It was a harbinger of things to come. Unlike his previous years, he started the season strong. In '79, the undefeated Fairmont was retired, and Glidden hopped in a Plymouth Arrow where he opened the season with a Winternationals victory. Nothing was taken for granted. The 1989 season was Glidden's most dominant campaign, in which he won nine times en route to his 10th and final Winston title. In 1997, after receiving a sponsorship package that he wasn't too keen on, Glidden formally retired from behind the wheel after only two races of the season. 4 ranking on its Top 50 drivers of the sanctioning bodys first 50 years. Bob Glidden, who has been sick for the past several weeks, has died. He was voted #4 all time on NHRAs Top 50 list during the 50th anniversary season of the organizations existence. About Bob Glidden. Birthday: 1944. MR. BOB GLIDDEN will be missed, what can you say when such great people pass? The 1976 season brought him back down to earth the hefty roll provides. The year that followed set the tone for Glidden's career with his first ever Pro Stock victory at the U.S. Nationals. 1 at a record 23 consecutive races, including all 14 events in 1987. Bob Perkins got a little collection of NOS spare parts he have found at dealers. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Dec. 17. Glidden, who amassed a record 16,035 points and lowered the national record to 8.59, fielded two winning cars that year: The first was his tried-and-true Ford Pinto that carried him to victories at the season-opening Winternationals and Cajun Nationals, and the second was his famed Ford Fairmont, with which he won the Summernationals and finished the season undefeated in national event competition. Rest in Peace. The 2023 Genesis G90 Shows Sedans Still Matter, Horner: FIA 'Got a New Couch' From His Team's Fine, Why Ford and GM Truck Production Has Stopped, Alonso, Aston Martin Put Red Bull on Notice, Autoweek Racing on TV: February 27-March 5, Known as Mad Dog for his tireless work ethic, Video: NFL team celebrates touchdown NASCAR style, NASCARs Old Man ready to come off the road, Why Tony Stewart Refuses to Race Wife Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Commits to Full Season Racing in NHRA, Alexis DeJoria Unveils Her 2023 NHRA Funny Car, 10 Racers Ready to Make Big NHRA Headlines in 2023, Merger Gives Tim Wilkerson Best Shot at NHRA Title, Mercier's Top Fuel Team Is Tale of Two Countries, Camrie Caruso Beefs up NHRA's KB Titan Racing, 10 Wishes to Help Improve the NHRA in 2023, How Top Fuel Dragsters Crank Out 11,000 Horsepower, 10 Biggest Breaks That Defined the NHRA in 2022, Hall of Fame NHRA Pro Stock driver Bob Glidden dies. Billy Meyer did that.The photo you are talking about was,in fact,a fuel returnline that never got completely torqued up! Ford had pared back their support and he did not feel as though he had the resources to compete at the level he wanted so rather than do something he did not feel 100% about he retired from the seat. Through the middle 1960s Glidden competed in a lightweight 427 powered Fairlane among other cars like the Galaxie above which were terror machines in the stock and super stock scene of the midwest. Insanely, 1979 was better. Till we meet again R.I.P. and top speed, and winning the race. It has a photo of him working on a engine on the floor. A cross-pollinating workforce, as Glidden noted, is partly responsible for fewer secrets within the industry. In honor of the Glidden family after Bob's passing on Sunday, December 17, we respectfully chose to re-run this Richard Brady Remember When column from our September 2017 printed issue highlighting Brady's years visiting and photographing the many-time champion. But EngineLabs is not designed to be a clearinghouse for proprietary and highly sensitive informaton. Lough Ramor Fly Fishing, 1970s Drag Racing-Bob Glidden-1972 Ford Pinto-Pro Stock-1977 NHRA US Nationals. He graduated from Spencer High School in 1956. what did bob glidden die from. He ran even quicker at the season-ending Supernationals, where he reset his e.t. Yet in 1978, not one of them could hold a candle to the record-setting Ford Fairmont legendary driver Bob Glidden was about to unleash on the field. Ive even seen beer cartons taped around intake manifolds (at least it was the teams sponsor!). If there was a singular season that summed up the life and times of Bob Glidden it was 1986. Glidden almost became the first driver in a doorslammer to reach 200 miles per hour when he ran 199.11 miles per hour at an International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) race in Darlington, South Carolina. While he did make several finals and won the Springnationals, it was a tough row to hoe in a car that was definitely not one of his favorites. Hot Wheels SNAKE and Mongoose Front Engine Wild Wheelie Dragsters Sticker Small (#144935909952) n***f (2583) Past month. My best to his family and friends. The success of todays Greg Anderson is not entirely unlike that of a certain Midwestern kid with an unshakable will to win that started breaking backs in Pro Stock three decades ago. Dont email us your competitors cam profile, but you can ask us to do a story on adapting a NASCAR-like camshaft with multiple grinds to help your Saturday night dirt-track car even out cylinder-to-cylinder variation. Bob Glidden Born (1944-04-18)April 18, 1944 Whiteland, Indiana Died December 17, 2017(2017-12-17)(aged 73) Whiteland, Indiana Occupation Drag racer Spouse(s) Etta Glidden Children Rusty and Billy See something missing? C $5.87. Bob is my Hero. My condolences to Etta and the family. Try http://dornbos.gemm.com, >So Bob got caught, but there was no fuss made of it by NHRA? One of the greatest drivers in Pro Stock history, Glidden won 85 events and 10 championships in his legendary career. 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. When we found something better, those became our baseline engines. He literally never lost a race he entered with it. record (8.81) in qualifying and beat Gapp in the final. Digital mapping, computer modeling and CNC machines all but ensure that if a secret does get out, it will be replicated within hours. With that success he managed a second place finish in the standings behind the one and only Dyno Don Nicholson. I imagine we ran bigger ports than anyone else, but I dont have a clue what the other people ran.. This did not lend it self kindly to Gliddens program at the time. However, this time theyd gone too far and Glidden was prepared to point that out. Dec 9, 2008 #4 Its funny how he actually had to put nitrous in his car and show the NHRA to proove that people could do it and hide it . He was 73 years old, and passed away after a brief bout of illness. Glidden, who died Monday at age 73, was a 10-time NHRA champion with a then-record 85 wins when he retired in 1997. Copyright 1996-2021, NHRA. Glidden came back in '85, led the points race all season, and won five national events. But if EngineLabs is to be successful, our prying eyes and ears need to uncover at least a few of the latest and greatest tricks from the engine shops, the aftermarket and leading manufacturers. It pulled the back of the car hard right and sent it head-on into the opposite guardrail. "Everyone in the NHRA community is saddened to learn the news of Bob's passing," NHRA President Peter Clifford said. For the first time in a long time, Glidden had his work cut out for him in 1980. The 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion passed away on Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the month for an undisclosed illness. In a star-studded career that spanned more than 25 years in the class, Glidden won 85 events and 10 season championships. Bob Glidden, the 10-time NHRA pro stock champion, an IHRA pro stock champion, a native of Whiteland, Indiana, and one of the greatest drag racers of all time has died at age 73, surrounded by his family. Legal Statement. What was the big secret? Glidden won 85 NHRA National Events. December 18, 2017 He took some time off from racing after that, save for a few appearances in his son Billys small-tire Mustangs, but returned yet again in 2010. As a MoPar guy, and a small block fan, He was the guy who made it work with the Arrow. Brand loyalty was assume . After a transmission failure in round two of the finals caused Shepherd to withdraw from competition, Glidden went on to win the championship yet again. MY FAMILY MET BOB AND ETTA AT LANCASTER SPEEDWAY IN 95.IT WAS A MATCH RACE THAT WAS RAINED OUT.THEY SPENT A LONG TIME WITH US-TOTAL STRANGERS .BOB MODESTLY TOLD US HIS RACING CAREER AND ABOUT HIS WIFE. If You Could Choose Any Car To Build Into The Ultimate Pro Touring Machine, What Would It Be. He was surrounded by his loving family. I know that I have to hustle to win and that I have to go all out to afford to race.". Flying the Ford banner nearly his whole career, Glidden had amassed 85 national event wins and at the time of his retirement and held the NHRA record for most wins. Bob went on to indirectly accuse KurtJohnson of it, but had no proof. In a star-studded career that spanned more than 25 years in Pro Stock, Glidden won 85 events, 10 season championships, and was voted No. Yes, unfortunately, Bob Glidden died a few days ago. Glidden won 85 NHRA National Events. Glidden's Pinto carried him to a come-from-behind victory over rivals Wally Booth and Gapp. 1979. Where Is Rusty Glidden Now . Tom Sizemore, the powerful character actor known for his roles in films including Saving Private Ryan, Natural Born Killers, Heat, Black Hawk Down, and Pearl Harbor, has died at the age of 61. Bleeding, but OK he had protected his work. How did Bob Marley die? Bob Glidden was one of the first to catch my attention in the Pro Stock class and draw me away from top fuel or funny cars. I remember being 4 years old and watching Bob work on the car in the pits in Phoenix. The 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion passed away on Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the month for an undisclosed illness. What would the cameras have seen? 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. Actually, MTX, you're correct the supposed way this was accomplished was by"gun drilling" the motor plates, and hiding the solenoids inside the cagetubing. Maybe even when Billy Meyersowned the thing? The tributes to NHRA Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden, who died Dec. 17, 2017, poured in during the 64th Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg. All rights reserved. In recalling his Summernationals triumph, which he attained by defeating the Lombardo-driven Jenkins Monza in the final (8.55 to 8.71), Glidden said, "That was by far the biggest spread that I ever had over the guys in any race that I've ever ran. In 1985, Glidden led the points chase from start to finish, winning five national events. BOBBY G. Prayers and condolences to Etta, Rusty and Billy. Glidden died in Whiteland on December 17, 2017 of colorectal cancer at the age of 73. I was a fan of his as a Pro-Stock racer but still am a Chevy fan. Glidden won 10 NHRA Drag Racing championships and 85 events in his 25-year career in Pro Stock. He then won the fall nationals and the World Finals beating Wayne Gapp and Bill Jenkins at those events. R,I.P. Something tells us that the next time you hear a thunderstorm in the distance it may actually sound like a screaming Ford Fairmont with a skinny guy from Indiana behind the wheel, shifting the Lenco as the car hurtles down the big strip in the sky to a win light. A Ford campaigner from the beginning, Glidden's success in Pro Stock stemmed from his apprenticeship in Stock and Super Stock. Ertl MIC Diecast No. The eventual hell that Bob Glidden would wreak in the lives of his fellow competitors began to appear in 1973. He won the Summernationals, he won the Le Grandnational in Montreal, he won Indy, he won the Fallnationals, and he closed the deal out by winning the World Finals. He drove his new car, a Ford Probe, to a national e.t. According to NHRA's website,Bob Glidden will drive Larry Morgan's Dodge RT. Glidden, who amassed a record 16,035 points and lowered the national record to 8.59, fielded two winning cars that year: The first was his tried-and-true Ford Pinto that carried him to victories at the season-opening Winternationals and Cajun Nationals, and the second was his famed Ford Fairmont, with which he won the Summernationals and finished the season undefeated in national event competition. Bob and Etta's youngest son is a welder here a bo-mar, and he graciously asked his parents to come in for a tour (and to sign some autographs)! As I wrap my mind around the fact that Bob has passed from this world, it\s important for me to say that he was much more than a legend he was my friend, he was my brother. Bob Glidden, It was my technology and there was no point in letting the cameras get inside my manifold, defends Glidden. He put his Probe in the winner's circle one more time, at the Fallnationals, for his 67th career victory. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Sunday. record at the Supernationals, locking in the season victory. I wanted to know more about this unique dynamic, so I called Bob Glidden, Pro Stocks winningest driver and certainly its most celebrated guardian of the secret manifesto. 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. He was 73. He was my favorite. Glidden was beloved by his fans, more so in Johnson County than anywhere else. I\ve missed him since he retired. The first generation of Pro Stock cars were governed by the weight-per-cubic-inch benchmark, which evolved in a spiders web of weight breaks often decided by inside politics. I did a Goodyear tire test at Norwalk with BOBBY G. We ate lunch on the starting line where someone had placed 1 chair Mr. Glidden insisted I take the chair,while he and his family sat ON THE TRACK. Bob Glidden - Net Worth, Birthday, Biography, Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Wiki, Facts and Family . Bob Glidden, 1944-2017. Glidden set the B/SA national record in the above pictured machine. Billy, continue carrying the banner! Maintaining his job as a line mechanic at the dealer and racing a schedule that was busy but paled on comparison to what his later career would look like, Glidden graduated to super stock and became the man to beat in NHRA division three competition. EngineLabs is launching this week with the objective of analyzing the many avenues of engine technology, especially racing and street performance. The man was a legend not just because of his incredible performances on the track and the career numbers that he amassed. They had a major falling out over themess as well, as Bob admitted both that they did it, and how they did it. HOULTON -- Robert (Bob) L. Glidden Sr., 83, died following a brief illness on Feb. 16, 2010, in a Bangor Hospital. Glidden was a dag racer who I seen sometimes when I was racing on dirt. He won the first two races of 1975, beating Wayne Gapp, the guy he stole the title from in 1974 along the way. He retired from driving in 1997, going to work on Fords NASCAR engine development program, but was back behind the wheel by 98, driving a Pontiac in the U.S. Nationals. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Sunday. Hey, how many owners has IHRA had? Were losing the great ones in the sport :^(. i was never a ford fan but you have to respect his racing. In 1974, in just his second full season in Pro Stock, Glidden won three major events, including the Springnationals and U.S. Nationals, and set both ends of the national record en route to his first Winston championship. Bob Glidden . At the Supernationals Gapp got one back on Glidden, beating him the finals. prestel publishing submissions. He won three major events, two of which were the Spring and U.S. Nationals. He was a 21-time IHRA winner, leading the tour with nine wins and 10 final-round appearances during his 1976 championship season. 4 on the list of Top 50 racers from NHRA's first 50 years in 2000. . He quickly beat his own e.t. Rest in peace Bob, you were always a class act racer, my condolences go out to the Glidden family. 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 Bobs passing," said NHRA President Peter Clifford. John Force, of course, did surpass Gliddens totals, but for a long time, Glidden was the man, just as Prudhomme had been. In 1986, Glidden had the worst crash of his racing career, flipping numerous times before sliding to a stop, his car reduced to little more than a cage and an engine. His legacy will continue to inspire racers of all stripes for years to come. The car rolled six times but the funnycar roll cage surrounding him held together. The car made sickening rolls on top of the steel guardrail edge and while the damage was incredible, Glidden was ok. NOBODY ever has and NOBODY EVER will go undefeated in one calendar year. After finishing the 1978 season with seven straight victories, Glidden opened the 1979 season with a victory at the Winternationals and didn't lose a round until June, when a foul start in the second round of the Mile-High Nationals snapped his streak at 14 races and 50 rounds. And Bob made Rusty own up to it, or stay away from thefamily. Here's a list of highlights from Bob "Mad Dog" Glidden's career: Before going pro in 1972, Glidden had great success in different Ford Fairlanes and even more so in 427 Cobra Jet Mustangs with sponsorship from Ed Martin Ford. Unfortunately, but predictably, many in the industry will charge that were not a friend of the profession; but rather, we are the axis of evil and will seek to expose proprietary intelligence that is more classified than the CocaCola formula. Glidden leaves behind his wife Etta their sons Rusty and Billy. 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 Bobs passing," said NHRA PresidentPeter Clifford. There were wins but no title. There was a chat onCompuserve a looooong time ago, in which Mike Thermos on NOS was the guest, andhe stated at that time he had 3 well known Pro Stock teams that were customers,but would not reveal any of their identities. He said that ever since Bob Glidden quit that the Fords are not competitive and that he was cheating. The 1977 season was one where Glidden returned to form. I always kept two baseline engines that we didnt changejust kept them fresh and ready to race. Nothing was considered easy or mundane. They would have seen the size and shape of the ports and the angles of the plenum, says Glidden. And sadly,those memories of Bob Glidden and Christmas Day will now be of when he left us and this earth. Kurt Johnson 5/20/94 Englishtown, N.J. 6.988 Darrell Alderman 8/5/94 Kent, Wash. 6.994 Warren Johnson 3/10/95 Houston, Texas 6.981, Bill Glidden 3/12/95 Houston, Texas 6.999, Scott Geoffrion 4/2/95 Gainesville, Fla. 6.985 Jim Yates 9/16/95 Reading, Pa. 6.999 Rickie Smith 5/18/96 Englishtown, N.J. 6.999 Jerry Eckman 8/3/96 Kent, Wash. 6.997 Mark Pawuk 10/26/96 Pomona, Calif. 6.993 Mike Edwards 10/27/96 Pomona, Calif. 6.995 Troy Coughlin 2/1/97 Pomona, Calif. 6.972 Steve Schmidt 3/7/97 Gainesville, Fla. 6.962 Bruce Allen 3/7/97 Gainesville, Fla. 6.978 Ray Franks 3/8/97 Gainesville, Fla. 6.997 George Marnell 3/8/97 Gainesville, Fla. 6.999 Mike Thomas 4/11/97 Commerce, Ga. 6.988, NITRO498