Folks Of Interest Happy Birthday BIG DADDY! (90th)

I built my first model of his fed WYNN'S CHARGER dragster in '71.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG DAD.....

 

Happy Birthday Big Daddy! I’ve had the honor and privilege speaking with him. Very nice fellow.

 

Happy Birthday Big Daddy and many more.

 

Big has always been my hero. Just a genuine person through and through! HAPPY BIRTHDAY many, many more, Sir.

 

My drag racing idol along with Mickey Thompson. Congrats on reaching the Big 9-0, Big Daddy!

 

Tri Cities Airport, Endicott NY. It was the "talk of the town" when Big Daddy made his pass there (and I missed it). I raced that track several times...I think I lost every race.
Happy birthday Big Daddy

 

Happy 90th!!---I'm right behind ya at 89!!
Watched you run the first time at Bakersfield in 1958. Your wife & kids in a station wagon pushed you off for another record run!!

 

Hopefully Big Daddy checks in here and sees this thread. Happy 90th birthday!

I was fortunate enough to meet him and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the garage at the museum. The man has had an amazing life, and has many amazing stories.

 

Yeah...I wonder why?!
Stopped by his museum right after it opened in the 80's. I thought I would do a quick look around and left the wife and 10 year old daughter in the car.
What a MISTAKE!!......Coulda Easily spent the afternoon in there drooling!
While leaving I caught a glimpse of a fella walking from the museum to another building...(this guy had a noticeable limp) pretty sure it was him.
I saw him a 'few' times at some drag events.
Once when the track was oiled down and the clean up crew was working there was about an hour or so delay. He sat in the announcers booth and chatted with the guy about ALL things drag racing/Top Fuel/nitro/his career......
I hated to see the track cleaned up!
Cool guy for sure. He'll always be da MAN!!
6sally6

 

To any of you who haven't been to the museum, I encourage you to do whatever it takes to get over to Ocala to see it There is nothing else like it in the world. You won't regret it.
Do it sooner than later. With all of the rapid development around the site, who knows if the museum will even be there in 10 years?

 

Like everyone else who had the luck to bump into him at Ocala I was surprised how friendly he was. Many more to you.

 

My wife and I visited the museum in '04. The cars in both buildings were amazing. The rail jobs shook my timbers as I had spent all my school days studying his work.
We encountered him, my wife asked him could she get a pic of him. We shook hands, my hand was tingling all day.
I got a brick, a book, and of course some tees.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY< BIG DADDY

 

Wow - 90 yrs old and he still looks ready for another run ! One of the good memories I have with my brother was not seeing him run - but building that model of his dragster with the clear body and rubber blower belt !

Happy Birthday Big !

 

Met him at Gadsden Al with the hemi under glass.
Super nice guy.
I only have 2 autographs. his and Richard Petty

 

Shared some of my old pictures of his first rear engine car at Island Dragway without a rear wing. He signed pictures we had of his fueler at Etown after if flipped.

That's me with Don 2014 at Island Dragway He came up in August to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first official NHRA (some may argue that) 201 mph. Also had a cracklefest of his Swamp Rat. He was outside the car starting it.

Happy B-day "BIG"

 

I built one about the same time. On the shelf in my den with a bunch of others, looking at it from here. It's in better shape than I am after 50 years but the RF wheel has gone missing.
Have always been a fan of Big. My bedroom walls were papered with those centerfolds from Hot Rod and he was in a lot of them. I've always had a lot of admiration for the courage he showed getting back in the car after losing half his foot in the clutch explosion. I still recall watching him break into the sixes on Wide World of Sports, the only TV coverage of drag racing in those days. When I saw the footage of the blow-over of his rear engine car, it cemented my opinion that he is the best driver NHRA has ever seen. Who else has gone through the lights backward at 200 MPH without wadding up the car?
Happy Birthday Big, you are a helluva man.

 

I have traveled to his museum three times and still feel I have not seen enough. The amount of history and memorabilia is overwhelming. This is from 2019

 

Met him at a Billetproof show at his museum awhile back. We talked briefly and he loved the fact that I drove my old flattie 40Ford coupe there. Just a super guy ……

Happy Birthday, Don!

 

Happy Birthday __ Big. We talked often and always found you to be a truly straight shooter. At your museum a few of times, the Nat's more than once and at the Wheels of Time SRA show in Macungie, PA. May you see another decade and remain in good health.

 

Happy Birthday! Went through the museum about 15 years ago, missed seeing him at Hershey while I was out looking for stuff.

 

Thank you!......

 

Saw him run at Fremont and the Swamp RT at 1/2 moon bay raced Champion speed shop whom I believe won Connie Swingle at the helm ?

 

He called the house a few years back and got me out of bed just a little past 6am on a Saturday morning to talk about some Flathead Carburetors I sold him. Apparently, Florida time is ahead of Missouri time. I visited with him on the phone for about 10-15 mins. After hanging up My wife turned over and ask "Who was calling so early in the morning on a Saturday?" I told her it was Don Garlits. She looked at me like I was being a smartass and turned back over and went back to sleep.

 

Super-human Don Garlits !!! I hope to see his museum one day , with him there would be incredible.

He was in a very interesting position in the early days of fuel racing as the " company man " . His Mopar contact told him " Don , we don't make 392's anymore ". I'll bet he had alot to say about that ( I know I do ).

 

I met him in '97 at Bonneville. Asked him to pull a handle on the giant one-arm-bandit in the lobby of the Nugget. We lost. Great guy...if you're reading this, Happy Birthday!!!

 

Wow, 90 years young ( youthful that is, high strung) Happy birthday Mr.Garlits.

 

I first met Don at Dover Dragstrip, Wingdale, NY when he was barnstorming with the rail on an open trailer. Later I was lucky to tour museum prior to grand opening, having taken family to Disney. The museum was my Disneyland. We were only people there and Don came out to the floor and talked with us, signed a picture and my wife took my picture with him and Swamp Rat I, complete with 8 strombergs. Happy Birthday to one of the greats!