Follow

Don believes strongly in preserving our history and sharing it with the generations of today & tomorrow. As Don quotes, “We might not know where racing is going, but we sure know where it came from, and that needs to be told”.

Parma Heights, Ohio (October 25, 2011) – The Quarter Mile Foundation will have a strong presence at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, December 1-3, 2011 at the Orange Country Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. The Foundation will occupy Booth 801, near the Show’s Media Center, and will be sharing the location with one of the most important drag racing vehicles in the sport’s history – Don Garlits’ “Swamp Rat XIII.” The Foundation will use the show to continue filming interviews with drag racing and performance industry legends for the PROJECT 1320 documentary film series.

Foundation Chairman, Traci Hrudka said, “The Foundation, working with Steve Lewis Founder/Publisher of Performance Racing Industry, the PRI Trade Show production team and Don Garlits and the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, have allowed the foundation to display the iconic ‘Swamp Rat XIII,’ which because of the catastrophic accident at Lions Drag Strip, led to the demise of the front-engine dragster when Don perfected the rear-engined dragster design. The Foundation will share the booth with the car, which will allow us the opportunity to reach the motorsports community with our message and the importance of the PROJECT 1320 documentary. “We are also very pleased to use the PRI Show to continue to gather the interviews for the PROJECT 1320 documentary. The number of drag racing and industry legends who gather at the show makes this a great place to capture the memories of their lives.”

Steve Lewis, PRI Trade Show producer, commented about the presence of the legendary car at the show, saying, “I see the presence of Don’s ‘Swamp Rat XIII’ as a major enhancement to our show. The car’s history and unintended impact on the sport of drag racing is the stuff of legends. “This is the first time this car has been out of Don’s museum since it was rebuilt/restored, and we are extremely grateful to him to allow us to showcase this car during the 60th Anniversary of the National Hot Rod Association and of organized, sanctioned drag racing. This will be one of the most significant cars of the many on display during the show.

“We are also very pleased to have the Quarter Mile Foundation share the area. The Foundation and the PROJECT 1320 documentary about the history of drag racing and the performance aftermarket is a very important, and much needed, undertaking. The ability to have them share the spotlight with this significant piece of drag racing history seemed to be a natural fit.

“We at PRI are extremely pleased to have a role in assisting in building the awareness of the undertaking, and having such an important, history-changing race car in this year’s show.”

Traci Hrudka added, “This could not have happened without Don Garlits and his enthusiasm for sharing the car with the show-going public. He will be around the car most of the show Thursday and Friday, answering questions and signing autographs.

“The Foundation will also raffle the ‘Vintage Rat’ big block Chevrolet engine – the last engine built by the late Joe Mondello. We’ll pull the winning name at the World Products booth (2523) on Saturday afternoon at time to be announced.”

Follow

Raffle, Interviews, Swamp Rat XIII

Parma Heights, Ohio (November 23, 2011) – The Quarter Mile Foundation will have a sizeable footprint at the 2011 Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, December 1-3 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Working in conjunction with the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show staff, the Foundation will have a strong floor presence with the display of Don Garlits’ iconic Swamp Rat XIII in booth 801. The legendary front-engined Top Fuel dragster has been loaned to the Foundation and the Show, marking the first time it has appeared outside of Garlits’ Drag Racing Museum in Ocala, Fla. following its reconstruction after the transmission explosion at Lions Drag Strip on March 8, 1970.

Joining the Swamp Rat XIII will be the Foundation’s “Vintage Rat” 555 inch Chevy raffle engine, the last engine built by the legendary Joe Mondello at the Mondello Technical Center in Crossville, Tenn. The engine will be displayed in the Foundation booth on Thursday and Friday, before it is moved to the World Products booth (2523) for the drawing at 3:00 PM on Saturday, December 3.

The Foundation will also be conducting interviews for the PROJECT 1320 documentary in an interview room provided by the PRI Trade Show management. The interviews will expand the collection of 86 completed first person interviews, comprising over 100 hours of recollections from the pioneers of drag racing and the performance aftermarket.

WHERE TO FIND US…
See the attached map for our location. Please use the link below to see our location (West Side) on the larger floor plan: http://www.mapyourshow.com/shows/index.cfm?SHOW_ID=PRI11&alt_entry=true&curr_pri=facility

Follow

Increases total interviews completed to 86

Parma Heights, Ohio (NOVEMBER 17, 2011) –The Quarter Mile Foundation has announced it has added interviews of 20 performance industry and drag racing legends for the PROJECT 1320 documentary at the 2011 SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, November 1 to 4.

Quarter Mile Foundation chairman, Traci Hrudka said, “Our intent at this year’s SEMA Show was to try to capture several of the important figures of the industry who have helped grow and guide it to where it is today. We were also hoping to get perspectives of some of the important individuals from the auto makers’ performance programs.

“The Specialty Equipment Market Association and CONVEXX (the SEMA Show Producer) really made this possible. Combined with an excellent, high traffic booth location and record Show attendance, the support shown by SEMA and CONVEXX created a wonderful and very productive week!

“I feel we were able to gather a very broad group of individuals from a fairly diverse background. We were fortunate to gain the interviews of two key veterans – Art Chrisman and Leo Kagan, both SEMA Hall of Fame members whose contributions helped shape the sport and the industry.”

PROJECT 1320 interviewer, Don Gillespie, commented, “The SEMA Show interviews provided the PROJECT 1320 documentary with some real insights into the interviewees and to the growth of the aftermarket, in particular. Because the focus was heavily favoring industry figures, I got a far better appreciation for how the industry grew and how its internal relationships expanded and matured with the passing years.

“As the number of interviews has grown, there is also a clearer picture emerging of the ‘cradle to cockpit’ influences that the formative years of these pioneers had. It seems every interview adds another layer of perspective and information to the legacy of the sport and the industry.”

With the completion of the SEMA Show filming, the Quarter Mile Foundation has now interviewed 86 individuals, encompassing 100-plus hours of material.
A list of the interviewees follows below.
Interviews completed at the SEMA Show 2011
November 1-4, 2011

• Chuck Blum – Former President of SEMA (1980-2002), Wheel industry executive, SEMA Hall of Fame
• Art Chrisman – Pioneering drag racer, street rod/custom car builder, SEMA Hall of Fame – 2011
• Tom Compton – President – National Hot Rod Association
• Jeg Coughlin, Sr. – Founder – Jegs Automotive, Top Fuel/Funny Car drag racer
• Bob DeVour – Former Motorsports Director, Mr. Gasket Companies, industry executive, funny car crew chief
• Herb Fishel – Former Manager, Chevrolet Performance/General Motors Performance Parts, SEMA Hall of Fame
• John Force – 15 time NHRA/Full Throttle Funny Car Champion, heads NHRA all-time win list
• Angelo Giampetroni – Former National Sales Manager – Ford Racing, Principal, Gratiot Auto Parts, SEMA Hall of Fame
• Dennis Holding – Partner in the Frantic Four top fuel dragster, Director of International Sales – Mr. Gasket Companies, performance industry international sales representative

• Leo Kagan – Former SEMA Board Chairman, long-time member SEMA Board of Directors, manufacturers rep, employed by American Racing Wheels, Hurst Performance, SEMA Person of the Year, SEMA Hall of Fame
• Bob Keller – Founder/President – Turbonetics, Inc., long-time member of SEMA Board of Directors, SEMA Hall of Fame
• Jim Kerr – Long time manufacturer rep, SEMA Hall of Fame
• Arnie Kuhns – Executive Director, SFI Foundation
• Jim McFarland – Former Vice President, Engineering – Edelbrock, magazine technical editor, author, engineering consultant/advisor
• Ed Pink – Engine Builder
• Don Prudhomme – Top Fuel/Funny Car racer (1961-94), Top Fuel and Funny Car team owner (1995-2009), Four time consecutive NHRA Funny Car champion (1975-78), SEMA Hall of Fame
• Rick Rollins – Owner, Rollins Performance Marketing, immediate Past Chairman of SEMA, SEMA Hall of Fame
• John Towle – Executive Director – Performance Warehouse Association (PWA), former Vice President, Sales – Edelbrock, SEMA Hall of Fame – 2011
• Bob Vandergriff, Sr. – President/Owner – Hedman Performance Group, SEMA Hall of Fame