Bob Glidden was really busy Friday morning, turning the wrenches and meticulously preparing a workable combination for his driver, Justin Humphries. When all was said and done, Glidden had tied Don Prudhomme for most national event wins in a season with seven, including five straight, and had broken the Pro Stock single-season record of six set by Jenkins in 1972. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. That commitment resulted in four consecutive Winston championships for the Reher-Morrison team (1981-1984), but the satisfaction of claiming their fourth title was tempered somewhat by the fact that they no longer had the quickest car in the country. “When I ran Bob Glidden, it was me against Bob Glidden. Gamespot. 2:51. 1 five times, posted top speed eight times, and set low e.t. Awards (1) The 1989 season was Glidden's most dominant campaign, in which he won nine times en route to his 10th and final Winston title. I know that I have to hustle to win and that I have to go all out to afford to race.". Billy’s famous father, Pro Stock drag racer Bob Glidden, won an IHRA championship in 1988 at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, and that’s the subject of our Throwback Thursday feature. Unlike his 1979 championship season, Glidden won his third straight and fifth title in 1980 in dramatic fashion. or redistributed. His online content can show you how to optimize your body's ability to recover its health. Glidden won the 2016 IHRA Northern Nationals Pro Mod championship at U.S. 131 Motorplex in Martin, Michigan. six times, and he did it with three different cars, including his old '74 Pinto, which he reacquired after a midseason slump. "We decided that we either had to make the same kind of commitment to racing that he did or get out. CNET. He died on May 8, 2006 of an apparent heart attack in Irvine, California.Geoffrion reached the final round 28 times in his career that spanned more than 200 races from 1987 through 2004. Over a span of 25 years, Glidden won 85 pro stock events and 10 season championships. Images courtesy of Ford Motor Co. “We didn’t attempt major changes,” adds Glidden, who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005 and is ranked Number 4 on the NHRA’s Top 50 Driver list. With his wife, Etta, and, later in his career, sons Billy and Rusty by his side, the man known as “Mad Dog” for his tireless work ethic and dominated the class in the late 1970s and 1980s, winning back-to-back season championships in 1974-1975, three in a row (1978-80) and five straight (1985-89), “Everyone in the NHRA community is saddened to learn the news of Bob’s passing," said NHRA President Peter Clifford. (Glidden, in typical fashion, sloughed off the serious procedure, saying, "I had open-heart surgery in … After hitting the opposite guardrail, the car barrel-rolled six times and was destroyed. He campaigned a series of 427 Fairlanes before switching to the more potent 428 Cobra Jet Mustangs in 1968. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Sunday. He was 73. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden from Whiteland, Ind., one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Sunday. Bob Glidden later declared the nitrous oxide system in Rusty's car was detection-proof. American drag racing legend Bob Glidden has died at age 73. "He was a true competitor who left a lasting legacy of excellence both on and off the track. The former mechanic went on to claim nine more titles through 1989 and retired in 1995 with a total of 85 event wins, the most ever by a driver at the time. In a … Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Glidden family at this difficult time.". “The shock switch had to be on, the computer switch on, the engine running and the throttle fully open. Cause of death: colorectal cancer. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Dec. 17. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Sunday. After a disappointing 1976 season, in which he finished a distant sixth behind Larry Lombardo, Glidden rebounded to finish second behind Don Nicholson in 1977 before reclaiming his number-one ranking in 1978. He was retired from Pro Stock racing in 1997 and returned in 2010. Bob spent his considerable fortune "trying" and he is now retired in Indiana. and top speed in his final-round victory over Frank Iaconio. Bob Glidden later declared the nitrous oxide system in Rusty's car was detection-proof. Glidden's late-season surge that year included a victory at his final Division 3 race in Bowling Green, Ky., where he set both ends of the national record (8.83, 154.90) to earn an extra 400 points (in those days, Pro racers earned points toward the Winston championship at a combination of national and divisional races). Ten-time Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden passed away on Sunday. Top Fuel's Terry McMillen remains determined to return soon for 2021 season, Pomona event postponed to later date; racing continues in Las Vegas, NHRA Launch puts motorsports positions at job seeker's fingertips, Darrell Gwynn, Paul Lee join to donate a $25,000 wheelchair at Gatornationals, Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Sunday Preview. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Glidden retired as the driver with the most wins in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) history at that time — a feat recently topped by 16-time Funny Car champion John Force— and he was the third-most successful drag racer of the professional class drivers — sixth when counting sportsman national event winners — at the time of his death. He has been to the finals in … After coming close in 1980, Shepherd succeeded in stripping Glidden of his title in 1981. He was 73. Glidden went on to win the race, setting low e.t. © Copyright 1996-2021, NHRA. He died in Whiteland What was Bob's zodiac sign? His online content can show you how to optimize your body's ability to recover its health. Glidden's Ford Thunderbird, which he received in mid-1984, was the dominant car in the last half of the 1984 season and for all of 1985. All rights reserved. His most recent win was in 1997 in Topeka. Are you ready for Camping World motorhome racing at the Gatornationals? It was a harbinger of things to come. Fellow NHRA great Don Prudhomme shared his condolences on Twitter. Glidden, who left his job at Ed Martin Ford to concentrate on racing full time, runner-upped to Bill Jenkins at the season-ending Supernationals in his Pro Stock debut. He put his Probe in the winner's circle one more time, at the Fallnationals, for his 67th career victory. Glidden was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame in America in 1994 and ranked fourth on the list of top drivers from the NHRA’s first 50 years in 2000. The 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion passed away on Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the month for an undisclosed illness. Bob Glidden, drag racing legend and 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, died Dec. 17. He was a former two-time Pro Stock World Championship runner-up and a nine-time national event winner. record (8.81) in qualifying and beat Gapp in the final. Ten-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden, who singlehandedly carried the Ford banner for most of a 15-year period, died Sunday night. He was third on the NHRA victory list, trailing Bob Glidden and Don Prudhomme. To prevent a tech inspector from activating it by switching on the ignition and opening the throttle, a combination of events were required. With valuable sponsorship from Ed Martin Ford, where he worked as a line mechanic, Glidden became one of Division 3's most prolific winners before turning Pro in late 1972. No, he died on 12/17/2017, 3 years ago. 1988 Inside Bob Glidden Pro Stock Ford Thunderbird w/ Atlanta Crash & Pomona Race NHRA - Duration: 2:51. 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