By the time he retired in 1992, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits had won every race and received every honor a drag racer could hope for, but he was still haunted by one yet-unachieved dream; earning a four-second, 300-mph time slip. "I used to have people come through my museum and ask me, ' "Big Daddy," what's your best time?' And I had to tell them that I've only been 5.07 at 287," Garlits said in a 2001 interview. "At one time, 287 was good, but that's not a great speed anymore. I would like to say that I've been over 300. I always thought it would be great to say that."
With a four-second, 300-mph time slip as his primary goal, Garlits set off on another comeback at the 2001 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, an event held during NHRA's 50th Anniversary celebration.
The initial plan was for Garlits to return in one of Don Schumacher's dragsters, but that idea was scuttled less than a month before the event because of a lack of sponsorship. Garlits then made plans to update his mono-wing-equipped Swamp Rat 34 for the Big Go, but that plan also failed when the eight-year-old car could not be updated in time to current NHRA specifications.
Garlits crew worked feverishly to ready the car, but with less than a week to go before the event, he had to pull the plug. "It's over; we're not going, boys," Garlits said to them.
Disappointed and frustrated, the man not used to failure had simply run out of time.
Less than two hours later, Garlits' phone rang. It was fellow Top Fuel racer and 2000 Indy runner-up Gary Clapshaw, who unselfishly offered to let Garlits drive his car, which had recently gone as quick as 4.68 and had run well over 300 mph on numerous occasions, including a 312 best.
"I didn't know Gary all that well," said Garlits. "I had seen him race, and I knew of him. We weren't personal friends. He said his car was entered in the race and that I was welcome to drive it. He said, 'I know how bad you want to do this.' I can't thank him enough."
Within days, Matco Tools stepped in and provided additional funding, and Garlits was now in position to not only pursue his four-second, 300-mph pass but also challenge for his ninth U.S. Nationals title.
"We had been following the story and saw where that might be headed," said Clapshaw, whose generosity made him an instant fan favorite. "We got together -- me, my tuner, Lonnie Strode, and the guys on the crew -- and thought about it: What's big and what's bigger? We think 'Big' is bigger. It's not an easy thing to give up the seat at Indy, but when you look at the big picture, I think it's a pretty nice thing for the fans, the association, and the racers. I think people will be happy to see Don back and for him to get to the fours at 300 mph. If it goes from A to B and doesn't spit the belt, he's going to get a pretty respectable time."
Garlits' first run Friday night was a planned half pass, and Saturday's second run had to be aborted after a small part failed. Under the lights Saturday, with a packed house on its feet, Garlits staged against longtime rival Shirley Muldowney. The setting seemed perfect, but Garlits smoked the tires just off the starting line, leaving him with just two more chances.
The following morning, Garlits achieved his dream. With old friend and rival Chris "the Greek" Karamesines in the opposite lane, Garlits drove Clapshaw's dragster to a 4.720 at 303.37 mph, outrunning Karamesines' 4.84 effort. As an added bonus, he qualified for Monday's eliminations.
"I had a feeling strapping in that time that this would be it," said Garlits after the run. "What a feeling! I'll tell you, I'm 69 years old, and I just did what the kids are doing. You're only as old as you feel, and right now I feel pretty young. You have no idea how fast 300 mph is until you do it. I can't describe it other than to say it is the most wonderful feeling in the world.
"To line up with old 'Greek' after all of these years was pretty special," Garlits continued. "I remember one time when 'the Greek' beat me 23 match races in a row. He was fierce. It almost brought tears to my eyes when we were down there before the run suiting up. It was almost like we were match racing like we had done so many thousands of times over the years. Then for him to run 4.84 and 300 side-by-side down that track. If I never do another thing in drag racing the rest of my life, I can always say I had a great time at Indy on Sunday afternoon."
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