42. TOM “THE MONGOOSE” McEWEN

“The Mongoose’s” career dates from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. In that period, a quick glance showed that he was half of the famed Wild Life racing team with Don Prudhomme, a Top Fuel winner at Bakersfield, and a winning Funny Car driver at the 1973 World Finals and 1978 U.S. Nationals. He also won two AHRA Funny Car World Championships and, along with Kenny Bernstein, was a key figure in bringing Corporate America into drag racing. In addition, McEwen was a $35,000 Funny Car winner at Don Garlits’ PRA Tulsa race.

43. “LEFTY” MUDERSBACH

Mudersbach was one of the top-rated Chevrolet exponents in the Top Fuel category and he achieved most of his fame without a blower. He originally got backers due to his being a teammate on the “Buddy” Sampson-Dillon-Mudersbach Olds dragster that won Top Eliminator at the 1958 NHRA Nationals. He first made a big noise driving his twin blown gas Chevy dragster to the 1960 PVTA Southern California Championships and by briefly driving Chet Herbert’s THREE-engined gas burner to a 9.36 best. In 1961, he followed with the Top Eliminator title at the AHRA Winternationals in Henderson, Nevada, and then struck his biggest blow for his own account when he wheeled his and Herbert’s twin in-line, injected GAS dragster to the Bakersfield Top Eliminator title over Ewell-Stecker-Kamboor’s entry. Mudersbach was the only gas winner in the history of the event. In 1964, he became only the second single-engine Chevy driver to go over 200 mph with a 200.78-mph run at the 1965 Winternationals. Tragically, a year later, Mudersbach was killed in a crash aboard Dick Goss’s Chrysler Fueler at the AHRA Winternationals.

44. JOHN MULLIGAN (Beebe & Mulligan)

John “the Zookeeper” Mulligan burst on the scene from out of Garden Grove, California, in 1964. After a very brief stint with the J&S Speed Center blown altered roadster, Mulligan hit into Top Fuel. Among his many accomplishments, Mulligan could list these: He runner- upped at the 1966 AHRA Winternationals; he was the first in the sixes with a 6.95 at Carlsbad in October 1966; he set low E.T. of the meet and the world with a September 7.16 at the 1966 AHRA Nationals at Lions. He left Gene Adams’ operation and teamed with Tim Beebe in 1967 and won the 1967 Drag News Invitational and runner-upped at the first ever PDA Meet to Don Prudhomme at Lions. In 1968, he ran the best NHRA national event E.T. with a 6.65 (232.55-mph) while runner-upping at the NHRA Springnationals; he runner-upped to Bennie Osborn at the 1968 World Finals; he won the 1969 Union Grove Olympics, and won his only NHRA national event, the 1969 Winternationals. He died in a fiery top end crash at the 1969 NHRA Nationals after running an incredible 6.43, a number that would hold up as a class best for nearly two years.

45. PAULA MURPHY

DRO File Photo

Never won an NHRA or AHRA national event, but was one of the premier women racers in the world having excelled at Bonneville, Sports Car and Stock car racing. In 1966, she probably enjoyed her best season touring a 1966 Mustang Funny Car tuned by crew chief and later husband Jack Bynum. She ran a few national events, but again never made a final.

46. TONY NANCY

“Bitchin' Stitchin’" Nancy was the most successful race car upholsterer/race car driver. He ran everything from A/Comp to Top Fuel under the heading of “22Jr.” and everything was gorgeous and ran well. He struck pay dirt with his Hot Rod Magazine cover car, a candy apple red Dodge-powered AA/C that he wheeled to the 1963 NHRA Winternationals Competition Eliminator title. In 1964, his Plymouth-powered 22Jr. won the Drag News No. 1 spot in Top Gas; a year later, he introduced his rear-motored Plymouth-powered “22Jr. Wedge,” which he crashed that summer. He switched to Top Fuel and stayed there through the 1976 season. In that period, he won the 1970 Bakersfield Meet, runner-upped at the 1970 Winternationals, runner-upped at the 1976 Bakersfield Meet and set the NHRA Top Speed mark with a 233.16-mph charge in 1972.