Don Garlits Crash Video – The Modern Dragster Born

Famous Don Garlits Swamp Rat Crash Caught in Video

Swamp Rat 13 – Photo Courtesty of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (See a copy of the crash photo behind, middle)

If you’re a fan of drag racing then you know “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. You’ll also know his varied “Swap Rat” dragsters creations that carried Big Daddy to just about every racing “Hall of Fame” in existence.

Don Garlits was certainly a winner and an innovator. Along the way, he was the first to hit 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 miles per hour in the quarter mile. As an innovator, he’s best know for driving the first REAR engine dragster ever raced.

How’d he come up with the idea that changed dragster design and drag racing forever?  It happened in Long Beach, California at the 1970 AHRA Grand American. In the finals against Richard Tharpe, this crash happened in Swamp Rat 13.

I’ve only ever seen pictures of this crash before! I never know video existed… I’ll show the picture here when I get permission from the owner. The two speed transmission Big Daddy was experimenting with exploded right off the line.

Swamp Rat 14 – Photo Courtesty of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing

So… following the accident that took off a piece of Big’s right foot, Swap Rat 14 made it’s debut in Pomona in 1971. Funny thing is, the steering was too quick in Swamp Rat 14, so the project was nearly scrapped save for not-so-gentle nudging from Big’s wife Pat. Maybe she was the smartest of the bunch cause the fine-tuned digger, sporting a new Dodge Hemi behind the driver, making it much safer, went on to set the all time quickest ET at Indianapolis at 6.21 at over 240mph. Safer and faster!

Now you know about the birth of the modern dragster.

Gotta thank Lionsvideo.com for posting this on Youtube. Get your copy on DVD!

Also, if you get a chance, go to the Don Garlits Museum in Ocala, Florida. I was in Florida on business once and got to go. It’s worth the trip!!

Don Garlits Back Racing the

Story Submitted by John C. Hill or MoparMagic
Don Garlits to compete in 2009!

Don Garlits has planned a comeback to drag racing for 2009, his 60th anniversary competing on the nation’s drag strips. Is he going to run a new Top Fuel car? The answer is no. Neither his doctor nor his wife will ever let him run an NHRA competitive Top Fuel car again. After countless thousands of parachute stops at the end of 300mph runs, the retinas in Don’s eyes had become detached. Further racing of this type could have caused permanent blindness.

So, what is Don going to run this year? Well, as a long time Mopar representative, Mopar stepped up and has allowed Don to purchase the first Dodge Challenger equipped with the Drag Pak. For those of you thinking a factory backed “Drag Pak” was a dream, it ain’t! Based on the 6.1L equipped hot rod SRT8, the drag pak Challenger will be eligible to run in NHRA’s Super Stock, Stock, and Comp Eliminator.

Garlits will run his Drag Pak Challenger in NHRA Division 2, but right now, it is uncertain which class. Don’s excited to challenge some of the nations best sportsman drivers and is looking forward to tuming a car like this to become competitive against other muscle cars and specialty drag race vehicles.

Garlits ran the first promotional vehicle at Bandimere Speedway near Denver and recorded an 11.24 quarter mile which is quick considering Bandimere’s mile high track. At sea level tracks in Division 2, the car could dip into the 10′s right out of the box! Garlits also plans to attend and run at the U.S. Nationals this year to commemorate his 60th year in active drag racing.

I for one will follow this story very closely in the Division 2 race results pages of National Dragster. Can Garlits work his old magic? First, I will admit that I am a big Don Garlits fan. But, there will be a huge difference between running the unlimited class of Top Fuel versus the very restrictive class rules of Super Stock, Stock and Comp Eliminator. In Top Fuel, tuning knowledge is king and the almighty dollar can bring absolute victory. Garlits was fantastic at tuning and driving, but he didn’t always have the almighty dollar. It was his tuning skill and driving that made him stand out, so much so, that his Top Fueler is the ONLY drag race vehicle of any type enshrined at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

What really interests me is how well Garlits will do against the Southern Divisional racers who have raced their cars day in and day out for decades. Its going to be a tall order and it will be the ultimate test of Garlits as a tuner and driver. I mean, can a man in his mid-70′s still pull off .000 reaction times when needed? Can he win races without “bombing his index” or “breaking out”? After all this is class racing not Top Fuel! I’ll keep you posted as I find results from the races.