Donald Glenn "Don" Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is considered the father of drag racing. He is known as "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. Lemons, relating at least in part to the loss of a portion of his foot in a drag racing accident, perfected the rear-engine "top fuel dragster design". 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 in catastrophic vehicle or drivetrain failure, explosion or fire are almost always fully behind the driver, thus capable of activating a variety of safety equipment. Garlits was an early promoter of a full-body, fire-resistant suit - complete with socks and gloves, often branded as nomex.
Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 miles per hour in the quarter mile; and he was also the first to top 200 in the 1/8 mile. Note that all official NHRA records require a "back-up" (speed and elapsed time within 1% of the record) run to verify the newer, higher level of performance. He has been inducted in numerous halls of fame and has won numerous awards during his career.
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I've never really been into drag racing, but I have heard the name before, I just didn't realize he held so many records.
ReplyDeleteI really only know about drag racing from what I see in movies and clips. The guys who ran the gas station across the highway raced Chevy IIs. I drove a Chevy II, which 1st belonged to my Grand-daddy, when I was going to school. The car was almost 20 years old at the time and on the way to becoming a classic.
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while someone would leave a not on the windshield, with various offers to buy it. My dad wouldn't sell it because he said it would cost more to replace it.
One night someone pulled a flatbed truck up to the car and hauled it off. We never found the car or who stole it. Now its either in chop-shop heaven or being drag-raced somewhere. I hope its the later.