BILLY GLIDDEN: BY THE NUMBERS
Tue, 2009-06-09 11:30
Technically CompetitionPlus.com was right and wrong.Over the course of the weekend, we published a story declaring that Billy Glidden had won 21 rounds of competition and counting. When he won the final round at this past weekend’s ADRL Memphis Drags, the victory marked 21 consecutive rounds of competition that he’d won since his one legitimate loss dating back to last August in Norwalk, Ohio.
Though the ADRL counts Glidden’s decision to withdraw from the well-intended, yet meaningless arm-drop competition, neither Glidden nor this publication legitimize that as a loss.
If Billy Glidden catches his dad, he’ll really have some impressive numbers …
Billy Glidden has already eclipsed the consecutive round win mark established with one car by his legendary father Bob Glidden, who drove a 1978 Fairmont (below) to 20 consecutive national event round wins before retiring the car undefeated. Those 20 round wins didn't include divisional and match race event which could double that number.
Over the course of the weekend, we published a story declaring that Billy Glidden had won 21 rounds of competition and counting. When he won the final round at this past weekend’s ADRL Memphis Drags, the victory marked 21 consecutive rounds of competition that he’d won since his one legitimate loss dating back to last August in Norwalk, Ohio.
Though the ADRL counts Glidden’s decision to withdraw from the well-intended, yet meaningless arm-drop competition, neither Glidden nor this publication legitimize that as a loss.
Left out of our totals were Glidden's three hard-fought round wins in securing the 2008 ADRL Extreme Ten-Five championship during the Battle of the Belts. Bear in mind that he won the first round of the postponed Ford Drive One Summer Drags V on Saturday afternoon.
Billy Glidden now stands officially at 25 consecutive round wins.
That number, while impressive in every aspect, pales in comparison to the 39 national event round wins by his father Bob Glidden, a ten-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion.
The elder Glidden used two cars, a Ford Fairmont and a Plymouth Arrow, to secure nine consecutive national event victories spanning from 1978 until mid-way through the 1979 season.
The second-generation Glidden gets his dominant nature honestly as in 1978, the elder Glidden won seven of the nine events on the NHRA schedule. The races he didn’t win resulted in runner-up finishes.
Bob Glidden followed up the incredible season with seven wins in ten events in 1979. The three races he didn’t win resulted in runner-up finishes.
Eliminating the 2008 ADRL Summer Drags in Martin, Mi., Billy Glidden has reached the final round in every Extreme Ten-Five event he’s entered and holds seven national event victories to his credit.
Billy Glidden can tie his dad’s record by winning every available round in competition up until the finals of the Gateway Drags in St. Louis in August. He can eclipse 39 wins with a first round at the next event in Columbus, Ohio.
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