Misplaced Pages

Don Garlits: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 14:34, 9 July 2008 edit67.101.31.170 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit Latest revision as of 18:36, 28 November 2024 edit undoAndy Dingley (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers160,526 editsm →Retirement and post-racing career: f. wl 
(265 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|NHRA champion, drag racing pioneer}}
⚫ ]
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
]
⚫ ]


'''Donald Glenn Garlits''' (born ] ], ]) is considered the father of ]. He is known as the "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. Always a pioneer in the field of drag-racing, he, with the help of T.C. Lemmons, relating at least in part to the loss of a portion of his foot in a drag-racing accident, perfected the rear-engine "] design". '''Donald Glenn Garlits''' (born January 14, 1932, ]) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of ], he is known as "'''Big Daddy'''" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field of drag racing, he perfected the rear-engine ] ], an innovation motivated by the loss of part of his foot in a dragster accident. This design was notably safer since it put most of the fuel processing and rotating parts of the dragster behind the driver. The driver was placed in front of nearly all the mechanical components, thus protecting him and allowing him to activate a variety of safety equipment in the event of catastrophic mechanical failure or a fire. Garlits was an early promoter of the full-body, fire-resistant ] driving suit, complete with socks, gloves, and ].


This design is notably safer as it puts most of the fuel processing and rotating or reciprocating parts of the dragster behind the driver. The driver is placed in "clear air" and a catastrophic failure, explosion or fire cannot immediately engulf the driver. Garlits was an early promoter of a full-body, fire-resistant suit -complete with socks and gloves. He was the first drag racer to officially surpass 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 miles per hour; and he was also the first to top 200 in the 1/8 mile. (Note that all official NHRA records require a "back-up" run to verify the newer, higher level of performance.) He has been inducted in numerous halls of fame and has won many awards for his career. Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200,{{citation needed|date=November 2018|reason=this is debated}} 240, 250, and 270 mile-per-hour marks in the quarter mile; he was also the first to top {{convert|200|mph|abbr=on}} in the {{convert|1/8|mi|abbr=on}}. He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame and has won many awards during his career.


==Career== ==Career==

===Early days=== ===Early days===
{{BLP sources section|date=April 2020}}
In the early days of drag racing, the post World War II Western U.S. provided a large number of militarily obsolete airfields, many of which became available for conversion to racing while desert lake beds and the ] were a natural home for straight line styles of racing. Garlits
After ], in the central and western United States, many air force bases and landing fields were decommissioned. These abandoned runways were perfect for drag racing. Don Garlits's first drag race car was built under an oak tree at his home in North Tampa in 1954. He used an arc welder and a cutting torch to modify an old 1927 ] Roadster. To this roadster he added a 1948 Mercury engine block, a 1939 Ford floor shift transmission, and a 1948 Ford differential and axle. That early T-Bucket's quarter mile performance was 13.5 seconds, at a top speed of 93&nbsp;mph. It was this successful, formative roadster that would become the basis for his first rail-job dragster. He cut off the body panels, moved the engine back, and installed the seat behind the drive axle. (A similar design was built that same year by ].) This was the legendary slingshot dragster with which Big Daddy would win the first ] race he entered, the NHRA Safety Safari in ] (12.1 seconds, 108&nbsp;mph). Three years later, he became a professional drag racer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tbucketplans.com/2010/04/11/how-a-t-bucket-was-key-to-big-daddy-don-garlits-drag-racing-success/|website=Tbucketplans.com|title=How a T-Bucket Became Key to "Big Daddy" Don Garlits Drag Racing Success|date=10 April 2010|author=T-Bucket John|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720060249/http://www.tbucketplans.com/2010/04/11/how-a-t-bucket-was-key-to-big-daddy-don-garlits-drag-racing-success/|access-date=4 July 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2012}}</ref> The first national drag racing meet, sponsored by the ] was held on an airfield near ] in 1955. Don Garlits, being from Florida, was something of an outsider. He was sometimes referred to as the Floridian, before permanently adopting the nickname "Swamp Rat," which also became the name for each new generation of his innovative dragster designs.
was something of an outsider and was sometimes referred to as "The Floridian", before permanently adopting the nickname, "Swamp Rat," which also became the theme for each generation of his innovative dragster designs.


In 1959, he traveled to ] for the ], then called the U.S. Fuel & Gas Championship, to show that the times he was setting were as legitimate as those set by the west coast racers. His presence helped to grow the sport of ] In 1959, Garlits traveled to ] for the US Fuel and Gas Championships, later to be named the "]", to show that the times he was setting were as legitimate as those set by the west coast racers. Over 30,000 people attended the event, the largest attendance at a drag race at that point. His presence helped to grow the sport of ] beyond its California base. In 1964, after winning the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Garlits traveled to England, with TV ], Tony Nancy, Dante Duce and other racers, to participate in the first International Drag Festival, a six-event series that did much to promote the sport of drag racing in the UK.


===Accident leads to innovation=== ===Accident leads to innovation===
In 1970, Garlits, driving Swamp Rat XIII, a mainstream front engine, rear cockpit drag rail, had a catastrophic failure. The two speed transmission that Don was developing exploded and took a piece of Garlits' right foot. While he was in the hospital a Florida native Don Lafferty finished out the rest of the season. He returned to Pomona in 1971 with Swamp Rat XIV, a brand new rear engine, front cockpit drag rail. Rear-engine dragsters like Swamp Rat XIV have since become mainstream in drag racing.<ref></ref> On March 8, 1970, at ],<ref name="auto"> (retrieved May 24, 2017</ref> Garlits was driving ''Swamp Rat XIII'', also called the ''Wynnscharger'', a ] slingshot rail dragster, when the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure. The two-speed transmission Garlits was developing exploded and took a piece out of his right foot, while the car broke in half in front of the cockpit;<ref> (retrieved May 24, 2017)</ref> he was out for the remainder of the season. In an interview by ], Garlits said this of the incident: "In 1970, the transmission exploded in my dragster on the final run, and it cut my foot off and cut the car in two. That’s when I drew up plans for what I thought would be a championship rear-engine car. I would go out to the shop in Seffner on my wheelchair, saw stuff out on the band saw and make the parts."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.floridatrend.com/article/14743/icon-don-big-daddy-garlits|title= Florida Icon: Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits |date=October 3, 2012}}</ref>

Garlits's accident was like many in the 1960s, and his new design followed several other pioneer designers of rear-engined dragsters, including ]'s ] ] from 1963, ]'s 1966 Top Fuel ], and Kent Fuller's fueller '']'' from 1969.<ref>Taylor, Thom. "Tony Nancy Gas Dragster", "Roger Lindwall Re-Entry", and "Kent Fuller Sidewinder III", in "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone", pp.34, 38, and 42.</ref> He was aided in the construction of his new car by T. C. Lemons and ].<ref name="auto"/>

===The first modern "back-motor digger"===
Garlits returned to Pomona in 1971 with ''Swamp Rat XIV'', a brand new mid-engined, front-cockpit rail, also dubbed the "Swamp Rat I-R" by ''Hot Rod'' in the article introducing it to their readers. The rodding magazines considered the disadvantages of the new dragster design "obvious," and, indeed, Garlits lost in his first outing with the new car, to ] at Lions Drag Strip.<ref>Burgess, Phil, ''National Dragster'' editor. "Remembering dragster pioneer Dode Martin", written February 9, 2018, at (retrieved September 19, 2018)</ref>

However, ''Swamp Rat XIV'' became so successful that in 1971, Garlits won two of his next three Top Fuel Eliminator titles (the ] and Bakersfield), and was a runner-up at Lions, all in the new car.<ref>''Hot Rod'', 12/86, p.28.</ref><ref>Front to back: The rear-engine transition (, ) - Phil Burgess, NHRA, February 2015</ref> A change so momentous had not happened since ] moved the seat behind the rear axle to create the ] slingshot rail dragster in 1954.<ref>''Hot Rod'', 12/86, p.29 sidebar.</ref> Rear engine dragsters have since become mainstream in drag racing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.streetmachineclub.com/Street_Thunder/Library/Flashback/Big_Daddy_his_Swamp_Rat_XIV.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929000257/http://www.streetmachineclub.com/Street_Thunder/Library/Flashback/Big_Daddy_his_Swamp_Rat_XIV.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 29, 2007|title="Big Daddy" and his "Swamp Rat XIV" - National Street Machine Club|date=September 29, 2007}}</ref>

In 1977, ] persuaded Garlits to switch from the ] he had been using for the last thirteen years to the ] {{convert|417|cid|cc|abbr=on}}, offering (in Garlits' words) "an engine deal I couldn’t refuse".<ref> (retrieved November 24, 2018)</ref>

Garlits took a brief hiatus, returning to NHRA Top Fuel full-time in 1984.<ref>Ganahl, Pat. "Winter Heat: '87 NHRA Wnternationals", in ''Hot Rod'', May 1987, p.88.</ref>


===Further accomplishments=== ===Further accomplishments===
] ]

Garlits was the first driver to win three ] national titles and three world championships, the last coming at the age of 54. He won a total of 144 national events. On ] ] his home-built Top Fuel dragster, '''Swamp Rat XXX''', the sport's only successful streamlined car, was enshrined in ], a branch of ] museum in Washington, D.C., which also houses The Spirit of St. Louis and NASA's first manned space capsule (These are housed in a different building of the Smithsonian, The National Air and Space Museum). In true Garlits style, during the press conference submission and placement ceremony, the dragster was fired on the Smithsonian "porch."<ref name="NMAH">{{cite web|url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&objkey=263|title=Don Garlits|publisher=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution|accessdate=2008-06-12}}</ref> Garlits has won ten American Hot Rod Association championships, four ] championships, and three ] championships, a total of 17. He was age 54 when he won the last. He won a total of 144 national events. On October 20, 1987, his dragster '']'', the sport's only successful streamlined fueler,{{citation needed|date=November 2018|reason=AFAIK, no 'liner has ever been really successful}} was enshrined in ], a branch of ] museum in Washington, DC. In true Garlits style, during the press conference submission and placement ceremony, the dragster was fired up on the Smithsonian "porch."<ref name="NMAH">{{cite web |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1276317 |title=Don Garlits |work=National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution |access-date=May 29, 2020}}</ref>


===Retirement and post-racing career=== ===Retirement and post-racing career===
In 1987, Garlits suffered a ] at the AHRA World Finals in Spokane, Washington.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=37983|title= World Finals}}</ref> He received several injuries from the resulting crash. Though none were life-threatening, he temporarily retired from active driving and became a ] for NHRA telecasts on ] and ]. He announced for four seasons, from 1988 through the end of 1991. In December 1991 Garlits came out of retirement to race in the Snowbird Nationals, but his comeback was to be short-lived. "Big Daddy" retired again before the end of the 1992 season because of a detached retina, a product of the 4g deceleration produced by a Top Fuel Dragster's braking parachutes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhra.com/50th/news/index.html?story=227|title= Detached retina forces Garlits to retire|date=June 5, 1992|work=National Dragster|access-date=September 25, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051105224252/http://www.nhra.com/50th/news/index.html?story=227 |archive-date = November 5, 2005}}</ref>
"Big Daddy" was compelled to retire due to separated ], a product of the 4g deceleration produced by a ]'s braking parachutes. Garlits resumed his career briefly in 1998, but retired for good soon soon after.


Garlits resumed his career briefly in 1998, and again in 2003. His last qualifying race was in May 2003 at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual ] NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac in ]. At the age of 71 years, 5 months and 19 days he qualified 16th, setting a personal best speed in the quarter mile with a time of 4.788 seconds at 319.98&nbsp;mph. Garlits had reached 323.04 earlier in the year at the 2003 ]. Mr. Garlits lost in first-round competition with his Summit Racing-Mono Winged Dragster, clocking in with a 0.064 reaction time, a personal best 4.737 elapsed time, and 307.44&nbsp;mph, second only to Brandon Bernstein's (son of racing legend Kenny Bernstein) Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster 0.079 reaction time, a 4.615 elapsed time, at 321.42 miles per hour. The difference at the finish line was only 122 thousandths of a second.
He operates a drag-racing museum on the grounds of his home in ]. His "WINNING THE RACE" column is available regularly online at ().

Garlits operates the ] on the grounds of his home in ]. He can also be seen from time to time on ESPN and Speed Vision doing commentary at racing events and performance expositions.

Always at the forefront of driver safety, in the wake of Funny Car driver ]'s fatal crash and numerous other engine explosions and resultant fires, occurring in the last 300 feet of the quarter mile, Garlits declared "I am 100 percent in favor of it", regarding NHRA's proposal to trim the race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car from the traditional quarter-mile to 1,000 feet, also suggesting that he would support a ban on rev limiters and a return to a 70/30 ] to ] ratio.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707191403/http://moparmuscle.automotive.com/80081/mopp-0807-big-daddy-don-garlits-opinion-on-1000-foot-nhra-race-distance/index.html|date=July 7, 2011}}</ref> He has since had second thoughts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.garlits.com/newshome.htm |title=Don Garlits Museum Ocala, FL - Schedule News & Events |work=Garlits.com |date=November 27, 2009 |access-date=January 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116181128/http://www.garlits.com/newshome.htm |archive-date=January 16, 2010 }}</ref>

In September 2009, Garlits returned to the quarter mile, racing a specially prepared 2009 Dodge Challenger in the ] class at the ] at the ], losing to Dan Fletcher in the first round.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/race-coverage/11933-nhra-us-nationals-bme-sportsman-notebook|title=NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - BME SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK}}</ref>

In May 2014 at age 82, Garlits set a {{convert|184|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} speed record with Swamp Rat 37, a 2,000&nbsp;hp battery-powered ] .<ref> - Davey G. Johnson, ''Car and Driver'', May 8, 2014</ref> In July 2019 at age 87, he set a new quarter-mile record of {{convert|189.03|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} with Swamp Rat 38, a 1,500&nbsp;lb dragster with a battery-powered 800&nbsp;hp electric motor.<ref> - Kurt Ernst, ''Hemmings'', July 23, 2019</ref>

He is a mentor of current NHRA Top Fuel racer and fellow Ocala, Florida resident, ].

===Political affiliation===
In 1994, Garlits was the Republican Party nominee for ]. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat ].<ref>Balz, Dan, ''The Washington Post'', June 12, 1994.</ref> He supported the Republican candidacy of ] for President in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ronpaulblogs.com/best-candidate/big-daddy-don-garlits-endorses-ron-paul-for-president/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121082346/http://ronpaulblogs.com/best-candidate/big-daddy-don-garlits-endorses-ron-paul-for-president/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2008|title=Big Daddy Don Garlits endorses Ron Paul for President|date=January 21, 2008}}</ref>


==Awards== ==Awards==
* In 2014, he was inducted into the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame as its Overseas Member induction for that year.
* In 2004 he was inducted into the ]. * In 2004 he was inducted into the ].
* In ], he was inducted into the ]. * In 1997, he was inducted into the ].
* He was inducted in the ] in 1989 as the sole representative of drag racing. * He was inducted in the ]<ref name=MSHoF> at the ]</ref> in 1989 as the sole representative of drag racing.
* On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000, Don Garlits was ranked No.1. * On the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000, Don Garlits was ranked No.1.
* In 1987, Garlits' record-breaking 270 m.p.h. car, "Swamp Rat XXX" was inducted into, and enshrined at ] in Washington, D.C. * In 1987, Garlits' record-setting '']'' was inducted into and enshrined at ] in Washington, D.C.
* In 2008, he was inducted into the inaugural hall of fame class at ].
* In 2008, ] ranked him 23rd on their top drivers of all-time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=3400774 |title=Kinser, Mansell, Garlits, Lauda, and Muldowney set high standards |accessdate=2008-05-19 |publisher=] |accessdate=2008-05-19}}</ref> * In 2008, ] ranked him 23rd on their top drivers of all-time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/racing/racing/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=3400774 |title=Kinser, Mansell, Garlits, Lauda, and Muldowney set high standards |work=] |date=May 17, 2008 |access-date=May 19, 2008}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
* *
* *
*
*

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Garlits, Don}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Garlits, Don}}
Line 44: Line 79:
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 18:36, 28 November 2024

NHRA champion, drag racing pioneer

Don Garlits in 2007
Garlits in 1987

Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field of drag racing, he perfected the rear-engine Top Fuel dragster, an innovation motivated by the loss of part of his foot in a dragster accident. This design was notably safer since it put most of the fuel processing and rotating parts of the dragster behind the driver. The driver was placed in front of nearly all the mechanical components, thus protecting him and allowing him to activate a variety of safety equipment in the event of catastrophic mechanical failure or a fire. Garlits was an early promoter of the full-body, fire-resistant Nomex driving suit, complete with socks, gloves, and balaclava.

Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, and 270 mile-per-hour marks in the quarter mile; he was also the first to top 200 mph (320 km/h) in the 1⁄8 mi (0.20 km). He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame and has won many awards during his career.

Career

Early days

This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous.
Find sources: "Don Garlits" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

After World War II, in the central and western United States, many air force bases and landing fields were decommissioned. These abandoned runways were perfect for drag racing. Don Garlits's first drag race car was built under an oak tree at his home in North Tampa in 1954. He used an arc welder and a cutting torch to modify an old 1927 Ford Model T Roadster. To this roadster he added a 1948 Mercury engine block, a 1939 Ford floor shift transmission, and a 1948 Ford differential and axle. That early T-Bucket's quarter mile performance was 13.5 seconds, at a top speed of 93 mph. It was this successful, formative roadster that would become the basis for his first rail-job dragster. He cut off the body panels, moved the engine back, and installed the seat behind the drive axle. (A similar design was built that same year by Mickey Thompson.) This was the legendary slingshot dragster with which Big Daddy would win the first NHRA race he entered, the NHRA Safety Safari in Lake City, Florida (12.1 seconds, 108 mph). Three years later, he became a professional drag racer. The first national drag racing meet, sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association was held on an airfield near Great Bend, KS in 1955. Don Garlits, being from Florida, was something of an outsider. He was sometimes referred to as the Floridian, before permanently adopting the nickname "Swamp Rat," which also became the name for each new generation of his innovative dragster designs.

In 1959, Garlits traveled to Bakersfield, California for the US Fuel and Gas Championships, later to be named the "March Meet", to show that the times he was setting were as legitimate as those set by the west coast racers. Over 30,000 people attended the event, the largest attendance at a drag race at that point. His presence helped to grow the sport of drag racing beyond its California base. In 1964, after winning the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Garlits traveled to England, with TV Tommy Ivo, Tony Nancy, Dante Duce and other racers, to participate in the first International Drag Festival, a six-event series that did much to promote the sport of drag racing in the UK.

Accident leads to innovation

On March 8, 1970, at Lions Drag Strip, Garlits was driving Swamp Rat XIII, also called the Wynnscharger, a front-engined slingshot rail dragster, when the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure. The two-speed transmission Garlits was developing exploded and took a piece out of his right foot, while the car broke in half in front of the cockpit; he was out for the remainder of the season. In an interview by Florida Trend, Garlits said this of the incident: "In 1970, the transmission exploded in my dragster on the final run, and it cut my foot off and cut the car in two. That’s when I drew up plans for what I thought would be a championship rear-engine car. I would go out to the shop in Seffner on my wheelchair, saw stuff out on the band saw and make the parts."

Garlits's accident was like many in the 1960s, and his new design followed several other pioneer designers of rear-engined dragsters, including Steve Swaja's AA/Gas Wedge I from 1963, Roger Lindwall's 1966 Top Fuel Re-Entry, and Kent Fuller's fueller Sidewinder III from 1969. He was aided in the construction of his new car by T. C. Lemons and Connie Swingle.

The first modern "back-motor digger"

Garlits returned to Pomona in 1971 with Swamp Rat XIV, a brand new mid-engined, front-cockpit rail, also dubbed the "Swamp Rat I-R" by Hot Rod in the article introducing it to their readers. The rodding magazines considered the disadvantages of the new dragster design "obvious," and, indeed, Garlits lost in his first outing with the new car, to Gary Cochran at Lions Drag Strip.

However, Swamp Rat XIV became so successful that in 1971, Garlits won two of his next three Top Fuel Eliminator titles (the Winternats and Bakersfield), and was a runner-up at Lions, all in the new car. A change so momentous had not happened since Mickey Thompson moved the seat behind the rear axle to create the Panorama City Special slingshot rail dragster in 1954. Rear engine dragsters have since become mainstream in drag racing.

In 1977, Ed Donovan persuaded Garlits to switch from the 426 hemi he had been using for the last thirteen years to the Donovan 417 cu in (6,830 cc), offering (in Garlits' words) "an engine deal I couldn’t refuse".

Garlits took a brief hiatus, returning to NHRA Top Fuel full-time in 1984.

Further accomplishments

Swamp Rat XXX

Garlits has won ten American Hot Rod Association championships, four International Hot Rod Association championships, and three National Hot Rod Association championships, a total of 17. He was age 54 when he won the last. He won a total of 144 national events. On October 20, 1987, his dragster Swamp Rat XXX, the sport's only successful streamlined fueler, was enshrined in National Museum of American History, a branch of The Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC. In true Garlits style, during the press conference submission and placement ceremony, the dragster was fired up on the Smithsonian "porch."

Retirement and post-racing career

In 1987, Garlits suffered a blowover at the AHRA World Finals in Spokane, Washington. He received several injuries from the resulting crash. Though none were life-threatening, he temporarily retired from active driving and became a color commentator for NHRA telecasts on TNN and NBC. He announced for four seasons, from 1988 through the end of 1991. In December 1991 Garlits came out of retirement to race in the Snowbird Nationals, but his comeback was to be short-lived. "Big Daddy" retired again before the end of the 1992 season because of a detached retina, a product of the 4g deceleration produced by a Top Fuel Dragster's braking parachutes.

Garlits resumed his career briefly in 1998, and again in 2003. His last qualifying race was in May 2003 at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 71 years, 5 months and 19 days he qualified 16th, setting a personal best speed in the quarter mile with a time of 4.788 seconds at 319.98 mph. Garlits had reached 323.04 earlier in the year at the 2003 Gatornationals. Mr. Garlits lost in first-round competition with his Summit Racing-Mono Winged Dragster, clocking in with a 0.064 reaction time, a personal best 4.737 elapsed time, and 307.44 mph, second only to Brandon Bernstein's (son of racing legend Kenny Bernstein) Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster 0.079 reaction time, a 4.615 elapsed time, at 321.42 miles per hour. The difference at the finish line was only 122 thousandths of a second.

Garlits operates the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing on the grounds of his home in Ocala, Florida. He can also be seen from time to time on ESPN and Speed Vision doing commentary at racing events and performance expositions.

Always at the forefront of driver safety, in the wake of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta's fatal crash and numerous other engine explosions and resultant fires, occurring in the last 300 feet of the quarter mile, Garlits declared "I am 100 percent in favor of it", regarding NHRA's proposal to trim the race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car from the traditional quarter-mile to 1,000 feet, also suggesting that he would support a ban on rev limiters and a return to a 70/30 nitromethane to methanol ratio. He has since had second thoughts.

In September 2009, Garlits returned to the quarter mile, racing a specially prepared 2009 Dodge Challenger in the Stock class at the U.S. Nationals at the Indianapolis Raceway Park, losing to Dan Fletcher in the first round.

In May 2014 at age 82, Garlits set a 184 mph (296 km/h) speed record with Swamp Rat 37, a 2,000 hp battery-powered EV dragster . In July 2019 at age 87, he set a new quarter-mile record of 189.03 mph (304.21 km/h) with Swamp Rat 38, a 1,500 lb dragster with a battery-powered 800 hp electric motor.

He is a mentor of current NHRA Top Fuel racer and fellow Ocala, Florida resident, Josh Hart.

Political affiliation

In 1994, Garlits was the Republican Party nominee for Florida's 5th Congressional District. He was defeated by incumbent Democrat Karen Thurman. He supported the Republican candidacy of Ron Paul for President in 2008.

Awards

References

  1. T-Bucket John (April 10, 2010). "How a T-Bucket Became Key to "Big Daddy" Don Garlits Drag Racing Success". Tbucketplans.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. ^ NHRA.com (retrieved May 24, 2017
  3. NHRA.com photo (retrieved May 24, 2017)
  4. "Florida Icon: Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits". October 3, 2012.
  5. Taylor, Thom. "Tony Nancy Gas Dragster", "Roger Lindwall Re-Entry", and "Kent Fuller Sidewinder III", in "Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone", pp.34, 38, and 42.
  6. Burgess, Phil, National Dragster editor. "Remembering dragster pioneer Dode Martin", written February 9, 2018, at NHRA.com (retrieved September 19, 2018)
  7. Hot Rod, 12/86, p.28.
  8. Front to back: The rear-engine transition (Part 1, Part 2) - Phil Burgess, NHRA, February 2015
  9. Hot Rod, 12/86, p.29 sidebar.
  10. ""Big Daddy" and his "Swamp Rat XIV" - National Street Machine Club". September 29, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  11. NHRA.com (retrieved November 24, 2018)
  12. Ganahl, Pat. "Winter Heat: '87 NHRA Wnternationals", in Hot Rod, May 1987, p.88.
  13. "Don Garlits". National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  14. "World Finals".
  15. "Detached retina forces Garlits to retire". National Dragster. June 5, 1992. Archived from the original on November 5, 2005. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  16. Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Don Garlits Museum Ocala, FL - Schedule News & Events". Garlits.com. November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  18. "NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - BME SPORTSMAN NOTEBOOK".
  19. At 82 Years Old, Don Garlits Sets 184-mph EV Dragster Record, Guns for 200 mph Next - Davey G. Johnson, Car and Driver, May 8, 2014
  20. On July 20, Don Garlits looks to (again) make drag racing history - Kurt Ernst, Hemmings, July 23, 2019
  21. Balz, Dan, The Washington Post, June 12, 1994.
  22. "Big Daddy Don Garlits endorses Ron Paul for President". January 21, 2008. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008.
  23. Don Garlits at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  24. "Kinser, Mansell, Garlits, Lauda, and Muldowney set high standards". ESPN. May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2008.

External links

Categories:
Don Garlits: Difference between revisions Add topic