Sports Headlines - Nov. 30,
2006
Drag racing fans of the legendary Don “The Snake” Prudhomme
would no doubt have experienced a considerable amount of déjà vu had they
walked into the rear of Sign Master, Inc., South Sioux City in recent weeks.
The reason? Sitting there shining under the lights was the
actual “Army” funny car raced for a time by Prudhomme, once recognized as
the greatest drag racer of all time, and now living in California. The car
is, in a sense, soon to experience its second homecoming, the first being
its return to South Sioux City and Randy Merchant, Sr. Sign Masters’ owner,
in February of this year.
Merchant had, he explained had often heard rumors that the
car he himself once raced some 23 years ago at Thunder Valley Dragways,
Marion, S.D. was in fact a Prudhomme car.
 “Prudhomme
had,” Merchant said, “once tested and raced the 1974 Lil’ John Buttera Vega
Funny Car under the Army colors at Beeline Dragways in Arizona.”
“However, for whatever reason, the car never quite fit his
stature, and he never felt comfortable in the car,” Merchant continued. “It
had prior to this time been channeled and chopped, with all kinds of holes,
widgets and gadgets that resulted in putting a log more weight back into the
car, and Pudhomme wasn’t thrilled about the way it raced, slower than his
Cuta car.”
At the same time, however, despite Pudhomme’s displeasure
with the car, it had already caught the fancy, Merchant said, of Revel,
manufacturer of model cars who had already begun production of models of the
car and toy replicas of the car for youngsters.
Merchant was soon to find that the tracing of car’s continued
“genealogy” was not unlike that of someone’s historic ancestor. The car was
to travel widely throughout it’s racing career. Pudhomme had sold the car to
a Minnesota resident, Tom Hoover, who for a time, raced it as the “SHOWTIME”
Vega Funny Car and would later sell it to a Mason City racer, Tom Hovland
who raced the car through 1978 when it was sold to a Greg Riles, Sheffield,
Iowa.
Going another lap into the Vega’s history, the car’s next pit
stop was with Dick Hirchett, South Sioux City. Hirchett, racing the car
under new colors at Thunder Valley Dragways, would eventually sell it to
Merchant.
Merchant explained that it was in 1984 that, wanting to
concentrate on raising his family, he had sold the car he had raced in the
late 1970’s to Jim Rowe of Le Mars asking that if Rowe were to ever want to
sell the car, he contact him.
Rowe, who Merchant said was facing health problems in
February of this year, did in fact notify him that the car was up for sale
once again, and the ‘Vega’ returned once again to South Sioux City.
Restoration of the Prudhomme Army car has, Merchant said,
involved a great deal of cooperative effort. Bort Auto Body, South Sioux
City, recreated the paint job like when Prudhomme was at the wheel, and
assisted Merchant with installation of a new interior for the car.
Merchant repainted the frame and re-cleaned and installed new
body parts and applied all the vinyl markings and graphics as they once
were. McArthur Sheet Metal, South Sioux City, recreated the exact rear
window in the car in 1974. A friend of Merchant’s, Greg of Greg’s Signs,
Tea, S.D. air-brushed the headlights.
And, not to be forgotten in the restoration process, are
Merchant’s wife, Pat, and her mother-in-law, Ernestine Merchant, responsible
for assisting Merchant with the extensive research of the car’s history.
She’s also put her research ability to work, it should be said, on a number
of the Merchant’s other projects on behalf of racing. Included was
Merchant’s recreation of vinyl emblems of World War II bombers, the Peace
Maker, Memphis Belle, Little Pink Panties, Rocks Car, and Night Mission,
displayed on race cars at the IMCA races at the Boone Speedway in 2005 and a
later series of patriotic emblems for racing cars at the same speedway in
2006.
It should possibly be noted, that racing is, for the
Merchant’s somewhat of a family interest. While Merchant himself has left
the ranks of active racing, his son, R.J. continues to race B-mods Park
Jefferson and Interstate Speedway
Back, however, to the final lap for Pudhomme’s funny car. The
car is, this week, on its way to California. You may have guessed the new
owner-to-be. Yes, it’s Don Prudhomme, waiting to once again own a memorable
part of a racing Hall of Famer’s equally memorable past.
The winter season has arrived and Dakota county teams will
begin their 2006-7 seasons at several venues this week.
The South Sioux City Cardinal wrestling team will be in
action tonight (Thursday) in a quadrangular at Dakota Valley, SD. Ponca and
Maple Valley-Anthon-Oto will join the Cards in the meet. The Cards will
travel on to Blair for the Blair Invitational tomorrow before hosting a
triangular next Tuesday with Sergeant Bluff-Luton and Lawton-Bronson in the
Mini-Dome.
The Lady Cardinal basketball team will hit the court tomorrow
night on the road as they travel to Omaha to take on Duchesne Academy. They
will host Sioux City West next Thursday in the Mini-Dome.
The South Sioux City Cardinal basketball team will begin head
coach Terry Comstock’s second season for the Cards Saturday in the Mini-Dome
against Plattsmouth.
The Homer Knights and Lady Knights will Winnebago tonight in
the Homer gym in a boys’ and girls’ doubleheader and then travel to
Oakland-Craig next Tuesday for another twin-bill.
The Emerson-Hubbard Pirates and Lady Pirates kick off their
seasons in the Northeast Nebraska Tip-Off Classic. The Lady Pirates will
host Wisner-Pilger tonight in Emerson with the consolation finals and finals
slated for Saturday at West Point Central Catholic. The Pirates will travel
to Wisner tomorrow night to play the Gators with their consolation finals
and finals on Saturday at WPCC also. |
