 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
May 23, 2008 GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY MADISON IL.
"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Coming to GIR with Proceeds Going to BackStoppers
MADISON, Ill. - In the world of drag racing, the St. Louis area holds a special place in the hearts
of many racers and fans. Next weekend, fans from across the country will converge on GIR for
the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags to see great racing, historical cars, and the man
recently named one of ESPN's Top 25 Greatest Racers, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. All of the
cars participating in the event will have been manufactured in 1974 or before.
In addition to the great racing and great memories the weekend will provide, eventgoers will
have an opportunity to help a worthy cause. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to
BackStoppers, an organization providing assistance to the families of fallen firefighters and
police officers.
Muscle Car Reunion President John Troxel said the event, which kicks off Friday, May 30, and
runs through Sunday, is a time machine for drag racing fans. "They can expect to go back in
time," he said, "to 1974 and previous and see racing the way it was without electronics, with
true tuners, mechanics, and drivers of the sport as it was and the cars like (they were)."
When the forerunner of Gateway International Raceway, the St. Louis International Raceway
Park, opened 41 years ago, it drew a capacity crowd that came to see some of the biggest
names in the sport. The opening event gave the facility a solid reputation within the drag racing
community and helped cultivate a large weekly following.
In 1971, the track was re-named St. Louis International Raceway and was the host of the AHRA
Gateway Nationals, attracting the sport's greatest drivers, none greater than "Big Daddy" Don
Garlits. Garlits and his "Swamp Rat" dragster set a track record during the first Gateway
National, but lost in the finals to Steve Carbone.
It would be the last time Garlits lost a round at SLIR for 12 years.
The Floridian won 33 straight rounds here in both Nationals and open competition, a run that
continues to be the longest winning streak in the history of professional drag racing. When
Garlits makes his return to the area, he will do so as a conquering hero and a legend in the
sport he helped bring to the mainstream.
"Don Garlits has been a hero to all of us for many, many years," Troxel said. "We'd always
hoped to have an event worthy of Don to come to. So we invited him to St. Louis and ,with the
rich history he's got here, he is really looking forward to coming back here."
For Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki, this
isn't just a regular event; it's one with special meaning. Batycki's history in motorsports began
on a dragstrip in south Florida and the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags weekend is
an opportunity for him to be reminded why he fell in love with the sport originally.
"This event takes me back to my roots of watching legendary funny cars down at
Miami-Hollywood when I was a kid," he said. "The cars our fans will get to see at Gateway are
the ones that inspired a generation to become drag racing fans and should show a new
generation the history of our sport."
For more information, visit GatewayRaceway.com or MuscleCarReunion.com or call
573-644-3272/3723. For more information on BackStoppers, visit BackStoppers.org.
(Special thanks to Gateway International Raceway Historian Bret Kepner for his assistance on
this release.)
"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Coming to GIR with Proceeds Going to BackStoppers
MADISON, Ill. - In the world of drag racing, the St. Louis area holds a special place in the hearts
of many racers and fans. Next weekend, fans from across the country will converge on GIR for
the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags to see great racing, historical cars, and the man
recently named one of ESPN's Top 25 Greatest Racers, "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. All of the
cars participating in the event will have been manufactured in 1974 or before.
In addition to the great racing and great memories the weekend will provide, eventgoers will
have an opportunity to help a worthy cause. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to
BackStoppers, an organization providing assistance to the families of fallen firefighters and
police officers.
Muscle Car Reunion President John Troxel said the event, which kicks off Friday, May 30, and
runs through Sunday, is a time machine for drag racing fans. "They can expect to go back in
time," he said, "to 1974 and previous and see racing the way it was without electronics, with
true tuners, mechanics, and drivers of the sport as it was and the cars like (they were)."
When the forerunner of Gateway International Raceway, the St. Louis International Raceway
Park, opened 41 years ago, it drew a capacity crowd that came to see some of the biggest
names in the sport. The opening event gave the facility a solid reputation within the drag racing
community and helped cultivate a large weekly following.
In 1971, the track was re-named St. Louis International Raceway and was the host of the AHRA
Gateway Nationals, attracting the sport's greatest drivers, none greater than "Big Daddy" Don
Garlits. Garlits and his "Swamp Rat" dragster set a track record during the first Gateway
National, but lost in the finals to Steve Carbone.
It would be the last time Garlits lost a round at SLIR for 12 years.
The Floridian won 33 straight rounds here in both Nationals and open competition, a run that
continues to be the longest winning streak in the history of professional drag racing. When
Garlits makes his return to the area, he will do so as a conquering hero and a legend in the
sport he helped bring to the mainstream.
"Don Garlits has been a hero to all of us for many, many years," Troxel said. "We'd always
hoped to have an event worthy of Don to come to. So we invited him to St. Louis and ,with the
rich history he's got here, he is really looking forward to coming back here."
For Gateway International Raceway Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki, this
isn't just a regular event; it's one with special meaning. Batycki's history in motorsports began
on a dragstrip in south Florida and the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags weekend is
an opportunity for him to be reminded why he fell in love with the sport originally.
"This event takes me back to my roots of watching legendary funny cars down at
Miami-Hollywood when I was a kid," he said. "The cars our fans will get to see at Gateway are
the ones that inspired a generation to become drag racing fans and should show a new
generation the history of our sport."
For more information, visit GatewayRaceway.com or MuscleCarReunion.com or call
573-644-3272/3723. For more information on BackStoppers, visit BackStoppers.org.
(Special thanks to Gateway International Raceway Historian Bret Kepner for his assistance on
this release.)
Gateway
International
Raceway
International
Raceway
