The legend :Bob Glidden

Rich Biebel · 07-05-2016, 09:57 PM

I was at Etown when Bob won his last race in Pro Stock. He was not the fastest car that race and won when Yates did not make a good run. The track really was what won the race for Bob. We were all down below the tower and Bob was with Rusty Wallace. Glidden was beyond happy and gracious and friendly to everyone. He never expected to win so it was a surprise. The place went wild when he did win. Obviously the crowd loved it. I used to see him and his family working as hard as anyone sometimes very early in the day. No other Pro guys even there yet and they were. Working in any conditions. Dirt, grass whatever. He always said things little guys could identify with. He was really just one of us like many of the early Pro Stock racers. Nobody worked harder than people like Bob and Frank Iaconio among others. Lee Shepard was a great driver and his head porting skills were also as good as it got back then. It's a shame Pro Stock has faded so badly from what it once was.....

Paul Precht · 07-05-2016, 10:47 PM

I had a nice chat with Bob at the Gators in the early 80s after seeing he had the same Ford CL9000 as I did, it was like hanging out with an old friend even though we never spoke before, nice guy for sure.

bill dedman · 07-06-2016, 02:41 AM

Sometimes it gets lost in all the verbiage, but the significant fact is, Bob Glidden did all this (85 National Event wins) with a FORD, outnumbered by G,M, entries 10-to 1 and usually more (except for the one year he ran a Mopar 340-powered racer that nobody else ever won even ONE RACE (event) with... won the World Championship that year, too,,,)

And yet, he is so self-effacing and humble, he acts like it was all just luck....

NOBODY has luck like that... nobody.

It's for a very good reason that they called him "Mad Dog." LOL!

modelman1960 · 07-06-2016, 06:07 AM

Henry's 57 Wagon: I will try to post them. It will take some time as they are old and I think they are both "stuck" to the glass of the picture frames.
I'll do what I can and also try to find the original prints. Stand by Sir.
Walt

Coleydog · 07-06-2016, 10:03 AM

Loved ever minute of his pro stock days. Stuck it in the NHRA's face wanting the GM camp to win, for marketing reasons, GM did everything they could to beat him and struck out, boy I loved that. I believe Bob could take a lawn mower and win with it, very smart and hard working, but most of all, he did every aspect himself from ground up. Chrysler had been flogging the 340 for years, Bob fixed its short comings in days, then ran away from the field the whole year. If he suggested putting dirt on the intake I would do it. My hero period!

Gary M · 07-06-2016, 12:17 PM

He was the man. I feel blessed to have seen him race. What a humble guy especially after all the success he had, never got a big head.

I like may others have become dis-interested/dis-enchanted with Pro Stock today. When I watch this video it makes me realize how good it was and how very poor it is today, the contrast is incredible. Sad to see this once great class evolve into what it is today. Yes the racing was far better then in every way, the people like Bob really made it. It was incredible and all of us who got to see it know how lucky we are that we got to see it.

07-05-2016, 09:57 PM	#1
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,314 Likes: 25 Liked 544 Times in 213 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden I was at Etown when Bob won his last race in Pro Stock. He was not the fastest car that race and won when Yates did not make a good run. The track really was what won the race for Bob. We were all down below the tower and Bob was with Rusty Wallace. Glidden was beyond happy and gracious and friendly to everyone. He never expected to win so it was a surprise. The place went wild when he did win. Obviously the crowd loved it. I used to see him and his family working as hard as anyone sometimes very early in the day. No other Pro guys even there yet and they were. Working in any conditions. Dirt, grass whatever. He always said things little guys could identify with. He was really just one of us like many of the early Pro Stock racers. Nobody worked harder than people like Bob and Frank Iaconio among others. Lee Shepard was a great driver and his head porting skills were also as good as it got back then. It's a shame Pro Stock has faded so badly from what it once was..... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R

07-05-2016, 10:47 PM	#2
Paul Precht Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Elysburg, Pa Posts: 730 Likes: 353 Liked 309 Times in 118 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden I had a nice chat with Bob at the Gators in the early 80s after seeing he had the same Ford CL9000 as I did, it was like hanging out with an old friend even though we never spoke before, nice guy for sure.

07-06-2016, 02:41 AM	#3
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden Sometimes it gets lost in all the verbiage, but the significant fact is, Bob Glidden did all this (85 National Event wins) with a FORD, outnumbered by G,M, entries 10-to 1 and usually more (except for the one year he ran a Mopar 340-powered racer that nobody else ever won even ONE RACE (event) with... won the World Championship that year, too,,,) And yet, he is so self-effacing and humble, he acts like it was all just luck.... NOBODY has luck like that... nobody. It's for a very good reason that they called him "Mad Dog." LOL! __________________ Bill

07-06-2016, 06:07 AM	#4
modelman1960 Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central N.Y. Posts: 229 Likes: 2 Liked 55 Times in 22 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden Henry's 57 Wagon: I will try to post them. It will take some time as they are old and I think they are both "stuck" to the glass of the picture frames. I'll do what I can and also try to find the original prints. Stand by Sir. Walt

07-06-2016, 10:03 AM	#5
Coleydog Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 569 Likes: 36 Liked 53 Times in 38 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden Loved ever minute of his pro stock days. Stuck it in the NHRA's face wanting the GM camp to win, for marketing reasons, GM did everything they could to beat him and struck out, boy I loved that. I believe Bob could take a lawn mower and win with it, very smart and hard working, but most of all, he did every aspect himself from ground up. Chrysler had been flogging the 340 for years, Bob fixed its short comings in days, then ran away from the field the whole year. If he suggested putting dirt on the intake I would do it. My hero period!

07-06-2016, 12:17 PM	#6
Gary M Junior Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 5 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The legend :Bob Glidden He was the man. I feel blessed to have seen him race. What a humble guy especially after all the success he had, never got a big head. I like may others have become dis-interested/dis-enchanted with Pro Stock today. When I watch this video it makes me realize how good it was and how very poor it is today, the contrast is incredible. Sad to see this once great class evolve into what it is today. Yes the racing was far better then in every way, the people like Bob really made it. It was incredible and all of us who got to see it know how lucky we are that we got to see it.