Donald Glenn Garlits is considered by most to be the father of drag racing, his nickname "Big Daddy" is known to race fans around the world. Garlits developed successful rear-engine Top Fuel dragsters after the transmission exploded in Swamp Rat XIII, his front-engine dragster at Lions Drag Strip in Southern California. The accident cost him part of his foot but propelled him to perfect dragsters with much safer designs. A year later he returned to racing with the Swamp Rat XVI a car that was so successful it became the template for Top Fuel Dragsters for decades. Garlits was an early adopter of the fire-resistant Nomex driving suits that all drivers in professional motorsports wear today.
While he might be most famous for his Swamp Rat series of cars, Don got his start racing gin a modified 1927 Ford Model T Roadster, a true hot rodder, his T-Bucket ran a 13.5-second quarter mile at 93 mph, pretty quick for 1954. By the late 50s, he was a professional drag racer traveling to National Hot Rod Association meets across the USA.
Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, and 270 mile-per-hour marks in the quarter-mile; he was also the first to top 200 mph in the 1⁄8 mi. Garlits won a total of 17 national and international championships. While has been inducted into several Halls of Fame and even has one of his cars enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, his own personal museum in Ocala, Florida is a must-visit for any motorsports enthusiast.
Featuring not only his own vehicles but countless historically significant drag racing, land speed, and road cars, as well as an extensive collection of signs and racing memorabilia. The museum is the perfect day trip if you happen to be in Florida for races at Daytona International Speedway or visiting Orlando for Disney World. Expect to spend 2-3 hours at least as the extensive collection is spread about three large buildings.
Enjoy more photos below from my last trip in 2020 and plan your own trip by visiting garlits.com.
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