DON GARLITS At DOVER…’Big Daddy’ just sent e-mail

[dinoKeymaster]

Just heard from THE BIG DADDY himself. Putting together history on his Dover appearances. He says to the best of his recollection ….he was there in 1964 and 1966. We have photos, showing him at the track with “Swamp Rat III” and the “Wynns Jammer” Do these cars line up with those dates ? Lets See what everybody has in their “relics” about “Big”

[dinoKeymaster]

Talked some more and Don Corrected the year as 1961 with Swamp Rat III……AND as we communicated Don Said OK 😯 to Doing THE NEXT TIN SIGN WITH —–> HIS NAME…..So Stand By For GARAGE ART Tin Sign #2…Don “Big Daddy ‘ Garlits at DOVER DRAG STRIP ! Be THERE !

[vbobParticipant]

HEY

I sent “BIG” an 8×10 of him years back.
This is what he said!

‘V’

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[dinoKeymaster]

More info from Big Daddy…1964 US Racing team decal not on car til winter of 64-65 when he went to England….Said DON . SO checked with Brian M. -our historian …He had all the documentation ! ….Wynn’s Jammer at Dover May 23 ,1965 . Car arrived with blown rear from running day before at Atco against Ramchargers. Made 3 exhibition runs…see him arrive in “Teaser2” Video clip. Best Time 8.04 @ 196 mph ……….Dover CSI scores again .
This shot from Tink Scheafer collection….theres the rear :

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[dinoKeymaster]

We good or what ?……………………………. 😀

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[dinoKeymaster]

Day Before:
dragtimes

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[masoParticipant]

I was there that day in ’64 when they had him for three exhabition runs, and I saw him later again that year at Island Dragway. It was in ’64 that everybody got hip to “Zoom” Headers… and this picture taken at Dover was “Pre-Zommies” but at Island later that year Big Daddy and everybody else had them…!

This picture I scanned from my copy of: Big Daddy… A Career Pictorial; Volume 1, Page 115. I bought the book from Pat at their gift shop and had a very nice conversation that day with daughter Donna…! I told Donna that I was there at Dover on the day of this picture and that I remembered seeing her and Gay Lyn in the back of the station wagon with their toys, pillows and stuff… and that she and her sister waved and smiled to me as I passed by… and that explains the autograph that she wrote for me there… Wasn’t that nice of her…?! 😀

[dinoKeymaster]

Awesome Maso !…Puts the frosting on this “Cake of A Story”….Don could have just checked the book …I will get a copy of that .But 65 Is correct ….At least thats the date on the Drag Times copyI Had in My Hand …and DON Says 1964 Decal not on til winter.so….was he there in 64 AND 65 ? Atco photo was a sent out promo in advance …lettering ,decals and headers don’t match ours and book photos .Check this link of Photos from Island dragway Aug 64…not the same car at dover ?
…………………..http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/367491_hy38k#P-2-15

Also check this…Wrong headers But think this is 65 car that ran Dover: http://www.garlits.com/swamprat6B.html

[dinoKeymaster]

MASO took this at Garlits Museum…unfortunately you can’t read it …it’s Don’s Itinerary and Shows Dates for Dover .CAN A FLORIDA GUY PLEASE GO THERE AND Take some shots and take some notes to clear all this up? call me first …got some other stuff of Dover to track down while there .

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[vbobParticipant]

HEY

Dino my 8mm movie film I sent you waaaay back for the BIG DDS VIDEO there is ‘BIG’ ,64 or 65 not sure you look at it and maybe you can tell!

‘V’

[dinoKeymaster]

Yeah- Bobs’s Video GOOOOOD, of “Large Father”…but was it 65 ? must have been…means the book is Wrong…Talked to Smokey…said THAT day “The Don” went to HIS house and camped out in back yard for about 3 hours . The did a Cookout! …But he doesn’t know the year …gotta be ’65.

[masoParticipant]

quote dinotheweirdo:

Awesome Maso …Check this link of Photos from Island dragway Aug 64…not the same car at dover ?
…………………..http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/367491_hy38k#P-2-15

Also check this…Wrong headers But think this is 65 car that ran Dover: http://www.garlits.com/swamprat6B.html

I was at both events, the Dover event in early ’64 and the August event at Island as I commented above. That was the year that zoom headers happened mid season and everybody had them after that. All the top Fuel cars were trying to grab the 200 mph mark and the zoom headers gave them that and it took very little time for every top fueler to convert. That’s an interesting footnote to the history of Top Fuel racing, don’cha think…???

I am double sure of the year as ’64 because in that year I was 17 years old and they wouldn’t let me into the pits at the Island Dragway event because of my age, so… my older brother who brought me there snuck me in under the chain-link fence behind the starting in Great Meadows. I got away with it…!

We stood around Big Daddy that day as he packed up his rig and left the grounds at the end of the day.

[dinoKeymaster]

Well…we got a problem then….Drag News says 65….book & Maso say 64 …ONLY explaination is he was there 64 AND 65 and we have no photos of 64 to confirm…still say Book 64 photo IS same car 65.

[masoParticipant]

quote dinotheweirdo:

Well…we got a problem then….Drag News says 65….book & Maso say 64 …ONLY explaination is he was there 64 AND 65 and we have no photos of 64 to confirm…still say Book 64 photo IS same car 65.

I gave you a photo of ’64 and it’s right here on this page. Scroll up. Autographed to me by Donna, his daughter.

Garlits ran at Dover in exhabition both in ’64 and in ’65. Same way at Island Dragway, in fact he set the NHRA record there at Island Dragway in ’64.

[masoParticipant]

Okay…

Here is a picture that I took myself of the number six Swamp Rat at the newly renovated Palm Beach International Speedway ( posted about it at: http://www.doverdragstrip.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=193&st=0&sk=t&sd=a )

Anyway… you can’t read what is says on those signs but the exhabition that Garlits had set up was all about this one being the car that set the NHRA record at Island Dragway. So, when I spoke to Big Daddy that day I told him that I was at Island Dragway when he ran this car but that I wasn’t aware of any record. Big Daddy told me that they had him back in consecutive years and that he must have set that record in a different year than when I saw him. That made sence to me since I really did not go to any drag strips in 1965. However, I was mistaken about that bscause he did set the NHRA 200 mph record that day and I never knew it untill this week… 😐

The photo:

That is really all the clarification that I can give you.

[Author]

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