“Big Daddy” Don Garlits has accomplished just about everything you can in Drag Racing. He has a total of 17 National Championship spread out between the AHRA, IHRA, and the NHRA, with 144 national events wins to his credit.

He consistently broke speed barriers, including being the first to go 200 mph.

Garlits can also be credited for saving hundreds of Top Fuel drivers from serious injury by his best-known innovation, perfecting the mid-engined dragster.

When his front-engine dragster’s transmission blew up, it cost Garlits half of his right foot. Don returned the following season with a mid-engine dragster that changed the history of Drag Racing.

It would seem that Big Daddy was born to the career that made him the most famous man to drive a dragster. But believe or not, Don started out like most want-to-be racer’s, hanging out as a teenager around a repair shop, watching and learning. The shop owner had a big impact on Don, helping first with Don’s street rod, and later with getting into drag racing.

Don thought enough of his mentor to include a tribute to him in one of the many Wynn’s ads that appeared every month in the car magazines in the early 70’s. The iconic ad, (see 1st photo), has Don explaining that Bobby Ray helped him out as a teenager by setting up a dual carb set-up on his flat head Ford. Then Don tells how Bobby Ray sailed off 16 years ago in his boat, and no one had heard from him since. That add appeared in 1972.

I recently had an opportunity to talk to Don Garlits, and I asked him if he remembered the add. And he had ever heard from Bobby Ray again, adding that I had wondered about pondered Bobby Ray’s fate the last 48 years.

Don Said “I absolutely do, (remember that ad), and the name of the guy that sailed away was Bob Jasper. And he sold me my first piece of speed equipment, a dual carburetor manifold. He helped me put it on and charged me $15. And he helped me anytime I needed it. He had a race car himself at the round tracks, not drag racing. He was a true genius, and one day he just got tired of everything, and he sold everything he had, and set out to sail around the world. After that ad came out, I heard that he had returned, and I contacted him.” Don added “He’s dead now, but he had finally settled down in California after many years of sailing around the world. They did not use his real name because they couldn’t get hold of him to ask permission.”

I bet most people that have succeeded in life had a mentor that had a hand in getting them started. I know I did, first in racing, then in my career, and most importantly, in the growth of my faith. A few years after I became born again in a new person in Christ, the Lord put Joe Johnson in my path. As the man who trained me as a Chaplain, Joe taught me a lot about how to interact with Christians of all walks and denominations. And the most important thing he shared was never put God in a box. In other words, God responds to the prayers of all who truly know Him, and call on Him in Jesus name, no matter if they are Pentecostal, Baptist or Catholic. If the person has handed their life over to Christ, they belong to Jesus. Period.

Joe Johnson has left this world to be with Christ. But I continue to try to honor him by encouraging people in their faith, like Joe did.

Don Garlits also continues to honor his mentor. Amongst all the special cars and trophies in Don’s Museum in Ocala Florida, there sits the very dual carb setup that Bob sold and set up on Garlits first car. A tribute to a special man.