Don Garlits? Good on him...Have a Quarter mile of Cake and a beverage Sir!!!...and of course many more!!
Happy Birthday Don! We visited his museum in Ocala after Thanksgiving last year, can't wait to go back again. There's so much HAMB friendly stuff there it's impossible to see in one visit.
Don signed Dave's dash in Cherokee, North Carolina last year. he wanted to buy the car but Dave didn't want to sell seems Don is partial to 40 Ford coupes. HRP
Marilyn says Happy 93RD Birthday to you "Big Daddy Don" All hail the power of the "Mighty Swamp Rat"
Danny, Don has several 40s in his collection along with two 39s that have early hemis shoehorned in the engine bay that he did back in the day.
Happy birthday to Don Garlits. I always thought this was a cool story about Don. "It was on June 11 in 1967, when NHRA Top Fuel great “Big Daddy” Don Garlits had suffered a stunning setback at the NHRA Springnationals in Bristol, Tenn. After already posting a devastating DNQ at the season-opening Winternationals, one of the most successful drivers on the circuit also failed to qualify for the season’s second race. Garlits made a vow that day. Since many of his peers in the category were already running consistent performances in the six-second zone, the driver of the famed Swamp Rat dragster said he wouldn’t shave his beard until he was able to clock a six-second time himself". Full article Here: https://www.dragzine.com/news/indys-greatest-moments-garlits-shaves-his-beard/
I love how Big said he's been upside down, backwards and on fire faster than most people have ever gone.
So it's true. If a man travels fast enough through space, he ages slower. Happy Birthday, Don Garlits!
Bakersfield 1959 March Meet #1 Hello, It has been 66 years for the big turn around in the fortunes of Don Garlits. At 29 years old, in the East, he was one of the fastest racers around. But, when he came out to the initial March Meet in Bakersfield in 1959 , he went out in the first round and went to So Cal for some help. The industry sponsors and local racers had suggestion for various things and came up with a blower spec motor with a 671 on top. Now, he was pretty equal the top racers in the Westcoast that were powered by the hemi motor with a 671 supercharger on top. This started his winning, continued, West coast tour and changed the way he raced. It was a historic turning point for the racer from Florida. These photos and films are the only ones taken and recorded for drag racing history, at the time of his Westcoast tour in 1959 and the 2nd annual March Meet in 1960. From March 1959 Smokers Event Drag News Weekly So, with such a disappointing showing at the initial Westcoast appearance for the Garlits team, they got some help from noted So Cal locals. Note the advertisement photo taken prior to the early March 7th event... This event at Kingdon Drag Strip was supposed to be the next stop after Bakersfield in March if 1959. The early photo was carburetor powered Hemi motor. But after the devastating performance or lack thereof at Bakersfield in early March, he returned to Kingdon with a 671 supercharger, plus a blower spec motor to continue his Westcoast tour. The whole Don Garlits West Coast Tour in 1959 is best summed up in this excerpt from WDIFL article. “After a humbling defeat at the first Smoker's Meet (in March of 1959) at Famoso, Don Garlits hastily equipped his "Swamp Rat" dragster with a supercharger and won the next big race at Kingdon two weeks later.” WDIFL As West Coast drag racers were happy with the results at the March 1959 Smokers Race at Bakersfield, Garlits started to do some changes to be more competitive. After the new 671 was added, he was off to Kingdon for some racing in Northern California. Kingdon 1959 Now, the results were what everyone thought of was going to happen in 1959, but the Westcoast racers had one step ahead back then. Now, it was everyone’s race at any time… “After incurring burns at a race at Chester, SC. in 1959 Don was unable to drive and his friend Art Malone, pictured here with Don, took over the driving. Don also changed over from the 8 carburetor set-up he had used previously, to a Hilborn two-port injector. With the ability to tune the car more accurately performance immediately improved. At one of the first outings with Malone in the seat at Sanford, ME. on August 23, 1959, the car set a new Standard 1320 speed record of 183.66 MPH.” WDIFL Jnaki Then, one year later: The only color films of the now, faster FED race car. March 1960:
History of Raceway Park , (Englishtown NJ)... Don (BIG DADDY) does a "straight UP" wheel stand approx. 9 1/4 minutes into this video! Raceway Park documentary: Unearthed footage reveals secret history of legendary NJ drag racing park
Yah, his museum *is* worth the trip & time... The collection of past racers is outstanding. Only a few are missing - & those haven't existed for decades anyways. He also isn't bashful about featuring Studes in the 2nd museum. Which I'm grateful for. I'm actually hoping he lives past 100, still runnin' rails all the time. That'd be a hellova 100th bd party to run the rail on his 100th. Another unbeatable/unmatchable record. . Hope you have many more, & good health for all of 'em. Marcus...
The Jalopy Journal
