THE BIG FIVE

By Chris Martin

Well I don't think it's any real surprise that the final quintet of NHRA's top drivers consists of Don Garlits, John Force, Don Prudhomme, Shirley Muldowney, and Bob Glidden. I have little disagreement with these selections even though I hate ranking historical figures out of their historical contexts. Of course, modern is always bigger, stronger, tricker, and quicker -- true for all sports.

But I'll steer away from the qualifying remarks and just cut to the chase. I'll give you my fix on these folks, based on my 38 years as a serious spectator. No long explanations here as to how since I'm pretty sure that what lies below will be self- explanatory.

5. BOB GLIDDEN

There was nothing bird-brained about Bob Glidden's domination of the Pro Stock class. (Jeff Burk photo)

No one chose a harder route in achieving his or her world beating rep. Bob Glidden ruled Pro Stock from roughly 1973 or '74 until the late 1980s. A lot of NHRA's great racers have had long runs, but Glidden's exploits are different. He ran in Pro Stock, a class overrun with GM products. You can name the successful Ford racers on the fingers of one hand. You had Glidden, Rickie Smith, Don Nicholson, Wayne Gapp, and what the hell, the old Dean Thompson Mustang that Ronnie Sox drove to the IHRA title in 1981. Other than those guys and a few others, the remaining 98- percent ran Camaros, Vegas, Monzas, Pontiac Trans Ams, etc.

To win 85 NHRA national events and 10 Winston Pro Stock Championships in these conditions is utterly phenomenal, and for this writer, makes it very hard to consider any other Pro Stock racer as better than Glidden.

FAVORITE GLIDDEN CAR

I, like most, would go with his '78 Ford Fairmont. From the Division 3 NHRA WCS race at Edgewater Raceway Park in Cleves, Ohio in late June to the 1978 Winston Finals, Glidden was undefeated, 32-0 in fact. The Fairmont when first unveiled looked to most of the wise guys as too big and boxey. Hardly aerodynamic enough to take on the myriad of Chevy Monzas and Camaros. Trivially speaking, I know of only one race Glidden lost in that July through October stretch. At the Budds Creek (Md.) Mountain Motor Nationals, he lost in round two to Lee Edwards. No "ah ha's" here: Glidden was driving his Pinto of last year with a mountain motor in it.

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