Bob Glidden has passed

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Rip Bob
 
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I seen that he was sick and moved to the hospital Thursday I think. Thank you Bob for all the great memories! Rest in peace .
 
Oh no! I grew up in a Ford family, and Glidden was my hero when I was a kid. This still is my favorite pro stocker....

Glidden T-Bird.jpg
 
I can remember in the beginning of Pro Stock watching Bob come over Bandimere Hill ( Before Freeway) in a rig that most Bracket Racers have now. No big ,fancy Semi Rigs back then. Always admired his hard work. RIP Bob
 
He is a classic example of what you can achieve through working hard and being determined to succeed. He took an untried, unproven combination, (small block Arrow) and through hard work won a season championship. RIP Bob.
 
God Bless him and his family!

NOBODY thought they were getting an easy run against Bob
 
One of my fondest memories of Bob Glidden was at the 1979 winternats. I was a young 20 something at the time. I had a picture of the plymouth arrow that I brought to their pits. The Line to Bob was big, So I went to Etta first and asked for her autograph knowing she helped him with his engine building. I then talked to her about building the new plymouth engines. I was probably one of the few who asked for her autograph. Then I went to Bob for his. Apparently he had caught the whole thing out of the corner of his eye. He quietly thanked me for recognizing Etta, and he gave me a personal tour of his new Arrow. opening the door and letting me see inside and take pictures. I will never forget it to this day.
 
I've been going to the U.S. Nationals almost every year...for years now. Glidden, without question, is one of my all-time favorite racers in the sport. He was animal, and that's putting it mildly. One of my many most memorable moments at the Nats was the Pro Stock Finals back in 1985. Glidden, in that damn blue & white Thunderbird, was up against Bruce Allen in the Reher-Morrison Camaro for all the marbles. My brother and I happened to be down in the pits just prior to that race. We watched as Glidden, himself, personally drained almost all the fluids out of the rear end and the tranny trying to reduce friction just enough to squeeze that last little bit of ET without blowing anything up. He won that race by a fraction of a second and sacrificed some expensive parts in doing so. They didn't nickname this dude "Mad Dog" for nothin'. Back then, Pro Stock was in the dirt "blood & guts" competition and was really "pro stock"...not this computer-designed BS that they run today. As you can tell, I'm not a ProStock fan anymore. ProMod and Top Fuel are about all that's left in my old age.
This guy was something else; a drag racer extraordinaire. He was the last guy you'd want to be matched up against at the starting line. God broke the mold when He created Bob Glidden.
RIP, old friend, and thanks for the great racing memories.
 
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lgjhn said:
I've been going to the U.S. Nationals almost every year...for years now. Glidden, without question, is one of my all-time favorite drivers in the sport. He was animal, and that's putting it mildly. One of my many most memorable moments at the Nats was the Pro Stock Finals back in 1985. Glidden, in that damn blue & white Thunderbird, was up against Bruce Allen in the Reher-Morrison Camaro for all the marbles. My brother and I happened to be down in the pits just prior to that race. We watched as Glidden, himself, personally drained almost all the fluids out of the rear end and the tranny trying to reduce friction just enough to squeeze that last little bit of ET without blowing anything up. He won that race by a fraction of a second and sacrificed some expensive parts in doing so. They didn't nickname this dude "Mad Dog" for nothin'. Back then, Pro Stock was in the dirt "blood & guts" competition and was really "pro stock"...not this 1000' computer-designed BS that they run today. As you can tell, I'm not a ProStock fan anymore. ProMod and Top Fuel are about all that's left in my old age.
This guy was something else; a drag racer extraordinaire. He was the last guy you'd want to be matched up against at the starting line. God broke the mold when He created Bob Glidden.
RIP, old friend, and thanks for the great racing memories.
Click to expand...


Just an FYI..Pro Stock still runs the full 1/4 mile..Agree with you on Glidden
 
"Just an FYI..Pro Stock still runs the full 1/4 mile..Agree with you on Glidden"
Yes. I stand corrected and will correct my post...my bad. ProStock still runs the full 1/4. The nitro cars (FC & TF) are now limited to 1000'....and that, too, I'm not a fan of. I consider it similar to restrictor plate racing in NASCAR. However, the 1000' track hasn't seem to slow em down much; they've adapted....loose 320' of track and still run those ETs/MPH? Pretty amazing and fun to watch.
 
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