PART 1

hile it’s a wee bit early, the coming NHRA Gatornationals in March of 2006 will once again be accented by the annual inductions into the Don Garlits’ International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Here is the deserving class of 2006: Arnie Beswick, Jim Brissette, Gordon Collett, Jim Deist, Jim Dunn, Steve Gibbs, Bruce Larson, Joe Lunati, Joe Mondello, Shirley Muldowney and Jon Asher (Founders Award).

The Garlits Hall of Fame has been and is still the chief vehicle for recognizing outstanding achievement in the sport, and induction into it is considered by most of those fortunate enough to be recognized as their career highlight.

The DRO staff, with decades of drag racing and watching drag racing under their belts, is always a little keyed up in these preliminary moments before the latest group of racers, manufacturers and administrators are recognized for their contribution to the sport with induction into the DGIDR. We were alive if not well all the time, during the championship years of the majority of entrants into the Hall of Fame and more than casually interested in who gets in -- and who doesn’t.

In recent times, the authors both have been somewhat surprised by the names on the prestigious roster and some of those omitted from that list. While in general all of the honorees have had distinguished careers, we have asked ourselves and each other, do you really think so-and-so belongs in this group? The majorities do not draw this query, but in a dozen or so cases, we have our doubts.

This all begs the question, "Just what kind of lifetime accomplishments warrant a person’s membership in the Garlits Hall?" What are the pre-requisites for entry? Who should be in or out? Do writers and photogs belong there? What about crew members? Should promoters have a wing? Should it be just for mechanics and drivers, teams or drivers only?

At DRO, we all have our opinions and on some points we have our differences. The Garlits Hall has roughly 180 members and just a little under half of the members cannot be classified as tuner/drivers, or certainly not drivers of renown. That relationship does not exist in baseball or football or boxing. In the case of the baseball and football halls of fame, they have fewer than three hundred people in those halls and, according to our research, 95 percent of the members were position players. There are non-participants in those three hallowed halls, but overwhelmingly they make up the minority. For every George Halas, there’s a dozen Gale Sayers (and I know Halas did play decades ago), but you know what we mean?

In the coming weeks, we’re going to print a review and brief history for the entire current Garlits Hall of Fame roster for drivers, tuners and teams, sticking strictly to their accomplishment, accomplishments that led to Hall of Fame consideration.

Of the current approximately 180 members of the hall, we believe only 80 qualify as drivers, tuners or team members. At the same time we’re going to share some of our ideas on who should and should not be in. We’re fools, but not huge fools, and realize this will kick off some controversy. That’s actually the way we like it. Take a look. Think and let us know what surfaces.

As for us, we are thinking of starting a hall of fame limited to just the greatest, dominating drivers and driver/mechanics. And having a group of writers and reporters similar to the baseball writer’s organization vote on the inductees instead of an unknown group of six or whatever. (Well, Burk likes this idea for sure, Martin wants to go wishy-washy on this, but is willing to admit that the credentials of some members of drag racing’s own hall are questionable.)

Let the pissin’ and moanin’, the praisin’ and mythologizin’’ hold sway.

We’ll begin with listing the first 25 racers currently in Don Garlit’s International Drag Racing Hall of Fame with a brief review of their credentials for being honored and then we’ll give you a few names of racers we feel have been ignored by the nominating committee. The inductees are listed in alphabetical order

1. SYDNEY ALLARD

In 1961, Allard was the very first British drag racer to run an all British-built dragster. At the historic 1964 First Annual British International Drag Festival (where American racers came over and tried out their cousins), Allard ran a 354-cid, unblown, Chrysler-powered dragster. Allard, who was a past winner of the RAC British Hill Climb Championships, ran a best of 10.28 in his Chrysler entry, a full two seconds slower than Don Garlits, who was an integral part of the U.S. Drag Racing Team. Hot Rod Magazine in its coverage of this historic event referred to Allard as the one “who started it all in England.”