SPEED-TV
Behind the Headlights: Garlits Dragster
Reviewed by Darr Hawthorne
12/3/04
Showing Dec.
9 at 8:00 p.m. (ET)
and midnight (ET) |
Rather than a larger-than-life study of
Big Daddy himself, this documentary is centered on Swamp
Rat 14. In keeping with the stated mission of the show,
the changes Don Garlits and his team made in perfecting
the rear-engine Top Fuel dragster created a vehicle so
unique that it changed the history of drag racing.
Great archival footage, home movies and period photographs
enhance this story. Most of us remember Jon Asher's starting
line photo at Lions on that fateful day, March 8, 1970
when Garlits lost part of his right foot after the now
famous transmission explosion, but in this show we see
incredible footage of Don's car splitting in half, a sequence
that will always be etched in my mind. The footage depicts
Lions dragstrip starter Larry Sutton's heads-up thinking
as he got to the crash scene while the car was still moving
and, with the help of bystanders, turned the cockpit upright.
After leaving the hospital Garlits rejoined forces with
Connie Swingle and T.C. Lemons to perfect the predecessor
to today's Top Fuel dragster. The team went on to win nine
national events in 1971 with their new rear-engine design.
As Dave McClelland boldly stated about the evolution of
this design that "It basically obsoleted every front-motored
Top Fuel dragster that was in existence."
Through the eyes of veterans and characters of the period
this documentary tells the story from that day forward.
It contains observations and candid comments from the likes
of Don Prudhomme on driving in that era—"You
never knew how long the sport was going to last; you never
did know how long you were going to live."
Insights from wife Pat Garlits, longtime crewman T.C.
Lemmons, Ed Iskenderian, fellow drivers Tom McEwen, The
Snake, TV Tommy Ivo, Art Chrisman and Paul Gommi, automotive
historians Pat Ganahl and Don Prieto—even Wally Parks—give
the viewer insights from what now seems to be a far away
land, lost in time.
McEwen commented, "Any time that Garlits ran and
you were there everybody would come to the starting line
to watch because you never new how good it was going to
run—it might be a record."
Important points were Garlits' ability as a chassis builder,
tuner, engine builder, painter and driver and his ability
to integrate all those facets that are all but lost on
today's racers. It is such a different world today, no
one today could possibly do what Garlits and his loyal
wife Pat did by crisscrossing this country with racecar
in tow as so many racers of the period did.
This show also pays homage to these nitro barnstormers
who had to do it all with the tools at hand; no 18-wheel
transporters, no technology centers or hospitality buses.
One of Garlits' comments may very well hold up today: "Drag
racing had a really bad image then. We were considered
black leather jacket hoodlums speeding through school zones." In
many public circles, that image still persists today.
Whether you've attended a few NHRA POWERade events or
were an early "nitro barnstormer," you must see
this show. It's about why so many of us are committed
to drag racing, not a sanctioning body, but the sport of
drag racing.
Written by Ken Gross and La Monte Westmoreland, this show
clearly explains the end of the slingshot dragster and
why Garlits was the marquee entertainer of his era, an
era with real driver rivalries, not corporate beer wars
between advertising strategies. We had authentic rivalries
where Garlits was angry when Shirley or the Greek whipped
him in a race.
Isn't it interesting that a program on this high level
comes out of the WATV-SPEED-TV production alliance, from
a network that carries IHRA event programming and not from
either ESPN or NHRA? Aside from recent 50th U.S. Nationals
historic segments, it seems clear that NHRA has washed
its hands of our precious history, leaving these incredible
stories to be told by others.
Set your VCR or TIVO for one of the repeats
on December 9th because this show is a keeper! 
