That was great

unreal

I'm now 70 years old, been a drag racing fan for most of my years. My older brother & I met Don Garlits at a Detroit Dragway Reunion at Milan Dragway in Milan, Mi. He'd brought Swamp Rat VIII and we both heard him tell this story and others that day. They talked about possibly firing up that car and I am mad at myself that I did not ask Don if he'd help my live out a bit of a fantasy I had since a young teenager when I really wanted to drive a Top Fuel Dragster. I wanted to ask him if I could possibly sit inside the car if he did in fact start it up, I'd forgotten ; "If you never ask, the answer is always NO!" SMDH 🙄

This video makes me so happy! So glad I got to see this in person!!

Drag racing #1 hero!

Hot Rod Magazine co put out a paperback book in 1965 that had Keith Black looking in a spark plug hole on Dons Dragster. I was the 12 year old kid in the photo looking over Keiths shoulder :) I was in the pits because my older brothers ran a Jr. FUEL dragster

Tampa's own.

I want a blower engine bad . I messed with MSD and had a old Mallory uni light but I never had anything that made power . Had a 13:1 383 stroker with a roller cam was about it . Someday . Love the old story’s Don can’t wait to get to Ocala again

He’s been on fire,upside down,backwards faster than anybody you know

In 2014 I donated a load old drag racing parts, including one of his round back 1960 chassis to him and he told me about this. He was so sick and tired of trying to make the 426 run, his intention was to blow it up. It took the other guys quite a while to figure out what he was doing!!

We approached Don Garlits at the Bakersfield hot rod reunions years ago, he was sitting at his motorhome with the table out in front of it signing autographs. With his wife at his side. After he signed our autographs he talked to us for a half an hour. Occasionally checked on his wife for her well-being. Classy guy.

BIG IS THE NHRA TOP FUEL GOAT. PERIOD.

I had the model (kit) of that the only non stock type model I ever bought.The front engine “diggers “were the coolest.cackles ok but seems like a let down not to have a bit of a burnout too.

question for DON, I LIVE IN SAN DIEGO GROWING UP .And when i was 7 or 8 year old in around 1966 or 1967 my aunt DORIS SANTOS LIVE IN LEMON GROVE CALIFORNIA AND SHE WOULD PICK UP MYSELF AND BROTHER IN HER 1966 plymouth barracuda drive that car so fast that she would out run the cops chasing her.She told us little guys that she was good friend of BIG DADDY HIMself and that he modified her motor him SELF.I HAVE WONDER MY WHOLE SO FAR 65 YEARS IF THAT WAS A True story or not? .AND Don if you read this if you wouldnt mind saying yes or no that would really mean a whole lot to myself and Family. Thank you.

Don is Da Man ! i met him at Route66 in 99, he was selling his wares. i bought a few things, and then got him to sign a few of my things. he seems kinda bummed = i guess he thought i was going to resell those things, but no, i still have them all.

Don I'll take that little wooden suction cup put it on my Dewalt drill and use crest toothpaste to lap my values. I've always done in by hand as well

Love that night time shot at the end You can see the headers glowing red

You had me "Compression ratios"

Workin on your knees? My back! No jack stands?

My dad got Popular Mechanics magazine in the 60s, I remember reading a story "On Fire at 200 MPH" is was about Garlets having an engine fire on the track and how his wife had bought him a leather jacket to wear because he was going so fast, until then he just wore a T shirt because of the jacket instead of having burns over 50% of his body all he had were burns on his hands and where his mask and helmet didn't cover

You know what would be iconic?... getting the sound volume leveled out FFS!!!!!

You are the man.!!!!!!!

First racer to put a wing on a racing car!

I know garlits when he became airborne at blackbush first british dragraces great balls of fire keep at it ronadam

The 426 is the best engine ever. I worked at a high performance engine shop that Delt mostly with mopars. They were so fun to build and then we got to put them on the dyno it was nothing like 426 big block an open headers.

AHRA Shitr? must be out of respect to longtime President and Founder George Tice......because in the end Don and Orville Moe did NOT a good relationship!

Dog in the car. Awesome.

Don. I'm disappointed in you ole son. You're a traitor. Done gone electric. Battery car...

Amazing man that did so much for Chrysler Corporation and for top fuel drag racing. The Chrysler Hemi... The best in its time

This man has forgotten more about engineering than most engineers will ever know, IMHO.

Oh I remember reading in a magazine when he ran that 219 mph and 7.31 ET alright. I had been keeping up with Garlits lack of progress with the 426 for about a year through the drag racing magazines It was a plan of a HS buddy and I to build a AA fueler with the old Hemi as they were still junkyard available for a small fraction of the cost of a new 426. We were elated to have seen the 426 fail to become competitive with the old Hemi yet until the day I read of Garlits 426 finally and suddenly running nearly 20 mph faster and 20 seconds quicker than any late '50s 392 was then running anywhere in the country! It became too expensive for us after that. Don's an entertaining storyteller but I kind of disliked him for awhile when I undeservedly blamed him for killing our dream, lol. All kinds of factors ruled that out though but that was a sad day when I had to realize the '57 & '58 392 cu in Chrysler Hemi was done at ruling AA/FD.

Stopped at the Museum a few months ago. Asked about Don "he's doing well, still working on his E Dragster". The only thing that would made the day better would have been to meet the man.

DON'T DO DRUGS GO DRAG RACING

Okay, got a question what part(s) are still used in the modern 500ci TF hemi used in nitro funny cars and dragsters?

Super cool.

In those day’s the KEITH BLACK HEMI’S RULED drag racing☝️☝️☝️

Builder, tuner and driver. Who today in the sport can accept that kind of credit. It's very entertaining to listen to Don and Shirley and Jungle Pam talk about the sport, the corporations and the attitude of the NHRA today.

I would give anything to go back to the early 60's and live to see all the Dodge and Plymouth Max Wedge cars and all the slingshot dragsters running the late 50's Hemi's that's the drag racing I think it the best racing there was back when anyone can run a drag car

Big Daddy Don garlits definitely a legend My favorite dragster And the Blue Max mustang funny car Also my favorite funny car I washed them both race at Hollywood sportatorium Hollywood Florida those were the good old days

Went to his museum right off the exit in Ocala and the sign said " drag racing museum 1/4 mile =>" was I the only one to see the humor in that?

At 5:58....That's DONS RACING CHAIR.... Right out of Swamp Rat......

See his hand on the motor at 5:46. Most would assume he's getting a feel for how the engine is running, and maybe so, but I'd bet everything I have that "Big" can feel in his fingers and and see in his mind every part in that running engine. The man is a legend for a reason and nobody can read a motor like him. Incredible racer, innovator, and great person. I saw him race several times and he was never lost on the track or in the pits. He knew instinctively what to do at every moment - and STILL does. .

Wow, I could listen to him all day.

Robert Deniro as Don Garlits

Nasty

Godfather of the quarter mile

It amazes me how the drivers sat in these old dragsters. On top of the axles! They had to be very dangerous , being behind the engine?

When I was a kid you didn’t talk about drag racing without the name Don Garlits being a part of the conversation and he was who we wanted to be like when we grew up he was and is a great American Hero.

Absolutely Brilliant. . . . Wotta Boy!!! ....

Saw him and Don race at Connecticut Dragway back in the day...awesome.