The year that Garlits came to the salt and got into the 200 club Gary Cagle and
I had dinner with him and his wife Pat. He was really having a good time as he
talked about the runs on the salt and having to steer the car for over 5 miles
insted of a 1/4 mile. He was also in awe of the fifties atmosphere in the pits
as people went out of their way to help each other and leave everything on the
salt at night and go to town. I have talked to him a couple of times at the
drags sence then and he would like to come back.Who knows maybe he will reture
some day and renew his fun.
Glen
Keith Turk wrote:
> You know I thought I Saw that car in the Garlitis Museum here 10 yrs ago...
> but maybe all I saw was the Promotion Photos... I talked to him about the
> car and the effort back then and he truely was Proud of the effort and I
> think your right Dave.... given the opportunity he would be out there on the
> Salt today...
>
> Keith
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Marge and/or Dave Thomssen <mdthom@radiks.net>
> To: Land-speed Racers <land-speed@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 7:52 PM
> Subject: Garlits and the 2-club
>
> > Hey Doug and group
> >
> > Garlits definitely got into the 2club with a lot more effort than $. He
> > sponsored the streamliner and we built it here in Lincoln NE and I built
> the
> > blown flathead that got him in the club. He did a lot of the work on the
> > salt including maintaining the cylinder heads with a file! My engine was
> > strictly a backyard job that took some TLC to make it run, but for a while
> > it was the worlds fastest single flathead. He drove on every other pass.
> > Our long-time streamliner driver, Don Kehr, drove the other passes and we
> > were able to get him into the 2-club after ten years of trying. We
> couldn't
> > get the blown ARDUN to run that year (1988) but in 1990 my son Tim and his
> > buddies prepared the car and got it to go 232 with my blown ARDUN and he
> got
> > in the club. I crashed the car in 1991 trying to get in the club. E J
> > Kawalski rebuilt the car and drove it at Muroc and the car is now in
> > Pennsylvania. It will go to the Garlits museum sometime. I think that
> > Garlit's family did not like him driving at high speed on slick surface
> like
> > the salt, or he would be racing there yet.
> >
> > Dave Thomssen
> > The Hayseed
> > Lincoln NE
> > #322 XXFBSTR
> >
> >
> >
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