Description
Author: Steve Reyes, Softbound, 176 Pages, CT-547, ISBN: 9781613252185, 1st Edition, February, 2016
More than 50 years have passed since I was first introduced to the nitro-burning Top Fuel dragster. In that time, I have seen the class change and grow to the four-wheeled land missiles of today. When Don Garlits set out in 1971 to make the rear-engine design work in drag racing, many of the top racers in the class were skeptical. In fact, upon seeing Garlits' new creation, Don Prudhomme reacted with, "Are you kidding me?"
No, Garlits was not kidding about his new strange-looking race car. He was determined to make it work, and of course, it took the Top Fuel class by storm. After all these years, Garlits' influence is still seen in today's Top Fuel dragsters.
The Top Fuel stars of today, including Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta, Larry Dixon, Antron Brown, JR Todd, Shawn Langdon, Spencer Massey, Leah Pritchett, Brittany Force, and Steve Torrence, all owe a big thank you to the racer called the Swamp Rat and his never-give-up attitude.
A former Argus Publishing chief photographer, Steve Reyes has covered drag racing and motorsport events all over the world.
His work has adorned the pages of virtually every major hot rodding magazine at one time or another, including Hot Rod, Popular Hot Rodding, Car Craft, Rod & Custom.
Steve has regularly covered major NHRA, AHRA, and 1HRA races up and down the West Coast, and is a member of the Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, NHRA Honoree 2009, and East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame 2011.
