| 126601
EDIT THIS!
|
Jim Cochran |
Don Garlits (M) from
Tampa, Florida
USA
(Comp Nr/Finish:
) |
1957 - Category: AFUELDRAG, Type: TN, Class: A/FD, Div: 2 |
| "Don's Speed Shop" Owned by Don Garlits
from
Tampa, Florida
USA
| Crew Chief: Don Garlits |
| Dragster by
Don's Speed Shop |
Powered by Carbureted Nitro 331 Chrysler Hemi with
direct drive |
| 1/4 Mile ET: |
8.790 at Brooksville Municipal Airport, FL/Nov. 10, 1957 |
1/4 Mile MPH: |
176.40 at Brooksville Municipal Airport, FL/Nov. 10, 1957 |
| 1000 FT ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1000 FT MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
| 1/8 Mile ET: |
Unknown at Unknown |
1/8 Mile MPH: |
Unknown at Unknown |
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Entry's 1957 Performance Ratings (0 to 100) based on comparison to average ET/MPH:
|
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1/4 Mile Rating: ET 100.0,
MPH 100.0 |
Entry is 0.93016 times average ET and 1.21781 times average MPH |
|
1000 FT Rating: ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
| 1/8 Mile Rating:
ET 00.00,
MPH 00.00 |
Entry is 0.00000 times average ET and 0.00000 times average MPH |
|
| 1957 Records: |
1/4 Mile: 8.790 ET, 176.40 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
| 1957 Average: |
1/4 Mile: 9.450 ET, 144.85 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
| 1957 Minimum: |
1/4 Mile: 9.950 ET, 135.39 MPH |
1000 Ft. 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
1/8 Mile: 0.000 ET, 0.00 MPH |
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No Racer Website |
No video link |
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Notes: Although not named as such in any lettering on the cowl, this was effectively Swamp Rat I, the first of his numerous fuel dragsters. As Garlits told me in a 2022 telephone interview, "I went to the junkyard and got a set of '31 Chevy frame rails and built Swamp Rat 1." He built the dragster in his garage. He raced it at Prospect Field in Fort Lauderdale on Mar. 31, clocking 144 mph. On Apr. 7 at Kissimmee Airfield, he ran 10.87 at 137.405 mph. These early season runs were times of experimentation with different blends of nitro and alcohol. He was doing well locally but wanted to see how he would do against stronger competition, so in the latter part of August, he towed his dragster to Cordova, Illinois, for the ATAA World Series of Drag Racing. He was in awe of some of the racers he had read about, including Emery Cook, Setto Postoian, and Fisher & Greth. There, he got some important advice from Emery Cook on making his car go faster. Cook told him to use a heavy dose of nitro, not the 25 percent load that he had been using. He made some modifications in the carburetion to accept the heavier loads of nitro, and the results were more than he could have hoped for. He beat Cook & Bedwell in the third round of top fuel eliminations, clocking an impressive 9.02 at 150.21 mph. He lost to Serop Postoian in the top fuel eliminator finals. His best speed clocking of the meet was 154 mph. He returned to Florida full of confidence. On Sep. 2 at Buckingham Field in Fort Myers, he was runner-up in top eliminator to Dennis Hess at the Southwest Florida Championships. At Kissimmee Airfield on Nov. 3, he set a new track record with 9.95 at 156.52 mph. The following week, on Nov. 10 at Brooksville Airport, he put his name in the record books with a world record of 8.79 at 176.40 mph. With that run, endorsements, sponsorships, and manufacturers' equipment began to flow his way. It was a heady time for him. He towed his dragster to Chester Airport in South Carolina for a 2-day ITA race. On the first day, Nov. 28, on a wet track, he made a time trial run, clocking 155.40 mph. The next day, he set a new track record with 160.71 mph. He won top eliminator with a best run of 8.95 at 170.71 mph. He finished the year at Kissimmee Airfield on Dec. 15, setting a new track record with a run of 167.405 mph in 9.42 seconds. He took runner-up to Floyd Allbritton when his axle broke. Photo: Wichita Falls Record Times, June 9, 1958 -- MB |
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Submitted by Mel Bashore, Last updated on Saturday, January 27, 2024, 01:30:35 PM by
Mel Bashore.
Approved by Super Crew. |
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Rankings updated: 05/05/24 03:05:17 am EDT
