Snake and Mongoose go from drag strip to silver screen

Anyone who grew up playing with redline Hot Wheels or watched drag racing in the late 1960s and early 1970s thinks cars — not animals — upon hearing the phrase "Snake and Mongoose." The famous Barracuda of Don "Snake" Prudhomme and Duster of Tom "Mongoose" McEwen exhibition raced on drag strips across the country to the delight of spectators young and old. Now, the story of these match racing friends has been turned into an independent film set to release Sept. 6. You can watch a clip of the trailer here.

We'll admit that we'll be checking this one out.

Can't wait for the movie? See the cars at Hot August Nights!

Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™, is excited to announce that the iconic Hot Wheels Yellow and Red Haulers and the 'Cuda and Duster Funny Cars raced by legendary drag racers Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, will be on display together for the first time outside of California in 40 years.

The haulers and funny cars will be showcased during the inaugural Hot August Nights Auction Presented by Barrett-Jackson at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center Aug. 8-10. Following the Reno Tahoe event, the cars will go on an exciting and never-before-seen nationwide tour, before being displayed at the 6th Annual Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas auction and then ultimately crossing the block at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in January 2014.

The historic cars, which started it all, signify the unique and inspiring story of how two highly competitive Southern California drag racers revolutionized America’s fastest growing sport. Together they mercilessly and humorously competed, bringing their bravery, driving talent, innovative engineering and savvy marketing skills to the sport. In fact, Prudhomme and McEwen put both Hot Wheels and drag racing on the map, as they made their legendary deal with Mattel in 1969, the first true cross-promotion that changed sports marketing forever and brought it mainstream.

All over the world through the 1960s and ’70s, and still to this day, children and adults alike idolize these two era heroes and their coveted haulers and cars. The film producers joined forces with Barrett-Jackson to set the stage for an unforgettable viewing and a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase true American cultural history with the Smithsonian-worthy haulers and funny cars, which are now owned and restored by Don Prudhomme himself, in the Reno-Sparks Convention Center Main Concourse.

In conjunction with the Hot August Nights Auction Presented by Barrett-Jackson, on August 8th Hot August Nights, Barrett-Jackson and Snake and Mongoose will present a concert with Capitol Records’ Jack Dempsey, whose music is featured in the upcoming feature film.

The producers of Snake and Mongoose will also host a star-studded, red carpet premiere of the monumental movie on August 9th at the Century Parklane in Reno, where the legends themselves are expected to attend.

After Reno, the Hot Wheels Haulers and Funny Cars will continue on their journey and head for Detroit, where they will be unveiled in the parking lot of the Palladium 12 -- Downtown from August 13-18, 2013 in conjunction with the Detroit Woodward Dream Cruise. From there, they will head across the country to Indianapolis to be displayed in conjunction with a benefit screening for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Aug. 29 before being displayed on the grounds of the Indianapolis Raceway Park during the NHRA US Nationals Aug. 30-Sept. 2. Following that stop, the haulers and cars will move on to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas to be displayed Sept. 26-28.

For more information on Hot August Nights and to register for the event, visit www.hotaugustnights.net or call (775) 356-1956 ext 0.