Folks Of Interest Fame And Terror At 200 MPH

I remember looking forward to my brother taking me to Lions Drags,on the weekend. I had a neighbor with a Fiat Fuel Altered,and he would fire it up,getting it ready for Lions. I would haul ass over there and he would let me sit in it while he tuned it.
I think it is an addiction! After hearing the cars,smelling the fuel,and seeing the speed,you had to get more.....

 

I met Big once, at Pomona. I might have been 8 or 9 years old.

Asked him for an autograph and made some small talk. He asked me what classes I liked in school, which at the time I thought was a weird question.

Maybe I understand a little better now.

 

Thanks for bringing to our attention. Gartlis is bigger than life because of his determination, vision , talent and big balls to accomplish what he has - and still at it. early pioneers of any type of racing were not able to go online and see how it used to be done. they had to create what had never been done before. sometimes now we try to only copy the past, which is cool, rather than create what has not been done before. if you ever get to meet Don Garlits, or any of the early pioneers, be sure to tell them Thanks.

 

Good read Ryan.
Theres nothing on the planet that gets me fired up like the smell of exhaust and hi-test fuel. two stroke hits me hard too.
I bought the book "Fuel & Guts" a good while back, Its awesome stuff and I can't get enough
It is a sickness. A horriblle, fantastic sickness.

 

That was fun! Nice morning read.

 

Man, what a great read. I am life long Big fan. Watched him tuning and running his Drag Pak Challenger in Stock Eliminator this past summer. Qiute a sight, he is as into it as ever...Garlits is never O/T....


6-11_MOPARS-MAPLEGROVE_237 by Joe Grippo, on Flickr

6-11_MOPARS-MAPLEGROVE_236 by Joe Grippo, on Flickr

6-11_MOPARS-MAPLEGROVE_161 by Joe Grippo, on Flickr

 

WOW! What a great piece. Thanks for putting it out here for us all to read.

 

Ya know I saw Big and his Challenger at The NHRA Reunion in Bowling Green this year but never got a chance to see him run. Damn that thing looks good coming off the line.

It still looks weird watching him tune with a laptop instead of a wrench!

 

My brother in law got me his autograph last year,which I'm having framed.I met him inm the 80's,but was too overwhelmed to bother.Big is the greatest.

 

Good story. Garlits was, is, and always will be a ruler.

 

Big Daddy is the man. I had the privilege of meeting him at Wichita Int'l Raceway back in the 80's.

 

I walked out of his museum a few years ago and there is Big standing in the yard!!!! He took time to have couple pics of him and I in front of the museum sign, one of the best days of my life.

 

Very cool article. I once met a guy from Florida in a bar in Dublin, and told him the only person I knew of from Florida was Big Daddy. Turns out he was touring with the band Motorhead and he got us tickets to the next nights show.
Big Daddy rocks!

 

Thanks for the article Ryan. Good read for sure.

 

damn good read. i've met big and had the pleasure of chatting with him on several occasions. super nice dude and stone deaf !

 

Fantastic article, but the photo is not Don's record setting run at Island in 1964. I was there that Sunday and was lucky enough to get very close the the starting line to take the photo below. Year later, after we got to know each other pretty well doing the Bonneville Streamliner project, Don signed a print for me which I have framed on my office wall. The photographer seen on the opposite side of the track in Robert Bissell who was shooting for National Dragster.

 

There are a couple other SI articles about him in the links at the end of the first article, one from 1979 and the other from 1997. It's interesting to see the changes over the years.

 

Thanks for that. I hate to admit this but first time I ever met Big Daddy - which was to get his autograph on a 1964 Hot Rod mag w/ him on the cover - I said something to the effect of "I'm a big fan of yours" (or something equally as lame).

He didn't acknowledge me at all and for a split second I was thinking ''sheesh what an old grouch''.

His wife was standing there as well - I guess she knew what I was thinking because she motioned to me that he was hard of hearing - no shit, right? I repeated myself a bit louder and once he heard me we talked quite a bit - couldn't have been nicer.

 

Cool pic Rich!

Very good read, dig the period vernacular. Big Daddy has been a long term idol of mine and at the top of my "would like to meet" list.

 

Ryan,

This is one of the best articles you've ever linked to. One of the top pieces I've ever read about drag racing. Good job!

 

Along with everyone else I am thankful for the posting and the link Ryan. That article really opened my mind to Don's attitude toward racing. I am surprised but not surprised at the same time. I would have to congratulate him on having such a pragmatic attitude toward the sport and perhaps that is one of many reasons he was so successful. Your post had great timing since I'm going to the CHRR this weekend. Time for a nitro FED fix.

 

Don is a great guy, his philosophy on life is loaded with COMMON SENSE! A bit of trivia is that Don was only several hundred votes shy of being a congressman in Fla.

 

Thanks for pulling up a great read. He is a phenomenal person.

 

I have read different articals over the years about Don and his life of drag racing . I watched him through the years and he has brought so much to drag racing and the safety it has today with the top fuel dragster . To me , he is the greatest drag racing of all times ! He is the KING of the dragster and always will be . He led the life that many of us would have loved to do . Of course the racing industry is all different now . The small guy can't do it like he did without big sponsorships . He is such a legend that none will ever take away from him . he has been through so much in the accidents he has been in but still came back to do better and better every time .
He was my idle in drag racing when I grew up and he still is !
Ryan thanks for the great story ! A True Legend !

Retro Jim

 

Hats off to the greatest pioneer of dragster advancement. I was fortunate enough to see him in the 60's when he was doing it all on his race machine. He was cordial even being ultra busy prepping his digger for the next blast. He is an icon of the sport and one of the greatest ever! Viva D.G. Thanx for featuring him in the daily post of interest. ~sololobo~

 

Don Garlits is the Frank Zappa of drag racing


-jim

this is a quote from a drag racing magazine article about Garlits from the year he broke 270 mph at Gainsville (I was there) and "invented" the Top Fuel blow over at E-town (I was there)

 

Big Daddy is an awesome possum, for sure. A genuine American hero.

 

Thanks for the link. I found his insight into a life effectively 100% consumed by racing interesting because he sounds exactly like other people I've known that lived that life. They all talk about it the same way. After awhile, its just a job like anything else, they just keep doing it because they're good at it and in demand. I also dug the period vernacular.

 

Great blog Ryan ! Here's a few shots of the big from Norwalk last year. Hangin out and telling story's with Ohio George. He made a couple passes in the old car. Long ago when he was running for Kendal motor oil,we got to see him alot. Being from Bradford,Pa. home of Kendal oil he was here a couple times a year. Always would take the time to talk with his fans !