STROKER ENGINES - CRATE ENGINES - NC CUSTOM ENGINES
Qualifying pass at the 1997 NHRA "Mopar Parts Nationals" in Englishtown, NJ.
This is the car I raced in 87,88,89 winning the first of my three consecutive Winterport Dragway points championships in 89.(pictured beside) The car was the original "Big Daddy" Don Garlits "Swamp Rat 18" and has since been bought back and now resides in his Ocala, Florida Museum.
The Jim Pashley car I had built new in 1990 and won the second and third of my track championships.
Ed Parker's "Cape Codder" I was hired to drive for Ed at two races... the1998 NHRA "Gatornationals" in Gainesville, FL. and the IHRA Snowbird Nationals in Bradenton, FL.
Over my 35 year racing career I have raced a variety of different types of race cars, many of which there are no longer photos of. Below you will find pictures of some of my race cars, a little history behind them, as well as cars I have driven.
All of the cars below I built the engines in, worked on, maintained, as well as drove.(with the exception of The King & Marshal car)
The "Afternoon Delight" was an original 1969 SS Big Block car with 27,000 original miles when it was taken off the road and made into a drag car. I raced this car with a 427 and a 4-speed for several years running a best of 10.44 @ 125mph. I later installed a mild 468 with a TH400 and ran 6.30's in the 1/8
The King & Marshal car was a 1969 SPE(Speed Products Engineering) chassis, one of only three built that year. It won the Best Engineered Chassis award that year. I purchased this car and raced it with an injected BBC and a Clutchflight trans. The car would carry the front wheels the entire 1/8 mile, so all the steering was done with tire pressure. As far as I know it is still hanging from the rafters in some barn in northernMaine.
Don Garlits (Quote)
Swamp Rat 18: Connie Swingle and I built Shorty, (175" wheelbase) prior to fielding Swamp Rat 17, the "WynnsLiner". This was to give me a feel for the short wheelbase car. I ran Shorty at Bristol, Tulsa and Orange County Raceway, qualified at all events, but had no wins. The car was hard to drive and did not have enough weight on the rear tires. Jocko said the weight of the streamlined body and it's aerodynamic down force would take care of that problem. I sold the car to some young fellows and they made a gas dragster out of Shorty. It was many years before I saw an ad in National Dragster that the car was for sale. I purchased Shorty and Jim Hunnewell and I restored it back to original in running condition. It is in the Drag Racing Museum on display.
