Pinto built by Gapp and Roush
images via http://voiture-jaune.tumblr.com/Bill Stephens in the Jan 2001 Drag Racer magazine said the following "Bob Gidden's greatest racing accomplishment, besides winning all those races and all those championships, was his ability to make a winning race car out of a Pinto, and a Fairmont, and to really show off, a Plymouth Arrow."
Love that quote.
http://www.nhra.com/50th/top50/B_Glidden04.html has his bio, placing him number 4 of the all time greatest top 50 drag racers. Placing at nubers 1-3 respectively are Garlits, Force and Prudhomme
"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. When all was said and done, Glidden had tied Don Prudhomme for most national event wins in a season with seven, including five straight, and had broken the Pro Stock single-season record of six set by Jenkins in 1972.
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. 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."
Glidden retired his undefeated Fairmont in favor of a Plymouth Arrow in 1979 and lost only three times all year. After finishing the 1978 season with seven straight victories, Glidden opened the 1979 season with a victory at the Winternationals and didn't lose a round until June, when a foul start in the second round of the Mile-High Nationals snapped his streak at 14 races and 50 rounds. That season, Glidden won seven national events, went undefeated in divisional competition, and earned the maximum number of points available at four national events by qualifying No. 1, setting low e.t. and top speed, and winning the race. He did the same thing at all four of his divisional races. "
Love that quote.
http://www.nhra.com/50th/top50/B_Glidden04.html has his bio, placing him number 4 of the all time greatest top 50 drag racers. Placing at nubers 1-3 respectively are Garlits, Force and Prudhomme
"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. When all was said and done, Glidden had tied Don Prudhomme for most national event wins in a season with seven, including five straight, and had broken the Pro Stock single-season record of six set by Jenkins in 1972.
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. 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."
Glidden retired his undefeated Fairmont in favor of a Plymouth Arrow in 1979 and lost only three times all year. After finishing the 1978 season with seven straight victories, Glidden opened the 1979 season with a victory at the Winternationals and didn't lose a round until June, when a foul start in the second round of the Mile-High Nationals snapped his streak at 14 races and 50 rounds. That season, Glidden won seven national events, went undefeated in divisional competition, and earned the maximum number of points available at four national events by qualifying No. 1, setting low e.t. and top speed, and winning the race. He did the same thing at all four of his divisional races. "
