Don Garlits vs Tommy Ivo Crash

Big Daddy Don Garlits and TV Tommy Ivo bump into each other at the 2007 NHRA Hot Rod Reunion.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Don
• Garlits
• Tommy
• Ivo
• Cackelfest
• 2007
• NHRA
• Hot
• Rod
• Reunion
• Nitro
• Top
• Fuel
• Dragsters

[musclecarloverjoeroc]

i was there when that happened, it sucked completely for them, but i heard what happened after and laugh on the ground to this day when i remember it

[jrsn2cars]

@musclecarloverjoeroc What happened after?

[MrRonnieG]

Ivo and Garlits are obviously 2 of the absolute legends of early drag racing. At one time, between the end of '63 and '69, I spent every waking moment at SoCal dragstrips (Lions, Irwindale, OCIR, Fontana & Pomona) so I saw them both quite a bit. I can tell you that T.V. Tommy, it was rumored by the early 70's, had gotten really spooked in the seat after a couple of bad crashes. Of course front-engine cars were always just a clutch explosion away from a catastrophic incident.

[goldminer1957]

that's why they need rear view mirrors lol

[ThomasDeLello]

@jogibajr - That's cool...! Donna is Don and Pat's older daughter of the two. I spent some time talking with her at the museum. I'd love to see those pictures.

[jogibajr]

@ThomasDeLello I was there also and took photos of Don with his AA/FD on the scales with George Hurst and Ray Brock from Hot Rod magazine looking on . Years later at the 1985 Summernationals I gave the photos to Don's wife Donna in the pits along with others that she said they will use at his Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala Florida. That weekend was the Northeast Div points race were NHRA records are set and his time of 7.67 201.34 was the first official NHRA record over 200mph.

[musclecarloverjoeroc]

@jrsn2cars just big dad giving his take on it and what should happen in choice words, i'll leave it at that

[ThomasDeLello]

@ts4864

You know what TS...? In those days you had to go through propper channels to set an NHRA record. Lots of people have claimed lots of things, unless you have a propper system for official records. You had to make a back-up run that was then within 2% of the new record. It's 1% now.

[ThomasDeLello]

Pork Zartmann's fabulous Willys Coupe at; 3:18 , check it out...!

[crazypainter56]

Island Dragway-----------I was there this past summer 2010--saw him fire up the dragster-saw him in the 60's -againest Ivo when Ivo had the car carrier with the Corvette on top===Lot of memories at Island--