Happy Birthday Big Daddy
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Happy birthday Don! Hope you have a great day! Thank u for all the memories u have given us. Kim
Happy Birthday Mr. Garlits, you have been an inspiration thousands of people and will live on in history forever. Thank You for the years of thrills and the records you set! God Bless!
junior340
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I was at Pomona with our team checking the track and I started talking to a guy about conditions thinking it was my crew guys with out even looking just chatting away. Then I looked up....holy crap it was Don. I started laughing and he didn't know what was so funny.
I had to explain, then he laughed also and we kept chatting.
Happy birthday!! Thanks for that day Don.
A real Man you are.
I had to explain, then he laughed also and we kept chatting.
Happy birthday!! Thanks for that day Don.
A real Man you are.
I recall that after the above explosion, (in which he lost part of his foot); I remember for quite some time he wore a pair of sneakers with cartoon eyeballs all over them as if to say, "Looky Here". The man was and is the father of drag racing! That incident also inspired him to move the drivetrain behind the driver for safeties sake and perhaps better stability at speed. I think he was one of the firsts with the "fire burnouts", maybe by accident. I remember him warming the tires in the bleach area and the car accidentally went up in flames. I recall seeing his arm wave off his crew & he hit the throttle which blew out the fire! My recounting this might not be accurate, but then again, I am a "senile citizen", and my recollection might have become a little distorted; lol! I have been to his museums in Florida and thoroughly enjoyed them.
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Happy Birthday
Curiousyellow71
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Watched him race Shirley at Scribner in the 90s!
I think he was driving Swamp Rat XXXXXXXVIII...or something like that.Lol
Happy 93 Don!
I think he was driving Swamp Rat XXXXXXXVIII...or something like that.Lol
Happy 93 Don!
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He is a class act. He was pretty much a regular at all the big races at our home track in Cayuga, Ontario, Canada. We didn't realize how lucky we were. I too visited his museum in Ocala years ago while visiting my parents down there. A number of years ago he made some exhibition runs in an old front engined dragster at Carlisle. We were standing just behind the guardrail at mid track, and he stopped the car and did a second burnout from there. Happy Birthday Don.
Runcharger
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We need more guys like this today. Kind of ironic that being so fearless he's still here. Wasn't afraid of NHRA either. It's incredible how smart some of these guys (and especially him) were.
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Happy Birthday to Don Garlits. He has been an inspiration to generations of Drag Racers. He used to race at my home track at Sparta, Ontario occassionly. About 25 years ago, we drove our 1-of-0 1967 R/T wagon from Ontario to visit family in Tifton, Georgia. From there, my son, brother-in-law, and myself drove it on down to Florida to visit Dons museum. What an interesting place!
![scan0002[2].jpg](https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/attachments/scan0002-2-jpg.1789349/ "scan0002[2].jpg")
Happy Birthday !!
My story; my in-laws have friends that live down there( the fellow married a lady from florida). They were up here and we were chatting..
(to us) " what do you guys do?
" oh we like drag racing in the summer"
" that's nice. My mother was a mechanic for a racing team back in the 50s..
" really? What team , or what type do you recall?
" hmmm... his name was Don. He lived behind us.
" DON GARLITS????
" Yes! Thats the one. Nice guy.
(to us) " what do you guys do?
" oh we like drag racing in the summer"
" that's nice. My mother was a mechanic for a racing team back in the 50s..
" really? What team , or what type do you recall?
" hmmm... his name was Don. He lived behind us.
" DON GARLITS????
" Yes! Thats the one. Nice guy.
Demonic
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The museum is awesome! Everyone should go. I'm reading one of his books now:
It's a car guy's book. Definitely worth it if you like racing stories.
It's a car guy's book. Definitely worth it if you like racing stories.
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Happy Birthday 'Bigs' true Icon
to the legend himself, Mr. Garlits! Hope you are having a great day if you are reading this. I been to your museum and I was amazed at what is there.Similar threads
