‘Fast Lane’ Blows It on Garlits

What would a book on the history of major league baseball be without a mention of Babe Ruth? Or the NBA without Wilt Chamberlain? Or soccer without Pele in its pages?

Impossible, you say.

Not if you’re the National Hot Rod Assn., which in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year, has published a book, “The Fast Lane: The History of NHRA Drag Racing.”

Don Garlits, drag racing’s “Big Daddy,” whose exploits in top-fuel competition were as significant to the NHRA as Ruth’s, Chamberlain’s or Pele’s were to their sports, is left out. Ignored.

“It’s pathetic,” Garlits said from his racing museum in Ocala, Fla. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

This is what is shockingly omitted:

* The NHRA’s premier event is the U.S. Nationals, drag racing’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. Between 1964 and 1986, Garlits won it eight times. No one else has won more than three.

* Garlits won three NHRA top-fuel championships and 35 national events. Only Joe Amato has won more.

* Garlits was the first to officially surpass 190 mph (in 1963), 200 (in 1964), 240 (in 1973), 250 (in 1975) and 270 (in 1986), all major milestones.

After an accident in 1970 at Lions drag strip in Long Beach when a front-engine explosion severed his right foot, Garlits formulated plans for a rear-engine dragster while recuperating.

This is how “The Fast Lane” remembers it: “A series of serious mishaps involving slingshots in the early 1970s opened the bar for innovation . . . and this time mid-engine dragsters roared to the top.”

No mention that it was Garlits who was responsible for what became drag racing’s most revolutionary change. His first rear-engine dragster occupies a place alongside Kenny Bernstein’s first over-300 mph vehicle in the NHRA Motorsports Museum.

There are 230 pages of color photographs in the coffee-table book, but not one of Garlits. There is one small picture of his famed Swamp Rat dragster on the line with Gene Snow, but there is no caption to identify the cars or drivers.

Wally Parks, 88, founder of the NHRA, denies a direct involvement with the slight to Garlits, but the perception is that his fingerprints are all over the project.

“I know I’m going to get the blame for it, but it was a mixed up production,” said Parks, a longtime protagonist of Garlits. “It was a terrible error and is embarrassing all around. I tried to discreetly offer recommendations, but some of it was misinterpreted. Unfortunately, there’s no way to retract such a visible omission.

“Don and I have been on different sides of the fence many times, but I still recognize him as one of the greatest--if not the greatest--drivers and car builders we ever had.”

Garlits says otherwise.

“I wrote Wally and he wrote back that he didn’t know what happened, but then I called the publisher [Tehabi Books of San Diego] and was told that Wally blue-lined every item about me,” Garlits said. “I don’t know, I guess he’s still thinking about 1972, when I ran my PRO meet against the U.S. Nationals.”

In that confrontation, Garlits rounded up top-fuel drivers who considered NHRA purses too low and put on his own Pro Challenge event at Tulsa, Okla., on the same Labor Day weekend as the Nationals.

Eric Pinkman, director of corporate publishing for Tehabi Books, said that the book was an official NHRA publication and as such, “the Fast Lane was carefully tailored for their approval, all the way to the top. We knew the Garlits issue was a sensitive one, but everyone at the NHRA was well aware of every page.”

Tom Compton, NHRA president, was out of his Glendora office and unavailable for comment. However, Garlits said that Compton had called and said that his staff had nothing to do with it and that Parks had put the book together.

Apparently, whoever wrote the text was embarrassed too. There is no author listed.

The price is $45 and it’s nicely done--if you don’t mind revisionist history.

Brian Tracy, who has been an instrumental figure in the NHRA’s growth for the last 27 years, has resigned from the Glendora-based organization.

“Twenty-seven years is a long time in one place,” Tracy said. “I’ve still got some nitro left in the tank and felt I needed to try something different.”

Tracy was vice president of marketing and sales for 20 years before becoming vice president of broadcasting, where he played a major role in laying the foundation for the current ESPN TV package. For the last two years, Tracy has worked with Parks and Steve Gibbs in promoting the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona.

In the NHRA’s list of its 50 greatest drivers, Chris Karamesines is No. 30. The Golden Greek from Chicago never won a national event, but his Chizler dragsters made him a larger-than-life legend in the 1960s when he was a fixture at local drag strips, such as San Gabriel and Lions. A former stock car racer, Karamesines credited his sideways slides on ovals with helping him save out-of-control dragsters.

“It was never my intention to drive a dragster recklessly or just try to thrill people, but I think the dirt racing experiences helped me,” he said. “We ran a lot at Lions, and we knew that its close location to the ocean would develop dew on the surface when we raced late at night. That would make the tires spin more and caused the car to get sideways. I was able to save a lot of runs because I had more experience with that.”

Karamesines, now 73, is still at it. Shortly after being named No. 30, he became drag racing’s oldest 300-mph driver when he ran 302.89 in the first round of the Southern Nationals last month at Atlanta.

“It took us 41 years to go from 200 to 300,” said Karamesines, who has been credited by many with drag racing’s first 200-mph run in 1960. “But you have to remember that we’re operating on a Social Security budget.”

Offshore Powerboats

The inaugural Long Beach Offshore Grand Prix, sanctioned by the Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Assn., will be run Sunday at 9 a.m. inside the breakwater area of the Long Beach shoreline. As many as 40 of the world’s fastest offshore boats are expected to enter the one-hour race over a 7.4-mile closed course.

Featured will be the 140-mph Super Cats. Favorites are Renegade, Craig Ferguson’s boat from Huntington Harbor; Honker Cat Marine, owned by Rod Karnoffel of Stockton, and Kid’s Stuff, Coby Klein’s boat from Foothill Ranch.

The event is part of an eight-race schedule which has races at Huntington Beach, Aug. 7; Mission Bay in San Diego, Sept. 16, and Ventura, Oct. 7.

24 Hours of Le Mans

Fifteen American drivers will be trying this weekend to join the 12 who have been part of overall winning teams in the world’s most prestigious road race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France. More than 200,000 spectators are expected for the 69th running of the twice-around-the-clock racing classic.

Cort Wagner, of Santa Monica, stunned the favored Porsche 911s when he put his Corvette-powered Callaway C12-R on the provisional pole during qualifying for the GT class. His co-driver is Vic Rice of San Rafael. Also among the entries is Kelly Collins of Corona del Mar, who will co-drive a Corvette C5-R with Andy Pilgrim of Aventura, Fla., in the GTS class.

Among former winners are Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt, 1967; Carroll Shelby, 1959; Bill and Don Whittington, 1979; and Davy Jones, 1996, the last American winner.

Hamilton Watch

From the looks of what happened at Texas Motor Speedway in last week’s Casino Magic 300, maybe the Indy Racing League should have done what CART did and canceled the race.

Davey Hamilton, the only driver to have competed in every IRL race, suffered severe injuries to both legs and feet when his car hit the wall exiting the second turn on Lap 73. He has had several surgeries to reconstruct his damaged feet, and faces many more.

The popular Eagle (Idaho) resident, who drives for paralyzed former driver Sam Schmidt, is in stable condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was airlifted, but his family requests he have no visitors.

Another driver, Robby McGehee, also suffered a broken leg, and IRL officials have several drivers under review for possible late-race rough tactics that might have caused the accident in which McGehee was hurt.

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This Week’s Races

WINSTON CUP, Pocono 500

* When: Friday, qualifying (Fox Sports Net, 11:30 a.m.); Sunday, race (Fox, 10 a.m.)

* Where: Pocono International Raceway (triangular oval, 2.5 miles, 14 degrees banking in turn 1, 8 degrees in turn 2, 6 degrees in turn 3), Long Pond, Pa.

* Race distance: 500 miles, 200 laps.

* Last race: Jeff Gordon survived two restarts and a tense battle with Ricky Rudd over final two laps to give Hendrick Motorsports its 100th victory. Gordon led 143 of 200 laps in the Kmart 400 in Brooklyn, Mich., to win his second race in a row.

* Last year: Jeremy Mayfield won when he bumped Dale Earnhardt out of the way on the final lap. Mayfield led only nine of 200 laps.

* Next race: Dodge/Save Mart 350, June 24, Sonoma, Calif.

* On the net: https://www.nascar.com

BUSCH, Outback Steakhouse 300

* When: Friday, qualifying, 7 p.m.; Saturday, race (FX, 5 p.m.)

* Where: Kentucky Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles, 14 degrees banking in turns), Sparta, Ky.

* Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles.

* Last race: Jimmy Spencer waited out two rain delays and managed to stay out of a rash of accidents in the final 40 laps to win the MBNA Platinum 200 in Dover, Del. Spencer put his car in front on the 179th lap when he got by Mike Skinner, who spun out leader Bobby Hamilton Jr. on the high-banked third turn.

* Last year: Inaugural race.

* Next race: GNC Live Well 250, July 1, West Allis, Wis.

* On the net: https://www.nascar.com

CART, Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix

* When: Saturday, qualifying, 1:45 p.m. (ESPN2, 2:30 p.m., tape); Sunday, race (ABC, 11 a.m.)

* Where: The Raceway On Belle Isle (temporary road course, 2.346 miles, 14 turns), Detroit.

* Race distance: 168.912 miles, 72 laps.

* Last race: Polesitter Kenny Brack won his second consecutive race, taking the Miller Lite 225 after surviving a scare on the first turn when he and Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves made contact. Brack defeated five-time winner Michael Andretti by 1.037 seconds. Andretti was runner-up for the fourth time in the event.

* Last year: Helio Castroneves got his first CART victory, defeated Max Papis by 4.415 seconds. Polesitter Juan Montoya went out with a broken driveshaft on the 62nd lap.

* Next race: Freightliner-G.I. Joe’s 200, June 24, Portland, Ore.

* On the net: https://www.cart.com

INDY RACING LEAGUE, Radisson Indy 200

* When: Saturday, qualifying, 3 p.m. (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m., tape); Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.).

* Where: Pikes Peak International Raceway (d-shaped oval, 1 mile, 10 degrees banking in turns), Fountain, Colo.

* Race distance: 200 miles, 200 laps.

* Last race: Scott Sharp won his second consecutive Casino Magic 500 in Fort Worth, crossing the finish line under caution after a crash ended an exciting three-car duel for the lead. Sharp was in a battle with Greg Ray and Eddie Cheever for the lead when the other two competitors were taken out by a crash on the 196th of 200 laps.

* Last year: Cheever got his fourth career IRL victory and the first for an Infiniti engine. Cheever took the lead on lap 172 and crossed the finish line under caution.

* Next race: Richmond Indy 200, June 30, Richmond, Va.

* On the net: https://www.indyracingleague.com

NHRA, Pontiac Excitement Nationals

* When: Friday, qualifying, 3:45 p.m.; Saturday, qualifying, 11:45 a.m. (ESPN2, 7 p.m., tape); Sunday, final eliminations, 11 a.m. (ESPN2, 5 p.m., tape).

* Where: National Trail Raceway, Kirkersville, Ohio.

* Last event: Kenny Bernstein got his third consecutive NHRA Top Fuel victory, winning at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill. Del Worsham, Mike Edwards, Antron Brown and Scott Perin also won.

* Last year: Tony Schumacher claimed his second Top Fuel victory of the season, defeating Joe Amato in the finals. Tony Pedregon, Mark Pawuk, Angelle Savoie and Randy Daniels also were winners.

* Next event: Sears Craftsman Nationals, June 24, Madison, Ill.

* On the net: https://www.nhra.com