There is no one in the world whose name is more synonymous with the sport of drag racing than Don Garlits. “Big Daddy” has been so good for so long that he has left his indelible imprint on the entire sport. He is unquestionably in a class of one among top fuel drag racers; it is hard to imagine anyone ever eclipsing his accomplishments. When the NHRA compiled their list of the Top 50 most important and influential racers during the “First 50 Years of Drag Racing” (1950-2000) Garlits was listed Number 1. Behind him were John Force, Don Prudhomme, Bob Glidden, Shirley Muldowney, and Kenny Bernstein. Where there might be some argument about the relative positioning of other individuals within the Top 50, no one who follows the sport closely would argue about Garlits deserving the top slot (and maybe even numbers 2, 3 & 4, to boot!). Imagine, then, what a thrill it was for me to sit down and chat with the living legend himself!
But before we get to that, a bit of historical context first. Drag racing really came alive after World War II, particularly in Southern California. There were thousands of young men returning from serving
