and top speed in his final-round victory over Frank Iaconio. By Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Bob ran this car at exactly two races, but I saw it in Pomona and fell in love with it. It is with great sadness that we bring you this news. Etta and Bob Glidden Visit bo-mar. No, it is mind boggling. Long before racing professionally and the making of the Legend, Bob Glidden and I were friends. The best that I could figure was that it probably had something to do with cylinder heads. We may earn money from the links on this page. Bob Glidden was one of NHRA's first and finest stars NHRA star Bob Glidden, who won 85 Pro Stock national events and 10 season championships, died Sunday at the age of 73. Additionally, Glidden drove three different cars in 1975 while winning this title including the old Pinto that he used to kick ass at the end of the year. After the Mile High Nationals? Copyright 1996-2021, NHRA. Fifteen years have passed since Bob Glidden's last national event victory, and the Pro Stock script reads much the same as it did then - the roles are simply played by different people. One of the baddest pro stockers to walk the planet. His legacy will continue to inspire racers of all stripes for years to come. MUCH,MUCH THANKS. Visited his home a couple of times and he showed me his garage where he and his wife worked on his cars. Glidden won 85 NHRA National Events. As a MoPar guy, and a small block fan, He was the guy who made it work with the Arrow. Iheartradio The Bull, RIP Bob. Bob Glidden - Net Worth, Birthday, Biography, Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Wiki, Facts and Family . A truly class act. I always kept two baseline engines that we didnt changejust kept them fresh and ready to race. Country: United States. Billy Meyer did that.The photo you are talking about was,in fact,a fuel returnline that never got completely torqued up! In '79, the undefeated Fairmont was retired, and Glidden hopped in a Plymouth Arrow where he opened the season with a Winternationals victory. Well a month later he was at the Cajun Nationals and while it took him until Denver to win a race, he went on to win six of the last seven events of the year and he collected another NHRA championship. Bob was born in Windom, MN, the son of Thomas and Helen Gertrude (Putt) Glidden on July 23, 1937. John Force, of course, did surpass Gliddens totals, but for a long time, Glidden was the man, just as Prudhomme had been. Very sad day indeed,the world has lost a very Great and Humble person,a sport Icon, and mentor to all in the racing community. +C $15.65 shipping. Just like the good old days. Again, email us at[emailprotected]. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Dec. 17. He crawled out, staggered once, noticed the hood was gone, took off his jacket and covered his home made intake manifold. 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. After coming close in 1980, Shepherd succeeded in stripping Glidden of his title in 1981. This performance was called total domination. The king of the pro stock class has passed at age 73. Looked justlike a fire system line. His final win was at the Mopar Parts Nationals in 1995. He was the third most successful drag racer of the professional class drivers (sixth when counting sportsman national event winners). No presscoverage either. He was 73. And Bob made Rusty own up to it, or stay away from the family. Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World. The 1976 season brought him back down to earth the hefty roll provides. It was a harbinger of things to come. That was a never ending deal.. He and his trusty Pinto came away with four wins and a runner up. It came as a shock this Monday morning to learn that drag racing legend Bob Glidden had passed away on Sunday evening. My condolences to his family. May you race in piece Mr Glidden. After that crash in 1984 at Atlanta, he earned my utmost respect. Hey, how many owners has IHRA had? It pulled the back of the car hard right and sent it head-on into the opposite guardrail. Glidden won 85 NHRA National Events. Drag racing lost a true icon. Thank you for all your accomplishments to the sport and my condolences go out to the Glidden family. He reached 76 career wins by the end of the season, with 49 of them in the '80s alone. Post comments: . Opens in a new window or tab. Picking up the win streak that began at Indy in 1978 Glidden went on to win 14 races and 50 rounds of competition in a row. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, All logos and images are reserved. I've>never heard this, and it just sounds like a load of BS to me..>>. Glidden sold his two Super Stock Mustangs in 1972 and purchased a Pinto Pro Stocker from Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush and made an immediate impact. We didn't clinch the points title mathematically until just before [Indianapolis], but mentally, we felt that we had won the title right there in Englishtown.". My condolences to his family. He was voted #4 all time on NHRAs Top 50 list during the 50th anniversary season of the organizations existence. Bob Glidden, drag racing legend and 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, died Dec. 17. Glidden did nothing to the manifold other than port match the runners to the modified W2 heads. Im glad to have met him several times and saddened to know im not getting another chance in this life to meet him again. You could very easily get lost with your own changes. The smile on her face said it all. His domination of the Pro Stock class set the bar high for other competitors and he will go down as one of the greats in the sport of drag racing. In 1975, it's safe to say Glidden dominated Pro Stock, clinching seven wins, five number-one qualifiers, eight top speeds, and six low e.t. In a situation that would become all to familiar to him during his pro stock career, Glidden became such a focus of rules makers and fellow competitors that his car was torn down at every available opportunity. I apologize for the video quality as it was . And when Bob heard of it he made him give the winning back .A man of great sportsmanship. I heard it caused a lot of stress for the entire Gliddenfamily, because of Bob's hard line on the cheating issue. R.I.P. Glidden's Ford Thunderbird, which he received in mid-1984, was the dominant car in the last half of the 1984 season and for all of 1985. I saw Gildden at one of woodburn dragstrips pro stock nationals in Oregon about 1989 he whooped WJs ass with a 7.277 to a 7.279 everyone razzed the professor when wj wasnt off sulking and refusing autographs mr.Bob was giving EVERYONE a e ticket tour of his car including a kid with ms that he let sit in the car for prob. - Bob Glidden Glidden began his career in the late 1960s behind the wheel of a series of 427 Ford Fairlanes in the Stock and Super Stock ranks and later a 482 Cobra Jet, becoming one of the winningest competitors in the NHRA's Division 3. He always had time for his family and fans, but when he was swamped with attention, Etta always stepped up and spoke with the fans. 1974 would be the first of his 10 NHRA championships. In the same vein, we could always associate Bob Glidden with a Ford-powered entry. We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request. If there was a singular season that summed up the life and times of Bob Glidden it was 1986. He was 73. By the end of the season, Glidden tied Don Prudhomme's record of most national event wins in one season and broke the Pro Stock single-season record of six set by "Grumpy" Jenkins in '72. Bob Glidden won 10 NHRA Pro Stock championships in his 25-year career in the drag racing series. Then theyd blast off the rust and build a new racecar. Rest In Peace, Bob. Anyway, you get the point. In 2001, the NHRA honored him with the No. Mr. Glidden. He also was the 1976 IHRA World Champion and finished second to Bruce Allen in 1985 Pro Stock standings. Larry Carrier, BillyMeyers, Prolong Lubricants, Bill Bader, SFX Inc., who am I missing? Edit Now Racing career Glidden began his drag racingcareer in the 1960s in a Ford427 Fairlane. "NITRO498" wrote in messagenews:20010714214131@ng-mi1.aol.com Maybe i was told this because it sounded interesting to the person whotold me, but I do remember the vision of Bob wrapping the engine andhe has been a hero of mine ever since. 1989 is the last year that Glidden won a championship. I taught and coached Bob Glidden's son, Rusty, when he was in the 7th grade. Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Nothing was taken for granted. Bob was among the best builders and drivers in the sport. He was acting as crew chief for Larry Morgan(I believe that\s correct). He was 73 years old, and passed away after a brief bout of illness. 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. He ran even quicker at the season-ending Supernationals, where he reset his e.t. NEVER HAPPENEDway back when he was running IHRA,Glidden refused to a teardown.Instead of justpumping a couple of cylinders,They wanted a complete teardown.Bob packed it upand left.He never raced IHRA after that >Unrelated to ProStock, but still Nitrous, Dale Armstrong was caught playing>around with it on Kenny's Funny cartalk about simplicityhe used one of>the two firebottles for the nitrous. record at 7.277, the quickest Pro Stock run in NHRA history, at the Supernationals, which he won to clinch the championship in the car's debut. The was a man on an absolute mission. He was always thinking and leading Pro Stock. 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. Brand New. In 90 I and a friend were taveling north through Indiana . A career Ford man, Glidden made a small comeback during the 2010 season, entering several races in a Pro Stock Mustang. By Douglas Herzog on Friday, November 25, 2011 at 1:08 PM. He was a very nice guy, He will be missed. He spent most of the season chasing points leader Lee Shepherd and the Reher-Morrison Camaro. He was the man to beat in pro stock in the late 80s. All Rights Reserved. HUGE THANKS. Chrysler ran into the financial rocks heading into the 1980 season so his deal there ended. He was 73 years old, and passed away after a brief bout of illness. Bob die $31.50. THANKS BOB AND ETTA RIPBOB. 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. The best of all times. RIP Bob he was a class act . He turned me on to Pro Stock as a teen. It was the Glidden and Shepherd show through the entire 1980 season. December 18, 2017 Glidden won 85 NHRA National Events. She understood the excitement and thrill of the fans. 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. He was an American drag racer. He was dominate. Baloo The Builder Tool Box, The engine technology landscape certainly has changed since Glidden epitomized the independent builder. Getting back on the horse after such a crash wasn't hard for him though, because a month later he returned in a new Thunderbird to the Cajun Nationals. Bob Glidden's opinion on engine stands 11-02-2016, 10:44 AM. The number 1 pro stock driver of all time. Were losing the great ones in the sport :^(. In 1968 because of his burgeoning success, Martin put his prodigy racer in the hottest thing Ford had to offer for sportsman racing, a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang stocker. We didn't clinch the points title mathematically until just before [Indianapolis], but mentally, we felt that we had won the title right there in Englishtown.". After a slump in 1976 and clawing back up to the podium in 1977, Glidden took back the crown in 1978, collecting 16,035 points and claiming several victories not only in his trusty Pinto, but in his Ford Fairmont (a car that was later undefeated). NHRA NHRA Glidden served in an advisory and crew chief role for a number of Pro Stock teams during the 2000s and 2010s, including Cunningham, Gray Motorsports, Knoll-Gas Motorsports, and Don Schumacher Racings Mopar effort. Bob was a genuine hero to me. A lady fan walked up and asked for his autograph. He, like so many other prolifically successful people in any form of sport never considered himself great, even in the face of clearly being so. Rest in Peace. Bob was born in Windom, MN, the son of Thomas and Helen Gertrude (Putt) Glidden on July 23, 1937. Bob Glidden was so angry that he could have chewed an engine block in half. What would the cameras have seen? Glidden came out of retirement to drive occasionally through the 2010 season, and although never won again, he left a championship legacy. Legal Statement. 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. If before reading this you weren't familiar with Bob Glidden, you've probably seen his epic crash in 1986 in at least one Top 10 crash montages. Then in 1980, at Englishtown, New Jersey, Bob and Etta attracted a crowd around their pro stock pit area. While the car did not perform to his standards at Indy, the point was made and while the 1976 season frustrated Glidden, it set the stage for a run that no one in the world of drag racing could have fathomed in the seasons to come. Other accolades include back-to-back championships in 1974 and '75, three from '78-'80, and five championships in a row from 1985-'89. Feb 13, 2021 - Explore sam stoltz's board "Bob Glidden", followed by 311 people on Pinterest. From the start of his career, racing was always a family affair. Bob Glidden (August 18, 1944:- December 17, 2017) was an American drag racer. Brian, thank you for putting together a wonderful tribute to Bob Glidden. 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. 1988 was the last year of the Thunderbird for Glidden, but the car wasn't retired until he won his fourth straight title. "When we started hiring outside people, it was really our downfall," admits Glidden. Thats why he quit. All rights reserved. In the summer of 1978, Glidden embarked on one of the sport's legendary winning streaks that included nine straight national event victories and stretched a complete calendar year. Glidden came out like the Incredible Hulk in 1985 and leveled everyone. I think Bob was the greatest drag racer ever, next to Big Daddy. Death Date: 1, setting low e.t. Nope, he thanked Jerry Haas, the chassis builder as he should have. Bob graduated from Kennett High School in Conway, N.H. in 1945 and immediately joined the Army Air Corps where he served honorably until 1947. He also qualified No. Following high school he enlisted in the United States Navy. A super stock Cobra Jet was later added to the fleet. Hell, in anything that is impressive. He was 73. He would be out on the flow bench or out in the garage right after dinner on Christmas Day. When Bob Glidden was inducted as number four on the NHRA's Top 50 Drivers list, panelist Bob Frey said of Glidden's talent, "There never was, and probably never will be, a more dominant driver in our sport." I remember reading about Bob\s work ethic. As a Ford guy growing up in the Diamond P sports era he like a super hero. Bob Glidden never drank his own Kool-Aid and he approached each and every of the hundreds of events he ran like a kind of desperate guy who had spent his lifes savings to take a shot at the big leagues and could literally not afford to fail.