The Bakersfield Fuel and Gap Championships is an exciting experiment in televised drag racing.
This live action race was produced with you, the viewer in mind.
This is the first drag race ever recorded in true stereo and set up to be played at a loud volume.
To experience the full effect, we recommend playing the audio through your home stereo and separating the speakers.
So crank up the volume and take a front row seat. Main event video is taking you to Bakersfield.
What do you think about the March meet at Bakersfield? What kind of history does it have for it?
I think it's a party atmosphere. You know, it's the everybody coming up here spending the entire weekend in the pits.
This place lets everybody camp out in the pits and just have a great time.
Bakersfield is a real neat place to come. It's a good thing for the spectators. A lot of fun to go here.
You couldn't imagine that the people that came out to see him, you know, the whole thing revolves around this little guy from Florida.
And we all tried to figure out who this upstart was and get him out on the west coast where the real racer was supposed to be.
And we were all going to show him our coattails.
This weekend I got a tent out there in the pits. We slept in a shower in three days as you might be able to tell.
It's sort of a rite of spring in drag racing if you will. We have something here that's very much akin to an Altamont or very much akin to a large gathering during the hippie area.
Because it's good weather, first time of the year. It's good times, first time of the year.
Hi, I'm Bobby Dora and I'll be your host for the next hour as the main event video brings you the 29th annual running of the U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships from Formosa Drag Strip in Bakersfield, California.
It's the most prestigious event of its kind, the largest independent drag race of its kind in the country.
Off in the distance you can see the balloons of all the supporting manufacturers. At the pit area here at Bakersfield filled with the area's finest race cars, acres and acres of impressive drag racing machinery.
Behind me the pit area of Big Daddy Don Garletts, the man that everybody came to see.
The first annual running of this race in 1959, Garletts paid $1,000 by the promoters to come out west from his home in Florida here to California to run with all the west coast cars.
Everybody disbelieved the times where Garletts was running but he proved it to them here right at this track in 1959.
He's the man everybody came to see and as you can see by the crowd around his trailer, they're all watching Big Daddy get ready for the first round.
Big Daddy Don Garletts, the name synonymous with the sport of top fuel drag racing. He's been three time NHRA World Top Fuel Champion and we're here with him today at the 29th annual Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championships.
Big Daddy, welcome to Bakersfield. Thank you, it's always a pleasure to be here you know.
Why do you run this event only as far as match racing is concerned? You run all the national events and you don't run too many match races at all but you still come back to Bakersfield.
That's a good question. I guess it's basically because it's an old race, you know I think it's the first really big race in drag racing. There were 30,000 people here in 1959 and nobody had ever experienced such an unbelievable happening.
It was like a Woodstock of drag racing and you know they had a pickup truck out here that they were filling up with money and people were walking across the fields and they were parked 10 miles away and I mean just on and on it goes like that.
You know you kind of remember that, it's not like that now but you know there's 25, 30 national events a year. This was the first time that everybody got to see all the cars that really could run under one operation and the smokers are to be given a lot of credit for having the foresight to put that together.
What exactly is the Smokers? That's a car club that from the old days they were originally here in Bakersfield. They were the epitome of car clubs. They had lots of money, the people that were in it had some bucks. They got me $5,000 to come out here in 1959, that was a lot of money.
We went back and bought a piece of property and built a garage and a speed shop with it. That's how much money that was. In 1959 when they had the first event, this event was run by a car club and I mean a car club in the strictest sense of the word.
And what happened was that they brought Don Garlett here from Florida and people started talking about it and the crowd absolutely overran the place. There was no such thing as crowd control.
I remember a guy telling me of standing in the bed of a pickup truck that was all the way full with $20, $50, and $100 bills and having maybe $10,000 just blow away off the top of the pickup truck that they just couldn't keep track of. It absolutely overwhelmed the place.
It's good drag racing in a very, very relaxed atmosphere. So actually to a significant degree the event has almost outdone the drag race if you will. It's as much a party and an event as it is a major drag race.
The Millers that run this track, you and Marvin Miller go back a long way, he's an ex-fuel racer. Is that one of the reasons why you're here?
If anybody else ran this track I wouldn't be here. The track is really from the 40s, you know, it's an old airstrip and it's not the high tech track that the high tech cars are. It's one of the reasons I'm here.
And the crowd to that extent was under some control at that time, but you must realize that we're talking in the middle of one square mile of asphalt. So it was nothing to see guys making 150 mile per hour warm up runs in the pits.
And then on Friday night and Saturday night they'd have a gang buster street race over on the spectator side of the drag strip.
And the most amazing thing that impressed me the first year I was here is that this plant is actually wide enough so that people can land twin engine aircraft to fly in and see the race on Sunday.
So I would tell you that until about the mid 70s the race just bordered on being out of control from a spectator standpoint.
How about the Miller family? How much has their influence changed this race?
Well, what it's done is it's matured the race. The event cycled from a car club event to a professional, a promoted event to a guy who just loves the race and is a member of the community getting his family involved.
And there's a heart to this race that was missing in the early years because it's still a local event held by local people, by a wonderful family of people who really are aware of the impact of the event.
After all, this is the only major independent drag race left in the sport. But the March meet has always and will always be the key event.
And Garletts is the basic reason why the March event was first held.
Don, this must really make you feel good.
Yes, it's quite an honor. You know, Kenny is one of the best in the business and for him to do a personal painting of my car is a real treasure.
These are the type of things that we love when we get to my age.
I've never seen anything like it when you come down that return road. These fans really love you here.
Well, I've been coming here a long time, you know, and there's a lot of people sitting in these stands that were here at the first one.
They're getting up in the years, but they're still enjoying it.
What do you think your chances are here today?
I think they're as good as anybody's. My car is running well. I'm not the number one qualifier, but I haven't hurt any parts.
There's plenty of potential left in that machine.
Main event video brings you a drag racing experience from Formosa Drag Strip in Bakersfield, California.
This is the running of the 29th annual Miller American Fuel and Gas Championships featuring a star studded field of South fuel and nitro 20 car drivers.
Heading the list of pros is the old man himself, the active living legend and world champion Don Garland.
He traveled 3000 miles to get here to defend his title against the low qualifier Larry Sutton in the Whitmore and Reid car.
Other competitors include the world's fastest potato farmer, Larry Miner in top fuel and in the funny car field, Ed Z, Ace Patala, both driving Miller American team cars.
And defending two time Bakersfield champion John Bruce Fort in the Castro-Ojeda Jolly Rancher Oldenville.
He's the low qualifier in funny cars. So join me for the hottest and fastest top fuel and nitro funny car race you'll ever see.
We're going to throw you into the stand here at Bakersfield for the running of this classic race.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's race day and we've got a great field of top fuel dragsters and nitro funny cars ready to battle it out here at the Formosa Drag Strip.
The mob cars first to burn out and the bursting buses just right behind them.
What a fire at hand, look at that fireworks display here to open the show.
And how about those World War II P-51 fighters? They used to use the same track as the Lanny's just 40 years ago.
First pair of Ed Moore driving the mob. Here is the first out, first pair of the Bakersfield fuel and gas generator.
This competition driving the bursting bus car, Bob Neal, a pair of California cars.
Bob Neal goes down the track and the parachute comes out accidentally.
He tried to leave the starting line but something went wrong. He couldn't move so Ed Moore, a big hole shot, picks the win by 77 last time, 239 miles per hour.
Looks like there's trouble in the right lane. There's something wrong with Dr. Lewis' car. It won't start.
Rocky Eberle pulls up for his dry burnout. Boy, those tires are really fighting into that car tree.
Corrullis is out of the car. It's a world-class symbol.
A good pass for Rocky, 5.76 seconds. A good run, 241 miles per hour. A tough break for Doug Corrullis.
Dougie couldn't get it started. The battery was dead. The crew tried his best. They had the jumper cables on but couldn't get it started.
Larry almost didn't make the show. As you can see, during qualifying, he got out of shape and backed up from his burnout. He's a former drag race starter. He's seen a lot of drag races and he knows how to do it. This is his finest drive ever.
Ball fight again, number one position, 5.41 seconds. He's going to get a single run and we'll be back in the second round.
Looks good and it sounded like a blow about to come off the plate as he passed our camera. And he just idled it. So that will knock him out of lane for the second round depending on the relations.
Okay, five and running to next pair. In the left hand lane, the number two qualifier, 5.50 seconds. Larry Marner driving the Miller American Entry. His competition, D. Wayne Thomas and James Cobert. Rain for rent special. This is the car that won this event three years in a row.
Larry Marner here in the left hand lane. Number two qualifier is 5.50 seconds. Definitely would add it down one of the odd dark payments that we'll hear today.
Everybody with a choice is taking the left lane. Although we haven't seen that much of a difference between the two lanes, the driver says there is a difference and they're going to go for it.
5.49 Eclipser equals the lower laps time of the event, 231 miles per hour. He had to shoot out real early but a real strong run by Larry Marner. 5.49 and only 231 miles per hour.
Next up, the number three qualifier at 5.50 seconds, Earl Whiting. His competition in the right hand lane, Butch Blair driving the car that he just bought from Joe Amato, a streamliner that Amato ran a few times decided that he didn't like and sold it to Blair.
First down of the police box is Butch Blair, the self-employed contractor of the car he calls Fogawa. It's Joe Amato's next streamliner with the enclosed nose and the canopy.
He's taking on the logger from the northwest, Earl Whiting, and the Whiting has largely stopped. A real threat anywhere this car runs.
He's driving off the dark lane, driving the wrong way, he takes it. Blair smokes the pistons in the light. What a great pass, 552, 263 miles per hour.
This is a study of concentration, Big Daddy Don Garlitz getting ready for his first round encounter with Bill Carter. Behind me, the number four qualifier and without a doubt the crowd favor here at Bakersfield, Big Daddy Don Garlitz. He qualified at 5.63 seconds. There's a lot of guys that are faster than him but there's nobody here that has the experience.
Carter has got a tough customer here for his competition. He qualified at 6.06, Garlitz is a couple of tenths of a second faster during qualifying and he's without a doubt the man to beat here. He did a good left hand lane.
This is the last year you'll see this screen liner. Garlitz was asked by the Smithsonian Institute to donate one rat thirty for permanent flag.
Garlitz is in the left hand lane, first to go. The president of Don Bill Carter in this high state legendary drag race, as far as Carter's too concerned, this is the final round. Anyone who beats the old man you think goes on the ring of fame.
As expected, Garlitz wins it with a 5.50. Carter having a fire, 7.16 last time but look at the speed that Garlitz ran, 271 miles per hour. Garlitz a 5.50, 271.
Next pair ready to go. Denver Shuts in the car they call the Raisin Express, a real pretty car, he's a raisin grower by trade.
Top fuel dragsters, they're long and sleek, they're the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world. They accelerate to 270 miles an hour in 5.5 seconds. They're powered by a nitro burner, 3000 horsepower thunder in aluminum racing engines.
When this race was held for the first time in 1959, they did look like this. When Garlitz race swap rat won, the engine was in front of the drivers. They were called slingshots. In 1970, a line drag strip that started with Larry Sutton. He witnessed a slingshot explosion that took off half of Big Daddy's foot. And the cars you're looking at now evolved with a rear engine drag strip reinvented by Garlitz as a result of that accident 17 years ago.
Well, foul start and parachute early out for Fred. That ruins his chance at 789, no way. Denver Shuts just drives right past him, 5.70 seconds, 241 miles per hour.
This is first round of micro footy car action.
The number two qualifiers, 5.68 seconds. He's run very, very well here.
Down in Gatesville, Florida.
He's been running at it most of the time. He's not driving off the sidewalk. He's got all the gas he wants. Remember, everybody says that the less manned land is the longer the better.
He takes the win of 585, 256 miles per hour. Don the Snake, as expected, up and smoke right off the starting line. We guess at the right lane, maybe there is a difference.
And lane choice is definitely going to be a determining factor later on in the round.
In Jogh Rue's force, he'll be up against Johnny West in the Hawaiian.
Nice drive by John Thorpe.
Johnny West, rolling off the wire, 212. John Thorpe, Casco, TX, Jolly Ranch, and Tandy's all in the middle. Those California drivers, they go at it every week, in and out on the NHRA and IHRA natural vent trail. The force is going to be a force threatening here.
John Thorpe's force takes that one, a great pass, 565, and I believe that's low ET for putting cars 264 miles per hour.
This is IHRA World Champion Dale Poole in the In-N-Out Burger.
He's up against a tough customer, Dale Poole, the brand new In-N-Out Burger Olderville. Boy is that a sharp looking car.
John Rue, the fastest speed ever for a money-tied Jimson Motorway class, 173 miles per hour.
And we notice that there's a little bit of water leaking out there in front of us. Let's be retired, let's be covered from an over-blaw, and that shouldn't cause us a problem.
Here's the win. 589 to a 591, only two one-thousandths of a second separating those two cars.
Now here's the man who taught Mike Dunn to drag race, his father, Jim Dunn.
And here's the competition, the beautiful, holy, smoke star, Jim Murphy. Jim Dunn is a Southern California fireman, and he's been racing funny cars for 20 years.
In 1969, a two-hour feature film called 21st Summer was made, which documented the summer racing season of Jim and his teenage crew chief, his son Mike.
And here's the win. 598 to a 40 miles per hour for the win. As you saw, Jim Dunn up in smoke, just like Don Perot did in that right-hand lane. Murphy gets the win, and also he'll be back for round number two.
The race history maker of the event was the Rain and the Rains Specialist, James Warren and Roger Kovac. Again, they won the Contra Eliminator. Again, they recorded five seconds of six-second runs, and Eliminations for the first time in the event's 19-year history won their third and second in the Margini Title.
More on us on Kaiser with a track record 575, and the third round victim, Stan Sharoma, with a 5.83 a lap time. Sitting here at the 29th Annual Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championships with Les Lovett of National Dragster and Chris Martin also of National Dragster.
These guys usually cover NHRA national events, but they're out here at Bakersfield, the real party atmosphere. Chris, first of the year, you've been here a lot, haven't you?
Well, the first time I came to this race was in 1964, and it was one of the first things I did without my parents' approval. We took off for three days here, and there was the Hells Angels and the Satan Slaves and every known top fuel dragster in the world.
And it was really a happening. I suppose if there was a thing like a Rednecks Woodstock or something, this would be it. And this is probably today here, some 23 years later from that date, the only race on the world like it, a race that you just come here, be yourself, have fun, watch the race. It's a happening, and I've never grown tired of it.
How about you, Leslie? You've been here quite a few times, too.
I used to come here with my motorhome and camp out in the pits and listen to the guys race over here in the field and crash them in the dark. Things have never changed here. This is still one of the most exciting party races I've ever been to in my life.
And I drive up now just on Sunday to see the event, watch the cars, and look at all the people and have the party, you know, like right in here tonight. Today, I mean, this is probably the most fun race of the year for us.
Hi, guys. How are we doing, boys? Enjoy the first night on top of the hill.
Oh, man. Davey Wallace, come here for our home movies. Come on down here. You've been to Bakersfield a million times.
Since 1964. This guy and I went to our first race together, didn't even know it.
I saw you working, though.
I had a little strike strength they gave me.
My favorite race.
What is your most memorable Bakersfield?
That's tough. I think the year that Garless and Warren raced in the final. And Garless was running at Donovan and he blew the motor as a match race.
You don't think they're going to run too hard. Garless blew the motor out of his car trying to beat Warren in the final.
The power had gone out earlier in the day and the power had been out for like three hours.
So all the trash cans were on fire on both sides of the track because they ran so late. It was pitch dark.
They didn't have lights there. All you had was every trash can in the place on fire on both sides. And these two top fuel cars going down the center at about nine o'clock at night.
And then Garless blowing that Donovan right out of the car. He broke the frame and everything trying to beat Warren. It was really cool.
Attention in the pit. Top fuel eliminator. Top fuel eliminator and funny car. Attention in the pit. Attention in the pit. Top fuel eliminator and funny car eliminator to the approach lane now.
Both drivers, I guarantee you, are heart to heart. This is the second round of top fuel action.
The winner of this goes into the semi-finals in the left hand lane. The world's fastest potato farmer, Larry Coyne.
Driving in the middle of the air. This competition driving R.J. Trotter's top fuel factor, beautiful Rocky Epperly.
I remember these cars go zero to 60 in less than a second. Six G's in less time than the White and Silver.
Epperly put a whole shot like mad on Miner. But Larry Miner had the horsepower and drove right around him.
A 5.52 left time for Miner for the win. 241 miles per hour. Epperly left the starting line first. He had a couple lengths at him right out here.
But he couldn't have mustered it up in the horsepower department. A 5.81, 217 miles per hour. But Larry Miner wins with a 5.52. He's going into the semis.
Okay, next up, ladies and gentlemen, the guy that everybody figures the odds on favorite to win it.
Behind me in the left hand lane, Big Daddy John Garland out of central Florida. He's won this race four times and won the Mexican blind.
Garland has knowledge as king of the dragsters. He's been doing this for 35 years.
He was out here at the first US fuel and gas championships in Bakersfield in 1959. And now he's back here in 1987 looking to put on his fifth win.
Garland is the man who forever moves tonight. He's got fuel drag racing. He's the first man to successfully campaign a rear engine dragster.
And the first man to make string lining into this floor. You can see as far as that down with him. He's passing the front end.
He's kicking just right through the air. And it looks like he's going to be running a single.
This competition is far off the wheel. The one and first round does not make it back to this second round. The ball is just out of steeple run.
It's time for this truly unique big mukbang race.
5.3.
Heати and big Daddy John この前は 言う人は our
Heatti and big Daddy John この前は 言う人は
The best driver, number one qualifier, definitely the 5-4 in the world.
One of the favorite drivers here today.
They like the thrill of driving the fastest accelerating vehicle in the world.
All the way down he takes it, 5.56 for the win to a losing 5.87.
Another pair of California-based top fuel dragsters out here battling it out.
The C-Hill goes into the semifinal round for Ray Clarice Sutton.
To the mob car, Dan Moore, he's in the right-hand lane.
And the former standard dragster, driver Earl Whiting, here is the best man.
Don't get too much on the international and national trail.
They're out here battling it out.
Earl Whiting takes the win, the fourth winner to run a 5.50 elapsed time.
Whiting's 5.57, 257 miles an hour, puts him in the semifinals against Larry Sutton.
The other semifinal, the race everybody wanted to see, Big Daddy Don Garland's against the world's fastest potato farmer, Larry Minor.
John Lundberg, they call him Thunder Lungs. He's one of drag racing's legendary announcers.
John, it's a great racer at Bakersfield.
It always is. There's a spirit at this event that is just unduplicated by any other event in the sport.
It involves families, it involves third generation spectators, it involves a spring right of quarter mile acceleration,
and that's what makes Bakersfield a unique event that it is, Bob.
John, you've been here for many of these things ever since the beginning, the 29th annual now today.
What's your most memorable experience at any of these?
I would say the two years in 65 and 66 when we qualified 64 cars.
At any one time during the first round of Top Fuel Eliminator, there were a total of 10 cars running on the drag strip.
It hasn't been seen before and it hasn't been seen since, and it happened only here at Bakersfield.
John, are Top Fuel drag strips still the king of the sport?
There's no doubt about that. If you were to have a Formula One, it has to be that vehicle which just conceptualizes the whole sport.
And the name of the game is elapsed time and top speed, and nobody's quicker, nobody's better.
Top Fuel is the sports king, there's no doubt about it.
John, this race here, the Fuel and Gas Championships, this is the 29th year for it.
It's a very emotional race, I guess, for you.
Very emotional. It was funny wanting to win this race.
These are people, the Miller family that I'm personally involved with.
I work all their press conferences. I run here for years. I give them a good race car.
They don't pay me the good money just because we're a top contender.
That's the way we help promote this race.
But the Miller, the Ma and Pa side of it, and the brothers that work this, and Mr. Miller, the father, I mean, an excellent promoter.
You can just tell by the crowd that they bring to these racetracks.
But the thing that I look at is the way the heart of the people are here.
And this is a major event here.
The people come all the way from New Jersey to be part of this.
And it's very important to them, it's very important to us.
As you know, the independent racetracks are slipping away.
Major corporations like Billy Myers' Motorplex in Texas are being taken over by big companies with big money.
And to see a family, a group of people, a local here that are holding a race together with this magnitude of crowds and numbers
and looking at the purses that they pay that are as big as the NHRA events, I'm very impressed.
I'm going to work and run this race as hard as I can to show the appreciation for this family,
not only to win this race, but to show them that we need these people like the Millers to keep drag racing alive.
Both of these cars ran very good in the first round.
First round, Johnny Port, meet up Johnny West.
He's rolling the arms of a Hawaiian car.
Mike Dunn put away Dale Poole in the In-N-Out Burger car.
Both of these cars ran well in the first round.
Forrest ran just a little bit quicker.
That's why he's got race cars.
John on the right lane, a second generation running car driver.
His dad got beaten in the first round, but he's doing better.
He's just going to be the son of a son of a miller.
There's no way of doing it without the people on the broken block and all these dual-racers are here.
So it should be a good battle.
John Port is the defending champion here today.
He won this event last year, but he's back here now in the finals.
The dry burnout is very important in these cars.
After they make their smoky burnout...
The one thing they don't want to do is to strike the tires.
That means smoke the tires off the start line.
They're going to take them out and leave clean.
Maybe pedal a little bit, as they call it.
Back pedal.
They're going to hit the Christmas tree.
Then they can take it all the way down to their full power.
Lucky break for John Forrest.
He smoked the tires as he saw a little bit in the middle of the track.
He got a little bit out of shape and managed to hang on to it.
He's in 578.257.
Mike Dunne, right alongside him, had the whole show.
It was just a little bit, but he managed to get out in front.
Forrest was smoking the tires, but Dunne slowed, only recorded in a 6.02 lap time, but a good speed, 238 miles per hour.
John Forrest with a 578 goes into the final round against the winner of the next pair.
Who will go into the final against John Forrest?
That's the question that's going to be decided right now.
In the left-hand lane, driving the Miller American All-Zimale,
it's Eddie H. McCoy, driving the Larry Minor team car.
This competition, the only smoked car out of Hudson Racing, is Dan Murray.
The odds are favorite to win this race is Eddie H. McCoy, running for Larry Minor.
He's very fast here this weekend.
He's running in front of his sponsor, Miller Bear's sponsors, the Fuel Gas Chargers.
He loves to do well.
He's now living in South Florida, and has landed his best lap ever.
Now he's moving into the new aerodynamic, open-wheel bodies, you're going to see a lot of it.
Also, the duct tape on the front fender, he had a mid-race crutch last week in Atlanta.
Went into another car, but he repaired it and he's back and ready to go.
Let's watch his drive right now.
Remember to look to see if he's very tired of smoke.
Yes, a little bit of smoke.
He's been running into the same problem as John Forte in this race.
Jimmy Murphy, the Dugger's 30-minute money car racer.
He's been around for a long time.
He doesn't have the experience that Eddie H. McCoy has.
Two ways, 20-minute body, and a cold car that's cool to drive.
A racing rear sport with John Forte on the car.
What a great final we're going to have.
Eddie H. McCoy, a 5.79, 259 miles per hour.
He's 1.1 hundredths of a second away from John Forte when he ran in the semi.
So, Forte has lane choice.
You can bet a million dollars he's going to be in this lane.
And McCoy, in the final against Forte, is going to be in that tricky right lane.
This is probably going to be the best race of the event.
Semi-final round is about to be.
Big John and John Forte are going to be some better drivers.
Here's the man that's racing here in front of us, Sponsor.
The North American team, the boss, Larry Miner.
Larry Miner, the boss of the North American team.
Larry Miner, the boss of the North American team.
Larry Miner, the boss of the North American team.
The boss, Larry Miner.
Don Carr is some 50-some years old.
They've known us for 35 years.
Without a doubt, a veteran.
Everybody knows that he's a man.
A lot of the other racers use computers, but he doesn't need one.
He's got everything way up here.
More experienced than any five of these top fuel drivers put together.
The root patch goes up here.
Big Daddy's crew chief, Hurt Marks, is going to make a barrel jump,
a valve adjustment right on the starting line.
Bernie Federle, the crew chief of Larry Miner, winding him up.
One of these cars is going into the final here and making stairs.
Oh, man!
Big Daddy Don Garlett, ladies and gentlemen.
He's going to go a lap time of 5.47 for Garlett.
Carbine speed, 262 miles per hour.
He blows Larry Miner into the wings.
Miner, a very respectable 5.56, 2.36, but no match for Garlett.
It's just 5.47.
Big Daddy Don Garlett goes into the final.
What a burnout by Whiting!
I'll tell you, unbelievable burnout he is going for.
He laid out his loader and came back here.
You can see the fog in the air.
The nightgowns are dragging him.
Earl Whiting is blowing.
He wants to win this.
He wants to go up against Big Daddy.
Now, thankful Larry Sutton, he didn't make it as ferocious a burnout as Whiting did.
Those guys are robust.
They want to try to hang on to their equipment.
They want to try to prove it on the race track.
Here comes Earl Whiting, not going to the car park.
The question is, if you can change the direction of the drivers,
which way to turn the wheel, which way do you want to take off?
The drivers answer, they take a back, they can pass,
they can go all the way over the two pieces, right in the back under the starting line.
So, the semifinal round is Tom's fuel register.
The winner is, it's the chance of a lifetime to race Big Daddy Don Garlett in the final round.
Here comes Earl Whiting, the first race day now,
for three minutes and eight seconds in the hands of the starter.
He fouled and broke something right off the starting line.
A tough break for Earl Whiting.
Larry Sutton is going to the biggest final round drag race of his career.
He ran a 5.66, Garlett ran a 5.47, Garlett says Lane Joyce,
but Larry Sutton is going after the old man.
Oh, it ain't hard. Oh, Lane, beautiful.
Garlett's final round competition is the low qualifier,
the Whitmore and Reed car driven by Larry Sutton.
Sutton's getting the opportunity of a lifetime,
a shot in the final round at Bakersfield against Big Daddy.
A win here would really be the highlight of Larry and his team's career.
They're taking no chances. The motor is being completely torn down.
Every part is being inspected and replaced if necessary.
Sutton carefully mixes the nitro methane fuel with alcohol for the California Rattler.
Big Daddy and his crew chief, Hurd Parks, hard at work, completely field stripping,
just assembling as well. They're pulling the pistons out, everything.
New bearings, new rings, really thrashing away.
They're getting ready for the final to go up against Larry Sutton.
Big Daddy, you're looking pretty good today.
Well, she made a good run that time. That's what we were waiting on, a low E.T.
The fans really love you.
It was quite a difference from 29 years ago when they booed you.
Well, yeah, I paid my dues.
You're racing Larry Sutton. He's an up-and-coming driver.
You think he's going to be in any competition?
You bet. He was a low qualifier. It'll be tough. This race ain't over.
You know that he was the starter at Lions when you blew your foot off 15 years ago?
Are you kidding?
I mean, I got 25 pictures of all of that with him right there helping me out of the car and everything.
This is Big Daddy's crew chief Herb Parks, one of the hardest-working men in the business.
Herb, right before you pulled up to the line for that semifinal, we saw you make an adjustment on the car.
Yes, the barrel valve was too rich. That's the idle circuitry on the car.
It's very important how the car leaves the starting line with the amount of fuel that it has initially.
So I had to set the barrel valve setting, which was too rich. I had to lay it down just a little bit.
There's a little bit different story. 29 years ago, at the first one in 1959, announcing that event was Bernie Mather.
Bernie, how is this event different today than it was from 59?
Well, the main reason, the race, the conception of it was involved and completely revolved around Don Garletts.
And we had no way of possibly anticipating the turnout of people, race cars.
I mean, it was total utter chaos. There were no physical barriers to restrain the people, keep them off the strip.
And it was a total miracle. We didn't have a wipeout of thousands, you know, car after car.
A line of race cars, just purely dragsters, was well in excess of 100.
And after this meet was over, everybody retired to Lodi, and Big Daddy won that and showed them what it was all about.
You know, from that day on, that man made a fan out of me and he's my hero.
Tonight's done qualifying. A dangerous time to run a fuel car, especially with a shutoff that's pitch black.
Tonight is the most spectacular way to experience a fuel car.
The annual Bakersfield Miller American Classic has always been known for its wild nighttime qualifying sessions where anything can happen.
Gary Beck off the line first. The rear wheel comes off the car. The McGee car twisting and spinning in the shower of sparks.
Tonight qualifying has always been an exciting part of the Miller Classic, and this year is no exception.
Beck is climbing out of the car. He looks okay. That's the first crash the former world champion has ever had. Here again, Beck off the line. Apparently the rear axle breaks, sending the car out of control and putting Beck on his head.
After that, a devastating crash caused by a broken axle. The anatomy of a faulty part short circuits the hopes of the Aussie team.
The car is dejected. Gary Beck, a former top dual world champion, quickly recovers from a flirt with death. It's a disappointed game. We traveled from Australia to race at the Miller Classic.
A closer look reveals another side of this anatomy, the effect on the racer's wife.
How many other racers' wives share the same anguish and torment in watching their husbands race, hoping the awful moment won't happen?
If it does, it'll turn out as safe as this one did.
Behind me, the driver of Larry Miner's Miller American Oldsmobile, Ed DeAce McCullough. This is his pit area. As you can see, the crew is going frantic, getting ready for the final round against John Force. They want to win this one because it's at a race sponsored by their sponsor, Miller Beer.
Ed, you're going in the final against John Force. Yeah, John's car, you know, they've been running, their car's been running real well. This car's been running pretty good. And we came in here and ran a 68th, you know, on the first run. We sort of anticipated the racetrack getting a little better. It didn't get real good. So we had to back it up and start over, John. They've got to figure it out. They're going down the racetrack real good.
They have lane choice. Is that going to make a difference? Earlier in the day, I think it would have made a difference. Now I don't think it's going to make a difference. You know, later in the afternoon, the racetrack's going to cool back off. You know, he ran a 578 and I run a 579 and I don't think lane choice is going to be a difference. I think it'll be a real good race.
Most of the time he's surprised me. He's going into the final for the second year in a row here at Bakersfield, the defending champion. John, you're looking really good. It was a fast racetrack in the beginning of the day. You saw we ran 65, 264 and took the record back again for myself from both ends. The car's running exceptionally well. But as the days passed, it's starting to go away. And then that run there, I saw a playback on it. It was a tire smoking run. It got us worried. We're making some changes to compensate for it.
Besides doing the normal maintenance on your car, I see your crew's got the rear end out. Is there a problem there?
Oh, yeah. No, we're just making some changes just to kind of insure us on this racetrack in case it's a little bit edgy. The motor makes plenty of muscle to pull any gear that we want to run. We just want to protect ourselves from smoking the tires.
What do you think you'll run in the final? Do you have any predictions?
If we can stop it from turning the tires, she'll run another 60, middle 60 again. I've been clicking her in the center line and she's still been running 265. So I think we're OK. Final rounds are always sexy. The fans should look for a low 70. I'd be happy to have them. That's a pretty tricky group down there. Miner's team, Federle and Ed McCullough, those guys know how to get down about anything. So it's going to be anybody's race. The fans are going to like it.
The forest really laid down a super smoky burning. You can see the head of flames coming out of his car. You can't see the flames during the day, but at night they're a very spectacular show.
I still put behind drag racing because I've come so far in it. A guy that came from being a truck driver that had no money behind him, you knew I was a teamster for 10 years, and Hart will win a lot of races.
It's some underdogs because I've been there so many times it'll jump up and break your back. Miller's such great people. I mean, obviously they'd like for us to win.
Certainly we'd like to win it for Miller and Oldsmobile, but we're out here doing the best we can and that's all they expect. So we're in the final and maybe we can win it.
There are no true kings in the sport. Some dominate, money helps, and the innovations that they have, but anybody can win a race and you'll see that this weekend here at Bakersfield.
So let me tell you, when I go to the starting line, I'm afraid of all those guys because that's how you lose, being overconfident.
John Force takes the win. What a great run. You can't get a better drag race than that. A 5.72 to a losing 5.79. John Force repeats as the great car champion here at the Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championships.
You can't get a better drag race than that. A 5.72 to a losing 5.79.
So the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world here for the final lap of Tom Newell at the Millimeter sponsored US Fuel and Gas Championships.
Every year since 1959 they've done this here and here we are in 87 with one of the biggest final laps in history.
So Big Daddy Don Garland is looking for win number 5 in his competition. Larry Sutton, he's never been in a final lap in a big drag race like this and he's got a race this year.
Right now, Big Daddy Don Garland.
So Big Daddy wins win number 5 here at Bakersfield. Larry Sutton wasted away a 5.51, a red light start. Big Daddy takes the fifth win in his career here at Bakersfield.
A fair and swerve run and it's a great way to catch up with the US Fuel and Gas Championships here at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy Don Garland gets his fifth win at Bakersfield. Congratulations Don. Thank you very much. It was an unusual final. Did you know that Larry had fell?
Yes I did. I saw the red light just as soon as we left. He was out too far and the light had changed. The fans really love you here. Have you ever seen an enthusiast like this in any other track?
No, this is an old race. They all come out here. Congratulations again. Big Daddy wins number 5 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 6 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 7 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 8 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 9 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 10 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 11 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 12 at Bakersfield.
Big Daddy wins number 13 at Bakersfield.