Bob Glidden strapped into Kenny Perry’s Outlaw 10.5 Pontiac GTO last weekend. While while waiting to make a qualifying pass during the PSCA Streetcar Supernationals in Las Vegas, the 64-year old, ten-time Pro Stock world champion had a flashback.

Thirty years ago the veteran drag racer embarked on one of the sport’s legendary winning streaks which included nine straight national event victories. He also remembered a No. 1 qualifying streak that spanned for a record 23 national events.

The Ten-Time Champion Still Has the Racing Fever …

Bob Glidden strapped into Kenny Perry’s Outlaw 10.5 Pontiac GTO last weekend. While while waiting to make a qualifying pass during the PSCA Streetcar Supernationals in Las Vegas, the 64-year old, ten-time Pro Stock world champion had a flashback.

Thirty years ago the veteran drag racer embarked on one of the sport’s legendary winning streaks which included nine straight national event victories. He also remembered a No. 1 qualifying streak that spanned for a record 23 national events.

As quickly as the reminiscing began, the moment ended with the call to fire his engine.

A quarter mile later, Glidden landed in the fourth position on the qualifying grid, a 6.764 elapsed time at 204.20 miles per hour.

He smiled as he realized the run was nearly two full seconds quicker and twenty miles per hour faster than the Ford Fairmont he was driving when he dominated the NHRA Pro Stock scene so brutally two decades ago.

That was another day and time.

One thing hasn’t changed in three decades, the Pro Stock icon hasn’t forgotten how to drive doorslammers and most importantly, hasn’t lost sight of how to have fun doing so.

Glidden reached the third round of the event before tire shake ended his run for the win.

“I had a real good time, but the car just blew the tires off on the starting line,” Glidden said. “It got really, really cold because we ended up running late due to all the oil downs.”

Tire shake was not common in the years when Glidden ran Pro Stock, but he quickly became acquainted with the unenviable byproduct of missing the clutch combination. The tracks are much more aggressive in preparation than they were “back in the day”.

“A lot of cars had trouble outside of me because there was just a lot of glue on the track,” Glidden admitted. “You couldn’t walk on it because you’d come out of your shoes.”

Will Glidden make a habit of racing again? No one knows the answer to that one, including the man whose foes nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his propensity to attack race car preparation with the viciousness of a pit bull.

“I don’t know what I am liable to do tomorrow,” said Glidden, an admitted free spirit. “Whatever turns me on is what I will do.”

Glidden is appreciative of the opportunity to drive Perry’s car, but wonders what he could have pulled off with a newer, state-of-the-art version of the same car. Then again, a ride like the one his son Billy Glidden drives, a champion following in his dad’s footsteps, would suffice.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Glidden said of the experience. “I wish we had two cars like Billy’s. That old clunker of Kenny’s did well. It went a 6.76, and he tuned it for a 6.70 and if it didn’t blow the tires off, it could have run a 6.700 or a high 6.60. I had run a 6.79 in eliminations and was letting off fairly early. Everybody’s always bitching about Billy so we didn’t want to go and do anything crazy.”

The proud father’s impressed with the efforts of his offspring.

“He does a great job,” Glidden confirmed. “He’s just totally dedicated to what he’s doing.”

Just like his dad was back in the day.

“I suppose,” Glidden said. “He’s has to pound pennies into dollars just to go race.”

That’s yet another trademark of the elder Glidden.

“That’s right, even though it takes more money to do it today than it did back then,” Glidden added. “It’s the same deal, except back then we had the opportunity to match race in order to have enough money to run the big events.”

Who knows, with the right amount of penny squeezing, Papa Glidden might run a few races in 2009.