The name “Big Daddy” Don Garlits is synonymous with drag racing. Don’s been dubbed the “King of the Dragsters” and is the patriarch of Top Fuel Drag Racing. His 17 World Championship titles and racing milestones are so numerous it would take me this entire show to list them all. Don’s won the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals a record 8 times and he’s raced for over four decades. His famous Swamp Rat series of 34 hand fabricated black race cars carried him to 144 national event wins. Today Don is the CEO of the Garlits Auto Museum in Ocala, Florida. The museum is a treasure trove of drag racing history and a destination for every fan to experience. The fastest Don’s ever gone in a dragster? 323.04 mph in Swamp Rat 34 at the 2003 Gator Nationals. That’s a quarter mile in 4.72 seconds!
