No Kiddin’
It’s Billy Glidden

Taking 30 Thou at Gateway

by Chris Martin

Billy Glidden, the 35-year-old son of 10-time NHRA Winston Pro Stock Champ Bob Glidden, captured the first Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge Pro Mod 5.0 victory and with it a $30,000 first prize to cap a record-setting weekend at Gateway Int’l Raceway.

Glidden’s easiest round, oddly enough, came in the final round against the ‘98 Ford Cobra Mustang of Brandon Switzer of Coral Springs, Fla. Glidden didn’t have a worry in the world as Switzer broke a transmission in the staging lanes and was unable to bring his car to the line. The Whiteland, Ind., winner then soloed to a 7.538 / 186.74 to claim the big money.

“I felt for Brandon because we were thrashing all weekend, too,” said Glidden, a former NHRA Pro Stock racer and one of the dominant forces in Ford 5.0 racing. “We changed tires, front suspension, and then after the first round came back and told my guys that we had to take out the transmission, too. This is a real big win, the biggest for me so far. To beat this tough a field in this big a competition, well, it’s really something.”

Glidden’s ‘90 Mustang was not the dominant car on the weekend. That honor fell to Toronto, Canada’s Joe DaSilva in a turbocharged 1998 Mustang GT with Switzer not too far behind.

Switzer had led Friday’s qualifying with a 7.61 / 181.30 after having made a sizzling 7.54 in an early morning time trial. DaSilva clocked an incredible track record 7.456 / 185.10 with a late-in-the day Saturday 7.558 / 188.28 by John Gullett’s ‘88 Mustang GT, Switzer’s 7.616 third and Glidden way back fourth with a 7.637.

DaSilva’s 7.45 obviously held for low e.t., while Gullett improved the top speed mark to a 189.02 on Sunday.

The biggest race of the day, short of the final, ended up in a similar fashion to the dash for the first place cash. DaSilva pulled to the line against Switzer in the semifinals, but jumped the gun to red-light his chances away.

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