The March Meet is an independent drag race held at Famoso Raceway , a dragstrip located approximately ten miles north of Bakersfield, California. It began in 1959 under the sanction of the "Smokers Car Club" and was initially known as the "US Fuel & Gas Championships." The event became officially known by its nickname, the "March Meet," when the Smokers sold the rights to the name "US Fuel & Gas Championships."
41-563: In 1959 the first Smokers' March Meet was advertised as an "East-versus-West" showdown, with California drag racers taking on infamous Floridian Don Garlits , who had been credited with record speeds that the California crowd found dubious . That year, Garlits lost early. Art Chrisman triumphed and took Top Eliminator laurels. From that first race forward, the roots of the event's continued success can be traced back its practice of permitting competition between nitromethane -burning dragsters when
82-604: A blowover at the AHRA World Finals in Spokane, Washington. He received several injuries from the resulting crash. Though none were life-threatening, he temporarily retired from active driving and became a color commentator for NHRA telecasts on TNN and NBC . He announced for four seasons, from 1988 through the end of 1991. In December 1991 Garlits came out of retirement to race in the Snowbird Nationals, but his comeback
123-651: A "nostalgia drag race" in 1994 under sanction by the Goodguys Vintage Racing Association . That year Bill Dunlap won Top Fuel, in a race car designed to represent the AA/Fuel Dragster or "front-engine" style of Top Fuel . That historic style of Top Fuel Eliminator is the class that has competed at the March Meet since its resurrection. In 2004 veteran racer Jim Murphy won Top Fuel for a fourth time. Also, Funny Car Eliminator returned to competition at
164-402: A 1948 Ford differential and axle. That early T-Bucket's quarter mile performance was 13.5 seconds, at a top speed of 93 mph. It was this successful, formative roadster that would become the basis for his first rail-job dragster. He cut off the body panels, moved the engine back, and installed the seat behind the drive axle. (A similar design was built that same year by Mickey Thompson .) This
205-494: A 2,000 hp battery-powered EV dragster . In July 2019 at age 87, he set a new quarter-mile record of 189.03 mph (304.21 km/h) with Swamp Rat 38, a 1,500 lb dragster with a battery-powered 800 hp electric motor. He is a mentor of current NHRA Top Fuel racer and fellow Ocala, Florida resident, Josh Hart . In 1994, Garlits was the Republican Party nominee for Florida's 5th Congressional District . He
246-506: A 4.615 elapsed time, at 321.42 miles per hour. The difference at the finish line was only 122 thousandths of a second. Garlits operates the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing on the grounds of his home in Ocala, Florida . He can also be seen from time to time on ESPN and Speed Vision doing commentary at racing events and performance expositions. Always at the forefront of driver safety, in
287-545: A brand new mid-engined, front-cockpit rail, also dubbed the "Swamp Rat I-R" by Hot Rod in the article introducing it to their readers. The rodding magazines considered the disadvantages of the new dragster design "obvious," and, indeed, Garlits lost in his first outing with the new car, to Gary Cochran at Lions Drag Strip. However, Swamp Rat XIV became so successful that in 1971, Garlits won two of his next three Top Fuel Eliminator titles (the Winternats and Bakersfield), and
328-539: A return to a 70/30 nitromethane to methanol ratio. He has since had second thoughts. In September 2009, Garlits returned to the quarter mile, racing a specially prepared 2009 Dodge Challenger in the Stock class at the U.S. Nationals at the Indianapolis Raceway Park , losing to Dan Fletcher in the first round. In May 2014 at age 82, Garlits set a 184 mph (296 km/h) speed record with Swamp Rat 37,
369-501: A rigid and lightweight plate is produced, which can improve the efficiency of the soundboard. While the 'laminated' technique was created by Matthias Dammann, the use of Nomex within was first employed by luthier Gernot Wagner. The deaths in fiery crashes of race car drivers Fireball Roberts at Charlotte, and Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald at Indianapolis in 1964, led to the use of flame-resistant fabrics such as Nomex. In early 1966 Competition Press and Autoweek reported: "During
410-524: A six-event series that did much to promote the sport of drag racing in the UK. On March 8, 1970, at Lions Drag Strip , Garlits was driving Swamp Rat XIII , also called the Wynnscharger , a front-engined slingshot rail dragster, when the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure. The two-speed transmission Garlits was developing exploded and took a piece out of his right foot, while the car broke in half in front of
451-421: Is 340 MPa (49,000 psi). However, it has excellent thermal, chemical, and radiation resistance for a polymer material. It can withstand temperatures of up to 370 °C (700 °F). Nomex is produced by condensation reaction from the monomers m -phenylenediamine and isophthaloyl chloride . It is sold in both fiber and sheet forms and is used as a fabric where resistance from heat and flame
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#1732884527296492-605: Is a common piece of racing and firefighting equipment. It is placed on the head on top of a firefighter 's face mask. The hood protects the portions of the head not covered by the helmet and face mask from the intense heat of the fire. Wildland firefighters wear Nomex shirts and trousers as part of their personal protective equipment during wildfire suppression activities. Racing car drivers wear driving suits constructed of Nomex and or other fire retardant materials , along with Nomex gloves, long underwear, balaclavas , socks, helmet lining and shoes, to protect them in
533-438: Is often combined with Kevlar to increase its resistance for breakage or tear. Nomex and related aramid polymers are related to nylon , but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable. Nomex is an example of a meta variant of the aramids ( Kevlar is a para aramid). Unlike Kevlar, Nomex strands cannot align during filament polymerization and have less strength: its ultimate tensile strength
574-457: Is required. Nomex sheet is actually a calendered paper and made in a similar fashion. Nomex Type 410 paper was the first Nomex paper developed and one of the higher volume grades made, mostly for electrical insulation purposes. Wilfred Sweeny (1926–2011), the DuPont scientist responsible for discoveries leading to Nomex, earned a DuPont Lavoisier Medal in 2002 partly for this work. Nomex Paper
615-440: Is used in electrical laminates such as circuit boards and transformer cores as well as fireproof honeycomb structures where it is saturated with a phenolic resin . Honeycomb structures such as these, as well as mylar -Nomex laminates, are used extensively in aircraft construction. Firefighting, military aviation, and vehicle racing industries use Nomex to create clothing and equipment that can withstand intense heat. A Nomex hood
656-512: The Donovan 417 cu in (6,830 cc), offering (in Garlits' words) "an engine deal I couldn’t refuse". Garlits took a brief hiatus, returning to NHRA Top Fuel full-time in 1984. Garlits has won ten American Hot Rod Association championships, four International Hot Rod Association championships, and three National Hot Rod Association championships, a total of 17. He was age 54 when he won
697-478: The Stiletto 27 . Nomex is used in industrial applications as a filter in exhaust filtration systems, typically a baghouse , that deal with hot gas emissions found in asphalt plants, cement plants, steel smelting facilities, and non-ferrous metal production facilities. Nomex is used in some classical guitar tops in order to create a 'composite' soundboard. When Nomex is laminated between 2 spruce or cedar 'skins',
738-417: The March Meet an unprecedented five times. In 1966, "The Surfers" conquered Top Fuel by withstanding over 100 Top Fuel competitors. Winning driver Mike Sorokin had a son, Adam, who followed in his father's footsteps and won Top Fuel in 2010. The race had been primarily a showcase for Top Fuel (née "Top Eliminator"), but in 1969, due to its rapidly rising popularity as a drag-racing class, Funny Car Eliminator
779-673: The March Meet. Like the Top Fuel dragsters, the Funny Car class kept its shape and style fashioned to the more traditional "AA/FC" style, with body styles limited to 1970s productions. By 2007, the Goodguys VRA had relinquished its claim on producing the March Meet, with the rights assumed by John and Blake Bowser, who lease Famoso Raceway from the National Hot Rod Association. Moreover, rules and technical inspection have been assumed by
820-478: The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series. Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida ) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing , he is known as " Big Daddy " to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field of drag racing, he perfected the rear-engine Top Fuel dragster , an innovation motivated by
861-433: The Top Fuel final. Lucille Lee prevailed, and Shirley Muldowney was second best. This result prevented Muldowney from repeating as March Meet Top Fuel champion, as she had won the event the year before. Beginning in 1988, the event transitioned . The now-defunct Nostalgia Drag Racing Association began promoting the March Meet, but failed to attract enough competitors or spectators to remain viable. The March Meet continued as
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#1732884527296902-624: The U.S. space program, Nomex has been used for the Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment on the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (in conjunction with Kevlar and Gore-Tex ) and ACES pressure suit, both for fire and extreme environment (water immersion to near vacuum) protection, and as thermal blankets on the payload bay doors, fuselage, and upper wing surfaces of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. It has also been used for
943-546: The age of 71 years, 5 months and 19 days he qualified 16th, setting a personal best speed in the quarter mile with a time of 4.788 seconds at 319.98 mph. Garlits had reached 323.04 earlier in the year at the 2003 Gatornationals . Mr. Garlits lost in first-round competition with his Summit Racing-Mono Winged Dragster, clocking in with a 0.064 reaction time, a personal best 4.737 elapsed time, and 307.44 mph, second only to Brandon Bernstein's (son of racing legend Kenny Bernstein) Budweiser/Lucas Oil Dragster 0.079 reaction time,
984-871: The airbags for the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions , the Galileo atmospheric probe , the Cassini-Huygens Titan probe, as an external covering on the AERCam Sprint , and is planned to be incorporated into NASA's upcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle . Nomex has been used as an acoustic material in Troy, NY, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center ( EMPAC ) main concert hall. A ceiling canopy of Nomex reflects high and mid frequency sound, providing reverberation, while letting lower frequency sound partially pass through
1025-478: The band saw and make the parts." Garlits's accident was like many in the 1960s, and his new design followed several other pioneer designers of rear-engined dragsters, including Steve Swaja 's AA/Gas Wedge I from 1963, Roger Lindwall 's 1966 Top Fuel Re-Entry , and Kent Fuller's fueller Sidewinder III from 1969. He was aided in the construction of his new car by T. C. Lemons and Connie Swingle . Garlits returned to Pomona in 1971 with Swamp Rat XIV ,
1066-537: The canopy. According to RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson, EMPAC is the first venue in the world to use Nomex as an architectural material for acoustic reasons. Nomex (like Kevlar) is also used in the production of loudspeaker drivers. Honeycomb-structured Nomex paper is used as a spacer between layers of lead in the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter, and as a laminate core for hull and deck construction in custom boats such as Stiletto Catamarans like
1107-491: The central and western United States, many air force bases and landing fields were decommissioned. These abandoned runways were perfect for drag racing. Don Garlits's first drag race car was built under an oak tree at his home in North Tampa in 1954. He used an arc welder and a cutting torch to modify an old 1927 Ford Model T Roadster. To this roadster he added a 1948 Mercury engine block, a 1939 Ford floor shift transmission, and
1148-455: The cockpit; he was out for the remainder of the season. In an interview by Florida Trend , Garlits said this of the incident: "In 1970, the transmission exploded in my dragster on the final run, and it cut my foot off and cut the car in two. That’s when I drew up plans for what I thought would be a championship rear-engine car. I would go out to the shop in Seffner on my wheelchair, saw stuff out on
1189-417: The event of a fire . Military pilots and aircrew wear flight suits made of over 92 percent Nomex to protect them from cockpit fires. It is also worn as sailors' anti-flash gear . Troops riding in ground vehicles often wear Nomex for fire protection. Kevlar thread is often used to hold the fabric together at seams. Military tank drivers also typically use Nomex hoods as protection against fire. In
1230-636: The fuel was banned by the National Hot Rod Association, who reluctantly relented its "Fuel Ban" in 1964. Because of the Fuel & Gas Championships reputation as the most fiercely contest "outlaw" drag race, winning the event gave a drag racer immediate caché. In 1962 Don Prudhomme gained national notoriety and became a touring professional after he defeated the Gotelli Speed Shop for Top Eliminator. In 1965, Garlits won Top Fuel that year, and has more than avenged his initial embarrassment, ultimately winning
1271-456: The full-body, fire-resistant Nomex driving suit, complete with socks, gloves, and balaclava . Garlits was the first drag racer to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, and 270 mile-per-hour marks in the quarter mile; he was also the first to top 200 mph (320 km/h) in the 1 ⁄ 8 mi (0.20 km). He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame and has won many awards during his career. After World War II , in
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1312-595: The last. He won a total of 144 national events. On October 20, 1987, his dragster Swamp Rat XXX , the sport's only successful streamlined fueler, was enshrined in National Museum of American History , a branch of The Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC. In true Garlits style, during the press conference submission and placement ceremony, the dragster was fired up on the Smithsonian "porch." In 1987, Garlits suffered
1353-420: The loss of part of his foot in a dragster accident. This design was notably safer since it put most of the fuel processing and rotating parts of the dragster behind the driver. The driver was placed in front of nearly all the mechanical components, thus protecting him and allowing him to activate a variety of safety equipment in the event of catastrophic mechanical failure or a fire. Garlits was an early promoter of
1394-412: The wake of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta 's fatal crash and numerous other engine explosions and resultant fires, occurring in the last 300 feet of the quarter mile, Garlits declared "I am 100 percent in favor of it", regarding NHRA's proposal to trim the race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car from the traditional quarter-mile to 1,000 feet, also suggesting that he would support a ban on rev limiters and
1435-404: The west coast racers. Over 30,000 people attended the event, the largest attendance at a drag race at that point. His presence helped to grow the sport of drag racing beyond its California base. In 1964, after winning the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Garlits traveled to England, with TV Tommy Ivo , Tony Nancy, Dante Duce and other racers, to participate in the first International Drag Festival,
1476-470: Was a runner-up at Lions, all in the new car. A change so momentous had not happened since Mickey Thompson moved the seat behind the rear axle to create the Panorama City Special slingshot rail dragster in 1954. Rear engine dragsters have since become mainstream in drag racing. In 1977, Ed Donovan persuaded Garlits to switch from the 426 hemi he had been using for the last thirteen years to
1517-408: Was added to the March Meet's competition menu. Danny Ongais won the first Funny Car Eliminator at Famoso. In the 1980s, then-rising star John Force won Funny Car at the March Meet three times, in 1984, 1986 and 1987. Local Bakersfield-based racer James Warren dominated Top Fuel Eliminator in the 1970s, three-peating in 1975, 1976 and 1977. In 1982, in a drag racing first, two women squared off in
1558-465: Was defeated by incumbent Democrat Karen Thurman . He supported the Republican candidacy of Ron Paul for President in 2008. Nomex Nomex is a trademarked term for an inherently flame-resistant fabric with meta - aramid chemistry widely used for industrial applications and fire protection equipment. It was developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967. The fabric
1599-526: Was something of an outsider. He was sometimes referred to as the Floridian, before permanently adopting the nickname "Swamp Rat," which also became the name for each new generation of his innovative dragster designs. In 1959, Garlits traveled to Bakersfield, California for the US Fuel and Gas Championships, later to be named the " March Meet ", to show that the times he was setting were as legitimate as those set by
1640-590: Was the legendary slingshot dragster with which Big Daddy would win the first NHRA race he entered, the NHRA Safety Safari in Lake City, Florida (12.1 seconds, 108 mph). Three years later, he became a professional drag racer. The first national drag racing meet, sponsored by the National Hot Rod Association was held on an airfield near Great Bend, KS in 1955. Don Garlits, being from Florida,
1681-626: Was to be short-lived. "Big Daddy" retired again before the end of the 1992 season because of a detached retina, a product of the 4g deceleration produced by a Top Fuel Dragster's braking parachutes. Garlits resumed his career briefly in 1998, and again in 2003. His last qualifying race was in May 2003 at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 23rd annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac in Atlanta, Georgia . At