Tom McEwen (January 14, 1937[1] – June 10, 2018)[2][3] was an American drag racer who was a winner of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S.

[4] Leaving the Super Mustang, McEwen joined the Bivens & Fisher team, driving their Checkmate dragster, and soon set an NHRA national record.

[4] McEwen won five NHRA national events, but his gift for gab and promotional ability made him one of the sport's most influential and controversial figures.

When he came up with the Hot Wheels deal using the Snake and Mongoose characters, it shook the world of drag racing big time.

He produced a sponsorship package that allowed him and Prudhomme to buy the best equipment, pay expenses, make money and sell their image all over the United States.

In 1963, McEwen achieved his first major success when he a runner-up finish against Art Malone at the Bakersfield March Meet in California in the Broussard-Garrison-Purcell-Davis car.

He beat overcame Prudhomme's bright-orange edition of the famed Greer-Black-Prudhomme car two outings in a row, inspiring what may be the most famous match-race pairing in the history of drag racing.

McEwen drove the Yeakel Plymouth dragster[clarification needed] past Prudhomme and his new ride, the Leong-owned Hawaiian, two rounds to one in the first, then lost in two straight sets in the second.

[clarification needed] Because McEwen raced only on the West Coast, he and the touring Prudhomme faced each other only once in 1966, at the Winternationals, site of their first national event meeting.

McEwen won the 1966 Hot Rod Magazine Championships at Riverside Raceway and then went on to win the 1968 Stardust National Open in Las Vegas.

A year later, he scored his first NHRA national event victory by topping the quickest Funny Car field in history at the SuperNationals at Ontario Motor Speedway.

[12] McEwen won the AHRA World Finals at Spokane Raceway Park in 1982,[13] the prestigious Big Bud Shootout in 1984, and Top Fuel at the 1991 Summernationals at Englishtown, New Jersey.