a legend !

 

[y2keglide]

No drag race fans on Audiokarma.
Not surprised...

There's a few I'm sure,RIP Tom McEwen ! Long time fan and hot rodder here my friend.
I'm 61 years old and have a built Camaro in the garage for the weekends.
I like to say I'm still pretty fast for an old man,I rip gears with a 6 speed stick.

 

[y2keglide]

Speaking of Grumpy's Toy. His 1972 'winning' Vega was stolen outside of St. Louis.

At Gateway International Raceway in 1973. The drag strip sits across from downtown St. Louis, MO and the Mississippi River.

On August 4, '73 while Grumpy was eating breakfast at the Roundtable Restaurant in Collinsville, IL on IL 157. The car was taken off the open trailer along with $50K in parts (probably in the truck.) The cops (probably a farmer.) found what was left of the Vega in a field. The engine & transmission where no where to be found (among other things!)

Grumpy was pissed! ...said he'd never come back.

.

Speaking of Grumpy's Toy. His 1972 'winning' Vega was stolen outside of St. Louis.

At Gateway International Raceway in 1973. The drag strip sits across from downtown St. Louis, MO and the Mississippi River.

On August 4, '73 while Grumpy was eating breakfast at the Roundtable Restaurant in Collinsville, IL on IL 157. The car was taken off the open trailer along with $50K in parts (probably in the truck.) The cops (probably a farmer.) found what was left of the Vega in a field. The engine & transmission where no where to be found (among other things!)

Grumpy was pissed! ...said he'd never come back.
.

Grumpy's '68 Camaro belongs to a member of a Camaro page I'm on in Facebook,nice to see it restored and kept in fine shape as the historic icon that it is.