Faithful readers, how many times have you heard or seen this line of BS, "Own a piece of history!"? You get beat to death with TV infomercials, newspaper and magazine ads all touting the "opportunity" to acquire some piece of the past. They'll sell you everything from a moon rock to Joe Namath's jock strap, perhaps a commemorative coin or coffee mug celebrating the grand opening of Wal-Mart's first Super Center, or maybe an autographed photo of the Last Supper might tickle your fancy.

Well, race fans, drag racing history buffs and Hot Wheels collectors, I can honestly say with a straight face, now you truly, honestly can own a significant piece of racing history: an amazing Snake and Mongoo$e DVD is now available for sale.

This project came about thanks to the resurrection of Wildlife Racing Enterprises, the partnership Don Prudhomme and I originally created at the very start of our Hot Wheels venture. We figured if this partnership was so successful in the '70s, then why not reunite. Even though we've been bitter on-track rivals, we've always maintained our friendship off the track.

Our first project is a DVD entitled, "Once Upon a Wheel Match Race," which is approximately 70 minutes in length and features three segments. The opening segment, "Match Race," was part of the series "Once Upon a Wheel," a collection of television specials covering all forms of motorsports. Its production was commissioned by ABC TV and sponsored by Coke and Mattel. The series aired on ABC affiliates across the nation.

"Match Race" follows Don and me through two, back-to-back race dates in 1971. Saturday night, at Mid-America Dragway in Muncie, Indiana, it's a two-out-of-three match between the two of us. Then, the following day we're at Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a four-car shoot-out.

This is raw and unrehearsed - no makeup, mood lighting or scripted dialogue. It's the genuine article - just racers, crew and spectators - the real world of racing in that era. Don and I interact with each other (and the fans), work on the cars, joke with our competitors, and drive the rigs; this is real honest-to-God life on the road. It's a documentary, not a tarted-up, blow-dried, staged TV puff piece.

I think this part will really appeal to those of you whose first race experience was at one of the local tracks (now mostly turned into housing developments or strip malls) where lots of weekly match races went on. It was the era before televised races and almost-weekly national events, remember? You guys who grew up east of California, the only opportunity you had to see the racers you read about in the magazines and Drag News was when they rolled into your town. I remember hanging out with the fans and chatting up the local dollies. There weren't any tractor-trailers or roped-off pit areas. When we showed up it was like the circus coming to town. This will be a real flashback for you.

For younger fans whose experience of drag racing is comprised of multi-car, multi-million dollar, 15-person teams, paved pits, packed with rigs parked shoulder-to-shoulder, and catered hospitality areas, it's a real eye-opener. Especially considering our Hot Wheels sponsorship was the largest the sport had ever known. You'll see how far we've progressed and what it took to get us to where we are today.

For you racing historians, this was one of the earliest attempts by a major television network to capture our sport on film. This documents the cars, teams and the racing environment of the era. Most of the historical film footage currently available concentrates on competition only, whereas this DVD captures the entire experience.

The middle section of the DVD is made up of interviews featuring Snake, John Force and me. You'll gain real insight into who we are and how the Hot Wheels deal came to be. John Force, who is never at a loss for words, provides some personal insight on what mine and Don's impact has been on drag racing in a way that only John could do.

Plus, Hot Wheels Design Chief, Larry Wood, who was instrumental in leading the Mattel Hot Wheels team, talks about how the real drag racing world of The Snake and The Mongoo$e was brought to miniature scale, from marketing concept to toy store shelves. Hot Wheels Director of Design, Nathan Proch, provides his insight into the whole process, as well. Hot Wheels fans, this is the rare opportunity to go "behind the scenes" and meet the people who have been so instrumental in creating the world of miniature vehicles you cherish.

The final segment is a slide show, featuring every car Don and I drove, plus candid shots of us interacting with our crew, friends, competitors, and fans. Mattel commissioned the slide production in honor of the 35th anniversary of our Hot Wheels deal. The only time it's been shown to the public was at the 35th anniversary party that Mattel threw for Don and me at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum two years ago. Race fans and Hot Wheels collectors from all over the world were in attendance. So many people showed up that Mattel had to set up TV screens and sound systems so those unable to meet the ticket cut-off could share in the festivities.

My friend Jim White created the presentation. He went through literally hundreds of photos, slides, films, and magazines that Don and I had collected over the years to create this production. These are images from our private collections that have never been seen before, and it's truly a Snake and Mongoo$e time capsule.

The springboard for this DVD was the "Once Upon a Wheel" film. After viewing it for the first time in almost 40 years and reminiscing about the good ol' days and how much things have changed, we decided we'd like to share it with the rest of the world. The two copies we had were in good shape, considering their age, but if we were going to do this deal, we wanted to go first class and do it up right for our fans and for the drag racing and Hot Wheels communities.

We were fortunate to be hooked up with Cory Lee and Adam Sorokin. These two young entrepreneurs have started Dragfilms.com, a company specializing in bringing old drag racing footage "back from the dead." They're doing all of the processes necessary to make old films like new again and transferring them to DVD. Check out their Web site.

With its three segments, this DVD is something Don and I are both very proud of and we wanted to share it with you. It doesn't matter if you're a hardcore race fan, new to the sport, or a Hot Wheels collector, you'll get your money's worth at $30 (plus shipping and handling).

Our "Once Upon a Wheel Match Race" DVD is available for purchase through these sources: www.TomMongooseMcEwen.com; ; MSRC, P.O. Box 9253, Dept. DR, Fountain Valley, CA 92708; Don Prudhomme's souvenir trailer at NHRA events; and www.prestige-hobbies.com. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy! In the next issue I promise to get back to the "Journals."

Now for an important addition to the story about my surprise birthday party that ran last issue. I neglected to mention a very important person in my life, my lady Pauline, who played a very significant part in making that amazing experience happen. Thanks for all you did darlin'. Sorry! DR