Big Daddy
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Don with two mopars
Don as a limo driver
Don in the museum
Don
Don
Don and the Greek
Don and the Greek
Don and Don Schumaker
Don and Bruce Larson
Don getting interviewed
Don visiting a fan
Don with John Force
Don visiting
Don with Butch Patric
Don getting help with a motor
Do presenting Kenny's iinduction t the International Hall of drag racing fame
Don with Herb Fishel
Don doing some work
Don with Jack Beckman NHRA Funny Car driver
Don getting a Hot Rod Achievement award
Don getting a ride from Don Prudomme
Don with Don Prudomme
Don with Jon Lundberg a longtime NHRA announcer
Don with Tommy Ivo
Don and Shirley Muldowney
Don with Connie Kalitta
Don with Don Nickelson
Don with Tom McEwen
Don with Mickey Thompson
Don and Lisa Criger
Don and Lisa Criger
Don and Lisa Criger
Don and Lisa Criger
Don and Lisa Criger
Don with Lisa Criger
Don and his family
Don and his girls
Don and Pat
Don and a trophy girl
Don and his wife Pat
Don and Pat
Pat and the girls
Pat and the girls
Don shaving after a big win
Don and Pat with their "other" kids
Pat in memory
Don with Pat and Tommy Ivo looking on
Pat with the girls in the crowd
Don with Shirley muldowney and Marvin Miller
Don visiting with a crowd
Don with Mr & Mrs Ray Motes
Don with two cuties
Don and Lisa Criger with Terry and Mandy Lorge
Don Don autographing with Darrell Gwynn and others
Don with Shirley Muldowney and a few others
Don tooling around among the crowd
Don waving a green flag
Don with John Force and Carl Olsen
Don with his cars and a crowd
Don with Pat having a Coors
Don and his car are always popular
Don yakking
Don working on the car
Don working
Don greeting a large crowd
Don leaning on his car
Don with his car
Don looking ready
Don with one of his cars
Don with his electric car
Don leaning on his rear engined car
Don wandering
Don in his shop
Don with an early car
Don posing
Don with a long dragster
Don and the electric car
Don with an older car
Don on the road
Don tuning his car
Don with Swamp Rat 1
Don working
Don making an adjustment
Don working
Don working
Don still working
Don with a thumbs up
Don
Don
Don leaning on the car
Don giving someone an earfull
Don getting a push in the pits
Don with Swamp Rat XII
Don with the red car
Don working on his car
Don with a crowd and his car
Don working
Don always working on his rides
Don with an adjustment
Don working
Don pushing the car
Don hanging
Don moving the car
Don talking with Don Prudomme checking out Big's seat
Don with Al Parker and a nice roadster
Don's ride in line
Don working on the red car
Don and brother Ed
Don getting in the Swamp rat
Don with an oldie
Don busy
Don's car getting attention
Don and his car in line
Don has the motor unbuttoned
Don with the car
Don in the trailer
Don posing with an early Swamp Rat
Don's car on display
Don and the car
Don's car 1960
Don working on his car
This T Bucket was Don's first drag car
Don and his first dragster
Don's first dragster
Don racing his first dragster
Don won as an unknown at Lake City Airport in Jacksonville, Fl. He ran 108.17
Don won the 1957 Florida State Championship
Don's brother Ed raced this Buick powered dragster
Don's car with Ed Garlits
Don with his car with Eddie Hill in the background
Don posing with his car
Don working on car while fans look on
Don working
Don and Pat with an early car
Don and his unblown Swamp Rat
Don in 1964
Don with his car at home
Don's car ready to go
Don adjusting his car
Don working
Another early Swamp Rat
Don with Art Malone
Don won Top Eliminator in Colorado 1963 beating Eddie Hill
Don in his car
Don at Riverside in 1960
Don with a lot of work ahead
Don in the cockpit
Don with his daughter and her friend
Don waving to the crowd
Don in the car
Don in the seat
Don firing up
Don ready to run
Don with the victory sign
Don in his car
Don in the seat
Don in the seat
Don standing in the seat
Don suited up
Don in the car
Don fired up for a cacklefest
Don getting a push
Don in the seat
Don suited up
Don with his girls going back to the pits
Don in the car
Don fired up
Don going back to the pits
Don showing off his old ride
Don standing in the car in 1987
Don getting in the car
Don in a Swamp Rat
Don on the roller starter
Don with the Greek helping him
Don ready
Don in the seat
Don in motion
Swamp Rat III
Don in an oldie
Don waving to the crowd
Don in Swamp Rat V
Don in the seat
Don getting the cash
Don waving to the crowd
Don in the seat
Don with a crown
Don in the seat
Don in the seat
Don ready for a burnout
Don in his car
Don relaxing
Don in the car ready to go
Don in the car
Don pulling up to the line
Don in the seat
Don wins 1967 NHRA Nationals
Don wins 1964 NHRA Nationals
Don with trophy queen after another win
Don wins 1973 Nationals
Don and family with a big trophy
Don's car
Don's Wynn's Jammer
Don's Swamp Rat VII
Don's Swamp Rat IV
Don's Swamp Rat XII
Don and Connie Kalitta had "team" cars at one time
Don's car
Don at Great Meadows
Don with Art Malone and the car they partnered on
Don on the track
Don at the 1959 March meet at Bakersfield
Don lifts the wheels
Don Lining up
Don's red car that went back to black pretty soon
Don's mid wing car
Don won the 1955 NHRA Nationals
Don with his full bodied car
Don firing up the car
Don on the deck of USS Lexington
Don showing off his car
Don in his car
Don's car ready
Don doing a wild wheelie
Don on the start
Don on a run
Don see's the green light
Don on the gas
Don launches
Don lights up the fire
Don wheels up high!
Don ready to blast off
Don smokin' it
Don on the gas
Don burning out
Don on a 185 MPH pass
Don doing a burnout
Don on a smoky pass
Don smokin' it
Don burning it
Don on a run
Don smokes it
Don on the gas
Don getting it
Don smokin'
Don with wheels upp
Don at Lions
Don smokes it
Don on a hot one
Don at Bakersfield
Don rips one
Don at Bakersfield on his first trip to the March Meet
Don vs Master & Ricter
Don vs Marvin Schwarz
Don at Bakersfield March Meet
Don left, and the Greek 1960
Don at Half Moon Bay
Don vs a late Jack Christman
Don vs John Wiebe
Don plays flagman for Vance Hunt and a wheels up Chris Karemesines
Don out on lefty Mudersback to win
Don in England racing Peter Crane
Don vs Shirley Muldowney
Don at 1975 March Meet
Don out first
Don on a flyover crash
Don vs Vance Hunt
Don vs Art Malone
Don vs Warren Cobern
Don's streamliner
Don in the car
Don's car
Don's electric ride
Don's electric
Don with his car
Don smokin' it
Don's funny car
Emery Cook drove this one
Oops
The Dart 2
Don's funny car
A race!
I watched Big Daddy from the time he made his first trip to California thru the many years until he retired. He was always the show and only the very top drivers from around the country could give him a run for his money. Many California boys raced him hard but his records speak for themselves. He was special and his engenuity was well known thruout the industry. He is 10 years older than me and still dreaming up stuff to compete with. His electric powered dragster is one of those projects he is working on. His museum is very special, especially to those of us who were around from the early 60's.
The name “Big Daddy” Don Garlits is synonymous with Drag Racing. In fact Garlits has been dubbed the “King of the Dragsters,” and could be considered the patriarch of Top Fuel Drag Racing. Dons High school sweetheart was his wife Pat until she passed away, however, his first love is the automobile and his passion is winning. His swamp rat series of 34 hand fabricated black race cars carried him to 144 national event wins.
Adding to his marvelous racing accomplishments is a Florida tourist complex called Garlits Auto Museums in Ocala, FL. The Drag Racing Museum and Classic Car Collection, 17 World Championship Titles, and numerous racing milestones are all reality because Don first saw them as worthwhile dreams. Garlits’ distinct ability to conceptualize his dreams has allowed him to be master over the end result.
“Big Daddy’s” living legacy and race car design innovations are so significant that his record breaking Swamp Rat XXX is enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Don Garlits began racing in 1950 and scored his first major victory in 1955. His first NHRA National event win came in Top Fuel at the 1963 Winter Nationals in Pomona, CA
Don has won the prestigious NHRA U.S. nationals a record 8 times. His four decades of Drag Racing have filled the pages of seven books, Although this list is not exhaustive, the facts below provide a good overview of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits’ colorful racing career.
Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, and 270 miles per hour marks in the quarter mile
In May 2014 at age 82, Garlits set a 184 mph speed record in an EV dragster, a battery-powered electric vehicle that does not burn fuel. Don Garlits drew the plans and constructed the World’s First Rear-engined Top Fuel Dragster (That was sucessful I might add, there were plenty before him with limited results, often catostrophic).
In 2004 he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1989 as the sole representative of drag racing.
Created 1/11/19
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