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Dinner with Don #2982005
11/05/21 11:35 AM
11/05/21 11:35 AM
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Kudakidd Offline OP
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Tonite (Friday), I'll be dining w/ Big Daddy. It's a limited engagement party. The man is 87 and still involved in drag racing! I'm wondering what question I'll be asking. lol

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kudakidd] #2982009
11/05/21 11:38 AM
11/05/21 11:38 AM
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Posts: 34,828
S.E. South Dakota !
bigdad Offline
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My experience with him , grumpy ol curmudgeon


The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.Proverbs 18:6
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: bigdad] #2982013
11/05/21 11:43 AM
11/05/21 11:43 AM
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Kudakidd Offline OP
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Originally Posted by bigdad
My experience with him , grumpy ol curmudgeon


Sorry to hear that. Maybe he's mellowed w/ age!

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kudakidd] #2982014
11/05/21 11:46 AM
11/05/21 11:46 AM
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S.E. South Dakota !
bigdad Offline
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doubt it , met him twice ,both times .. not impressed with his personal skills


The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.Proverbs 18:6
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: bigdad] #2982021
11/05/21 11:55 AM
11/05/21 11:55 AM
Joined: Aug 2005
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Yes
S
sixpakdodge Offline
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Originally Posted by bigdad
doubt it , met him twice ,both times .. not impressed with his personal skills


I agree. Very intelligent and very accomplished, but I've never had great experiences with him either. I've actually had more positive Shirley experiences than Garlits experiences. A close friend has a total horror story about helping him at an event (voluntarily helped at Don's request).

One of those your mileage may vary deals I guess...

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kudakidd] #2982022
11/05/21 11:56 AM
11/05/21 11:56 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,642
So Near, Yet So Far
topside Offline
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Had several conversations with him years ago at a couple tracks during nostalgia races.
We were almost always surrounded by a crowd of other older racer friends.
He seemed pleasant enough with a good sense of humor and could get immediately technical.
I do know another guy who had an impolite experience with him, but he was always nice to me.
For a while there - maybe still - he was into UFOs & extraterrestrials.

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: topside] #2982025
11/05/21 12:00 PM
11/05/21 12:00 PM
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S.E. South Dakota !
bigdad Offline
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watcheda young kid approach him for a autograph , told the kid no money for a t- shirt , get lost .. lol


He believes in UFO's for sure


The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating.Proverbs 18:6
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: bigdad] #2982155
11/05/21 06:31 PM
11/05/21 06:31 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,247
Florida STAYcation
dIc dOc Deity ! Offline
The village idiot's idiot
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Is BIG buying ?

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: dIc dOc Deity !] #2982640
11/07/21 09:50 AM
11/07/21 09:50 AM
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 343
Ohio
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billohio Offline
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Ohio
I was at Mecum Kissimmee a few years ago and walked out of a building and he had his truck there, selling posters and maybe shirts. No one was around, so I visited with him a bit and talked cars. I did end up buying a poster but he and his wife/lady friend were both very pleasant. I will say his hearing is terrible!

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: billohio] #2982766
11/07/21 02:11 PM
11/07/21 02:11 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
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north of coder
moparx Offline
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WHAT 'JA SAY ???????

just kidding. laugh2 after all those years of listening to zoomies sing, it's a mirical he can hear at all !
beer

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: billohio] #2982772
11/07/21 02:16 PM
11/07/21 02:16 PM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog Offline
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I was driving my Charger one day and as I was coming out of a store, an old guy walked up and wanted to talk about cars and hot rods. I obliged, since part of owning a classic is that it attracts attention. The guy started off normal enough but then started getting more and more deep into technical theories and unusual ideas to make more power. He told me that he wrote to Don Garlits about his ideas and then pulled out a response he got from him. The response read...."Thanks for the letter. I have no idea what any of this means, Don Garlits".
First, why would a guy carry around this letter on his person and also, WHY show it to people?

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kern Dog] #2982778
11/07/21 02:29 PM
11/07/21 02:29 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
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north of coder
moparx Offline
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umm, because it makes the guy feel iMpOtAnT ?........... laugh2

just make sure when he gives you the secret of the 200mpg carburetor, you write it down before you forget ! whistling devil boogie punkrocka
beer

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: moparx] #2982851
11/07/21 05:37 PM
11/07/21 05:37 PM
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Kudakidd Offline OP
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Well contrary to some BS stories, Big Daddy turned out to be a gentleman with a smile (no hearing though) and a remarkable memory. It was a pleasure to meet and talk w/ him. BTW, he'll be 90 in December! Big is to drag racing what the Babe was to baseball!

thumbnail_IMG_2143.jpg
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kudakidd] #2982924
11/07/21 09:38 PM
11/07/21 09:38 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
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east side of Ohio
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great to hear. Love to meet him.


Dave


1981 Dodge D150 360 auto
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: basketcase] #2982996
11/08/21 01:06 AM
11/08/21 01:06 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
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Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog Offline
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The guy sure doesn't look 89 years old.

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Kern Dog] #2983057
11/08/21 11:10 AM
11/08/21 11:10 AM
Joined: Jul 2008
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Florida STAYcation
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Originally Posted by Frankenduster
The guy sure doesn't look 89 years old.


I agree ! .... the Kidd doesn’t look a day over 85 ! smoke

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: dIc dOc Deity !] #2983059
11/08/21 11:18 AM
11/08/21 11:18 AM
Joined: Dec 2003
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KY
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Met him several times, always a pleasure to talk with him and hear some bench racing stories. We had a mutual friend in Larry B. so I have been able to meet him in a few settings, always nice and friendly. Still my favorite drag racer with the Snake a close second.

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: 65pacecar] #2983151
11/08/21 05:20 PM
11/08/21 05:20 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
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Buckeye Lake
56_Royal_Lancer Offline
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I have had extensive interaction with Big and have enjoyed every minute I spent with him. Most of us probably know that he has competed in a Drag Pak Challenger. l was in the GatorNationals NHRA Sportsman Credential trailer and in the long line of competitors stood Don, just like every other sportsman racer. Says a lot about Big that he did not use his status to bypass the line.

Re: Dinner with Don [Re: 56_Royal_Lancer] #2983206
11/08/21 08:32 PM
11/08/21 08:32 PM
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Posts: 43,458
Round Lake Beach, Illinoisy
Rhinodart Offline
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I pushed Swamp Rat III and his last Swamp Rat with the 6.1 Hemi in it a couple of times with my 69 D200. One time he was a complete [censored], the next time he was the nicest person you would want to meet and signed my glove box! He couldn't even hear me at all this time around at his show on Saturday, and didn't look up from his phone, so I couldn't tell how he would be this time...LOL


The funny thing about science is that if you change one miniscule parameter you change the entire outcome to the way you want it.

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A-Body's RULE!
Re: Dinner with Don [Re: Rhinodart] #2983301
11/09/21 12:18 AM
11/09/21 12:18 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
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Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog Offline
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All these comments about him not hearing people....Is he technically deaf or just inattentive?

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