"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Returns to NHRA with Dodge Challenger Drag Pack

A small Don Garlits story for you.

friend of mine owns a company ( well his son took it over because he is in his late 80s now) called Chute metal which has been around drag racing forever.
he holds patents on multiple drag racing applications including something with the
drag chutes, the way the chutes are deployed, scatter blankets and some other items i cant think of.

they hold the mopar atlantic nationals at englishtown every year and Garlits is usually there about every other year with a couple of swamp rats.
i told my friend i was going to the nationals as i do just about every year and he said i heard Garlits is going to be there, i said yes and he goes "walk up to him and just say Parachute Tom says HI....."

i get to the englishtown and hunt down Garlits and walk up to his table,
i assume it was his wife that approached and she says can i help you? and i say i have a message for Don.

he walks over with a real ____ed off look on his face and says
WHATS THE MESSAGE!! i said Parachute Tom says Hi.

if you could have seen his face and the way his tone changed, he went from Granite to almost mushy. Tom? Parachute Tom? my god i haven't seem him in forever, how is he, how is his health. how is his wife, whats he doing, how do you know him? it was hard to get a word in edgewise, finally i gave him a little background of how i knew Tom and his wife and what they were doing since turning the business over to his son and i said How about if i get them down here tomorrow? he was ecstatic at the proposition.

i got him and his wife to follow me down and they spent about 4 hours with Garlits talking about everything under the sun and reliving the glory days of drag racing.
out of the 20+ nationals i have been to that one was the absolute best.