Tragedy Leads to Innovation With Don Garlits

Tragedy Leads to Innovation With Don “Big Daddy” Garlits

Don Garlits (aka “Big Daddy”) is known by many as the father of modern day drag racing, although he started out as somewhat of an outsider in the drag racing world. This was so because of his Florida roots, which eventually led to his adopted nickname “Swamp Rat.” This name also became the theme for each generation of his pioneering dragster designs. However, if weren’t for an accident that nearly cost his life, he probably wouldn't have changed drag car design.

On March 8^th, 1970, in a race in Long Beach, California, the transmission in the Big Daddy’s car, Swamp Rat 13, broke, causing a terrible accident. Garlits was badly injured, losing a foot and almost his life in the process.

The Swamp Rat 13 was a front-engined slingshot dragster, a car in which the driver sat with his legs above the rear axle and the rear differential cover between his legs. The feet were positioned next to the clutch housing. It was a car design so unsafe that you have to see one to believe it.

But the accident led to innovation when Garlits realized that drag car design was far from safe and that a new design was needed. Just seven months after the accident, Don Garlits was back on the track with his new car, Swamp Rat 14, a rear engine top fuel dragster. This newly designed machine was much safer since the whole weight of the engine was on the rear axle and the driven wheels.

Garlits developed the car while in the hospital. He made most of the parts while seated on his wheel chair.

It is interesting to notice that another slingshot dragster was made in the meantime, the Swamp Rat 15. It was soon abandoned when Don’s wife, Pat, went crazy and demanded her husband to stay with the project of the rear engine Swamp Rat 14.

After just three months of developing the car, the Swamp Rat 14 proved itself by beating the 240 mph mark several times in a row. The innovative design also led to two out of three Top Fuel Eliminator titles and a runner-up spot at Lions for Don.

Big Daddy’s legacy lives on not only through this design but also through his 144 wins at national events as well as his number one spot in three NHRA world championships. His legacy lives on in the Top Fuel drag car we see today.

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