04/30/2024
Don Garlits and the very early Don's Speed Shop fuel dragster
After incurring burns at a race at Chester, SC. in 1959 Don was unable to drive and his friend Art Malone, pictured here with Don, took over the driving. Don also changed over from the 8 carburetor set-up he had used previously, to a Hilborn two-port injector. With the ability to tune the car more accurately performance immediately improved. At one of the first outings with Malone in the seat at Sanford, ME. on August 23, 1959, the car set a new Standard 1320 speed record of 183.66 MPH.
In September Art and Don attended the AHRA Nationals in Great Bend, KS where they set a Standard 1320 ET record of 8:23 which would last for some time. In spite of the record setting performance they were defeated for the first time by an upstart team from Chicago, Chris Karamesines and Don Maynard with "The Chizler". This was the beginning of an enduring competition between "The Chizler" and The Swamp Rat" and a continuing friendship between Garlits and Karamesines.
The Garlits/Malone partnership itself lasted something under a year, but in that time they established themselves as the most feared car in competition and set numerous track records and multiple National speed or elapsed time records.
Garlits himself made numerous appearances in the mid-60's at Kahoka's Tri State Dragway and the local crowds were always treated to earth shaking, ear ringing, nitro fuel dragster exhibitions with his famous Swamp Rat.
