Hall of Famer Glidden: Gateway Greatest Spot to Test
MADISON, Ill. - Ten NHRA POWERade Series Pro Stock championships. Eighty-five Nationals wins. A streak of 23 consecutive top-qualifers and 50 straight round wins. Voted the fourth-greatest drag racer of all time. Bob Glidden knows a thing or two about the sport of drag racing. So when he says Gateway International Raceway is the best test facility in the nation, he's speaking from decades of experience.
Glidden was at the track Wednesday, helping 2008 U.S. Nationals runner-up Larry Morgan prepare his Lucas Oil machine for this weekend's race at the Texas Motorplex. Long since retired, the legendary racer uses his wealth of knowledge to help teams get a taste of the success he had in his prime.
"Larry Morgan called me a week or so ago and asked me if I would come with him today to test," he said. "(Gateway) is really the greatest spot in the country for us to bring our cars and test, so I agreed to come over and give him a hand."
The 64-year-old Glidden, a former IHRA winner at GIR when it was called St. Louis International Raceway and raced in the opposite direction that it does now, said he likes Gateway because of its location and its staff.
"The guys keep the track in perfect shape. When the sun comes out and the track gets a little loose and we need them to spray in the middle, instead of them telling us they can't, they go out and spray it. We just make consistent runs here. We can make changes and learn from the tests that we're making."
The world of drag racing is a different one than it was when he was winning races and championships, some say for the better, some say for the worse. Having more people involved with the teams, as well as the necessity for a much bigger budget, makes racing "old-school" nearly impossible.
For Glidden, it was a family affair. His wife, Etta, was the crew chief and the crew consisted of their sons. He credits most of his success to them, saying they worked as many hours as they could stand to be competitive every weekend. That team cohesion showed at the U.S. Nationals, the sport's biggest event. Glidden won the Big Go a record nine times and was recognized by NHRA and O'Reilly Raceway Park at this year's race for that milestone.
"That was very nice," he said, smiling. "I was proud for our whole family to be recognized there and happy for us and our fans. We've still got great fans all over the country."
A fan of NHRA's Countdown to 1 format, Glidden said there's a racer out there who has the chance to sweep the entire six-race schedule on top of the records he has already smashed this season.
"Tony Schumacher has had many just incredible seasons," he said. "Tony Schumacher and Alan Johnson and their team, they're just in a different planet than everyone else right now, racing-wise. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win all the rest of the races."
"The Sarge" is one of the few drivers who, like Glidden, has won races, won championships, and has little, if anything, left to prove. The member of multiple halls of fame, Glidden said his career was one with no regrets.
"When we decided to retire, we felt very fortunate that we had the careers that we had. There's nothing for us to look back on. We're just very lucky people."
MADISON, Ill. - Ten NHRA POWERade Series Pro Stock championships. Eighty-five Nationals wins. A streak of 23 consecutive top-qualifers and 50 straight round wins. Voted the fourth-greatest drag racer of all time. Bob Glidden knows a thing or two about the sport of drag racing. So when he says Gateway International Raceway is the best test facility in the nation, he's speaking from decades of experience.
Glidden was at the track Wednesday, helping 2008 U.S. Nationals runner-up Larry Morgan prepare his Lucas Oil machine for this weekend's race at the Texas Motorplex. Long since retired, the legendary racer uses his wealth of knowledge to help teams get a taste of the success he had in his prime.
"Larry Morgan called me a week or so ago and asked me if I would come with him today to test," he said. "(Gateway) is really the greatest spot in the country for us to bring our cars and test, so I agreed to come over and give him a hand."
The 64-year-old Glidden, a former IHRA winner at GIR when it was called St. Louis International Raceway and raced in the opposite direction that it does now, said he likes Gateway because of its location and its staff.
"The guys keep the track in perfect shape. When the sun comes out and the track gets a little loose and we need them to spray in the middle, instead of them telling us they can't, they go out and spray it. We just make consistent runs here. We can make changes and learn from the tests that we're making."
The world of drag racing is a different one than it was when he was winning races and championships, some say for the better, some say for the worse. Having more people involved with the teams, as well as the necessity for a much bigger budget, makes racing "old-school" nearly impossible.
For Glidden, it was a family affair. His wife, Etta, was the crew chief and the crew consisted of their sons. He credits most of his success to them, saying they worked as many hours as they could stand to be competitive every weekend. That team cohesion showed at the U.S. Nationals, the sport's biggest event. Glidden won the Big Go a record nine times and was recognized by NHRA and O'Reilly Raceway Park at this year's race for that milestone.
"That was very nice," he said, smiling. "I was proud for our whole family to be recognized there and happy for us and our fans. We've still got great fans all over the country."
A fan of NHRA's Countdown to 1 format, Glidden said there's a racer out there who has the chance to sweep the entire six-race schedule on top of the records he has already smashed this season.
"Tony Schumacher has had many just incredible seasons," he said. "Tony Schumacher and Alan Johnson and their team, they're just in a different planet than everyone else right now, racing-wise. It wouldn't surprise me to see him win all the rest of the races."
"The Sarge" is one of the few drivers who, like Glidden, has won races, won championships, and has little, if anything, left to prove. The member of multiple halls of fame, Glidden said his career was one with no regrets.
"When we decided to retire, we felt very fortunate that we had the careers that we had. There's nothing for us to look back on. We're just very lucky people."
