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Vandergriff enjoying career season
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<blockquote data-quote="wkmac" data-source="post: 262462" data-attributes="member: 2189"><p>No argument it was a great car but for me there were several versions of the Swamp Rat that I thought were just stellar, groundbreaking cars. Of those, the 2 most worthy are Swamp Rat 14 which was the first successful rear engine car and Swamp Rat 30 wihich was the first successful streamliner. It's a sad irony that about a month ago Connie Swingle who built a number of chassis for Don passed away. Connie built the chassis for Swamp Rat 14 per Don's design and early testing proved a nightmare with serious steering problems at speed. After several high speed ventures off the track and luckily into the grass at a local Florida dragstrip during testing, it was Connie's suggestion they change the steering box to a slower gear and the car worked. Needless to say Big headed west with SwampRat 14 and within a year almost all Top Fuelers had changed to a rear engine car.</p><p> </p><p>Swamp Rat 30 was the car that Big brought out in the mids 80's at a time when interest in Top Fuel was waning so much that NHRA and IHRA were discussing the potential of eliminating the class entirely. Big came back with the SuperShops Streamliner and reignited the class that moved it forward to what we have today. SwampRat 34 made history when it was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.</p><p> </p><p>Not taking anything away from anyone else but when NHRA and the sport had to decide on it's greatest drag racer of all time, it was Big Daddy going away.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="wkmac, post: 262462, member: 2189"] No argument it was a great car but for me there were several versions of the Swamp Rat that I thought were just stellar, groundbreaking cars. Of those, the 2 most worthy are Swamp Rat 14 which was the first successful rear engine car and Swamp Rat 30 wihich was the first successful streamliner. It's a sad irony that about a month ago Connie Swingle who built a number of chassis for Don passed away. Connie built the chassis for Swamp Rat 14 per Don's design and early testing proved a nightmare with serious steering problems at speed. After several high speed ventures off the track and luckily into the grass at a local Florida dragstrip during testing, it was Connie's suggestion they change the steering box to a slower gear and the car worked. Needless to say Big headed west with SwampRat 14 and within a year almost all Top Fuelers had changed to a rear engine car. Swamp Rat 30 was the car that Big brought out in the mids 80's at a time when interest in Top Fuel was waning so much that NHRA and IHRA were discussing the potential of eliminating the class entirely. Big came back with the SuperShops Streamliner and reignited the class that moved it forward to what we have today. SwampRat 34 made history when it was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Not taking anything away from anyone else but when NHRA and the sport had to decide on it's greatest drag racer of all time, it was Big Daddy going away. [/QUOTE]
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