Honoring the Mongoose at The Big Go
This Labor Day weekend, drag racing history will come full circle at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Known simply as “The Big Go,” the U.S. Nationals has long been one of the most important and prestigious events in drag racing. For McLeod Racing owner and NHRA Funny Car driver Paul Lee, the 2026 edition will carry an even deeper meaning.
Fifty years after legendary drag racer Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen debuted one of his most memorable Funny Cars, Lee will take to the track at Indianapolis in a modern recreation of McEwen’s iconic 1976 stars-and-stripes livery.
The tribute is much more than a throwback paint scheme.
McEwen was a longtime friend and mentor to Lee, taking him under his wing after Lee moved to California and helping guide him through the world of professional drag racing. Their relationship extended far beyond the racetrack, with McEwen becoming someone Lee has described as being like a father to him.
The original 1976 Mongoose Funny Car also held a special place in Lee’s memory. As a high school student, Lee saw the car race at the 1976 Summer nationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. Its unmistakable red, white, and blue design became his favorite Mongoose Funny Car — and Lee would later tell McEwen that someday he wanted to race a Funny Car wearing that same scheme.
In 2026, that promise becomes reality.
Making the tribute even more authentic, legendary motorsports artist Kenny Youngblood, who created the original Mongoose design in 1976, returned to recreate his artwork for Lee’s modern Nitro Funny Car.
The timing could hardly be more appropriate. The recreation marks 50 years since the original 1976 Mongoose Funny Car, coincides with the 75th anniversary of the NHRA, and comes during the 250th anniversary of the United States — all on drag racing’s biggest stage.
To commemorate the occasion, PLR- Paul Lee Racing has created a special-edition T-shirt celebrating Paul Lee’s 2026 U.S. Nationals Mongoose tribute Funny Car. The design captures the spirit of the stars-and-stripes livery and celebrates the connection between two generations of Funny Car racing.
For longtime fans who remember seeing the Mongoose thunder down the drag strip — and for a new generation discovering the personalities and machines that helped build the sport — the shirt represents more than a race weekend. It commemorates a friendship, a mentor, an unforgettable race car and a piece of American drag racing history.
Link - https://www.mcleodracing.com/tee-shirts/p150
From Tom McEwen and Kenny Youngblood in 1976 to Paul Lee and McLeod Racing in 2026, 50 years of Funny Car history will meet again at Indianapolis.
This Labor Day weekend, drag racing history will come full circle at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Known simply as “The Big Go,” the U.S. Nationals has long been one of the most important and prestigious events in drag racing. For McLeod Racing owner and NHRA Funny Car driver Paul Lee, the 2026 edition will carry an even deeper meaning.
Fifty years after legendary drag racer Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen debuted one of his most memorable Funny Cars, Lee will take to the track at Indianapolis in a modern recreation of McEwen’s iconic 1976 stars-and-stripes livery.
The tribute is much more than a throwback paint scheme.
McEwen was a longtime friend and mentor to Lee, taking him under his wing after Lee moved to California and helping guide him through the world of professional drag racing. Their relationship extended far beyond the racetrack, with McEwen becoming someone Lee has described as being like a father to him.
The original 1976 Mongoose Funny Car also held a special place in Lee’s memory. As a high school student, Lee saw the car race at the 1976 Summer nationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. Its unmistakable red, white, and blue design became his favorite Mongoose Funny Car — and Lee would later tell McEwen that someday he wanted to race a Funny Car wearing that same scheme.
In 2026, that promise becomes reality.
Making the tribute even more authentic, legendary motorsports artist Kenny Youngblood, who created the original Mongoose design in 1976, returned to recreate his artwork for Lee’s modern Nitro Funny Car.
The timing could hardly be more appropriate. The recreation marks 50 years since the original 1976 Mongoose Funny Car, coincides with the 75th anniversary of the NHRA, and comes during the 250th anniversary of the United States — all on drag racing’s biggest stage.
To commemorate the occasion, PLR- Paul Lee Racing has created a special-edition T-shirt celebrating Paul Lee’s 2026 U.S. Nationals Mongoose tribute Funny Car. The design captures the spirit of the stars-and-stripes livery and celebrates the connection between two generations of Funny Car racing.
For longtime fans who remember seeing the Mongoose thunder down the drag strip — and for a new generation discovering the personalities and machines that helped build the sport — the shirt represents more than a race weekend. It commemorates a friendship, a mentor, an unforgettable race car and a piece of American drag racing history.
Link - https://www.mcleodracing.com/tee-shirts/p150
From Tom McEwen and Kenny Youngblood in 1976 to Paul Lee and McLeod Racing in 2026, 50 years of Funny Car history will meet again at Indianapolis.
And there may be no better place for it to happen than The Big Go.
