If the sport of drag racing ever fabricates its own Mount Rushmore-type monument out of old race cars and parts you can be sure the chiseled face of “Big Daddy” Don Garlits will be front and center. Garlits has been around drag racing since the 1950’s racing about anything he could get his hands on, and along the way he’s lost part of his foot, invented the modern rear engine dragster, and has set a truckload of records.
Dragzine has been following Garlits and his chase to be the first to go 200 MPH in a battery-powered race car, and we were in attendance when Garlits and his Swamp Rat 37 Quest EV Dragster made its first hits at the Bradenton Motorsports quarter mile just a few weeks ago. Fighting through some new car blues issues Garlits was able to rip off a 7.25 elapsed time at 184 MPH with more left in the latest Swamp Rat.
Recently, the Bradenton track staff compiled and released an outstanding video ‘short’ that chronicles the day Garlits’ first passes were made in Swamp Rat 37. In the new video you get a behind-the-scenes look at the day and see how the team dealt with issues as they chased the magical double-century barrier. During the video you also get to see Garlits make a hit in a brand new Tesla Model S. There’s also talk of a 2015 tour with the new EV Swamp Rat where you could see the battery-operated machine make some hits at a track near you. Stay tuned to Dragzine as we cover “Big Daddy” and his quest to make history — again — behind the wheel of one of the most unique Swamp Rat yet.