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Bob Glidden won 10 NHRA Pro Stock championships in his 25-year career in the drag racing series

Glidden, who was also known as “Mad Dog” in NHRA garages for his unrelenting work ethic, started his drag racing career in Stock and Super Stocks. He raced 427 Ford Fairlanes and 428 Ford Cobra Jet Mustangs in 1968. He turned pro in 1972 and won his first Pro Stock championship in 1974. He won back-to-back titles in 1974-75, three in a row from 1978-80 and five in a row from 1985-89.

Glidden was once asked what contributed to his success, he said in a release from NHRA, “Common sense and the will to survive. I know that I have to hustle to win and that I have to go all out to afford to race.”

Glidden left his mark in NHRA Drag Racing and with Ford. The NHRA Drag Racing community mourns the passing of one of the most successful drivers in the history of the series.

“Everyone in the NHRA community is saddened to learn the news of Bob’s passing,” said NHRA President Peter Clifford. “He was a true competitor who left a lasting legacy of excellence both on and off the track. Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with the Glidden family at this difficult time.”

In Glidden’s first NHRA Pro Stock event, the season finale Springnationals in 1972, he was the runner-up to Bill Jenkins. Glidden drove a Pinto Pro Stocker from Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush in the Springnationals.

Glidden won his first NHRA Pro Stock race the following year in 1973 at the U.S. Nationals. He beat Gapp and set a national record with a 9.03-second pass at 152.54 mph.

Glidden’s first NHRA Pro Stock championship came in 1974 when he won three events, including the U.S. Nationals again. He won seven events in 1975 en route to his second NHRA Pro Stock championship.

Bob Glidden started his NHRA pro career in 1972 in a Pinto Pro Stocker

He won seven national events in a row to close out the 1978 season and a Pro Stock championship. He opened the 1979 season with two more national event wins. He lost only three times in 1979 and didn’t lose a round until June at the Mile-High Nationals.

Glidden’s third Pro Stock championship in a row in 1980 came with some drama. He trailed Lee Shepherd when they entered the season finale in Ontario, California. Shepherd’s transmission broke in the second round and Glidden went on to win the event and the Pro Stock championship, the fifth of his career.

Shepherd snapped Glidden’s championship streak in 1981. Buddy Morrison, one of the partners who owned Shepherd’s Reher-Morrison team, said Glidden was the motivation to his team’s championship run in 1981.

“We finally got tired of losing and of Glidden winning so easily,” Morrison said in a release. “We decided that we either had to make the same kind of commitment to racing that he did or get out. We didn't want to get out.”

Glidden started his third championship streak in 1985. Driving a Ford Thunderbird he received in 1984, Glidden won five national events and his sixth championship in 1985.

Glidden won his sixth Pro Stock championship after crashing his Thunderbird early in the season. He didn’t win his first event until the Mile-High Nationals in July, the start of three in a row. He capped his championship season by winning six of the final seven races of the season.

Bob Glidden won the 1985 NHRA Pro Stock championship, his seventh, in a Ford Thunderbird

Glidden won five of the last seven events to win the Pro Stock championship in 1988. He saved his best championship season for last. He won nine events in 1989 and captured his 10th and final Pro Stock championship. He won five of the first seven events of the 1989 season. He won the season-ending Winston Finals, giving him 76 career wins at the time, 49 during the 1980s.

He won his 85th and final event at the Mopar Parts Nationals in 1995. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a flaw on David Bird's Triumph

This year’s winner of the Modified Retro Class at the Long Beach, California staging of the IMS was a gleaming 1976 Triumph T140 built for Tom Day by David Bird. You would be hard-pressed to find a more creative and sanitary Triumph build anywhere.

Frame and Wheels:

The hand-built hardtail frame sits low, long, and minimalist. Up front, the clean springer front forks bolt to a tall, sparsely-laced spoked rim.

The classic Triumph twin engine is featured in a clean frame and retro-cool paint job

Bodywork and Controls:

The bodywork follows the lines of the frame perfectly. The Cole Foster tank and the custom-bent rear fender are both coated in a scintillating Joel Meyer paint job that features a one-of-a-kind lace, leaf, and flower motif.

The custom crafted leather seat sits above in a cool, chrome framework. The flat drag handlebars make for a stretched out, bobber seating position.

Engine and Drivetrain:

The classic lines of the 750cc Triumph twin engine are on full display in the minimalist frame. The perfectly polished power plant breathes through twin, screened velocity stacks and exhaust duties are handled by symmetrically bent twin straight pipes.

'Less is more' in the skeletal frame and simple bodywork of the Mod Retro winner

Take a minute to study the photos that accompany this article and you will grow to appreciate how well the theme and lines of this Triumph work. Every detail was carefully thought out and crafted.

K&N is proud to sponsor a competition that highlights builds like this fantastic custom.

Santa and his #1 elf were out at Orange Show Speedway getting their new vehicles prepared

Christmas is a magical time of year. Carolers are singing, snow is falling, children are making their lists, and tires are being destroyed by Santa. Well, that last part may not always be totally true, but over here at K&N, Santa is excited for the big day this year and is showing it by making tire smoke clouds and giving the gift of horsepower.

Many people don’t know this, but Formula Drift driver Dylan Hughes moonlights as jolly old St. Nick once a year. This year though, he decided to give the reindeer a rest and deliver the toys to all the good girls and boys with his Mustang. K&N caught up with Dylan during his test run in the Mustang to see what he had to say. “It’s an honor to be able to come out and push my comfort zone with an entirely new chassis. Thanks to K&N the car ran flawlessly all day, many tires were burned and many smiles were made.”

After a successful shakedown session, jolly old St. Nick was ready for his round the world adventure

Even Santa's elf got in on the action and warmed up the tires on his 2002 Suzuki TL1000R

This Christmas, if you want to breathe some new life and added performance into your vehicle, use the K&N search by vehicle tool to find just the right products for your wish list. Thanks to K&N’s five decades of experience and research, you can be sure that your engine will be protected from dirt, dust, and other particles. And all K&N replacement air filters and intake systems come with a 10-Year/Million Mile Limited Warranty, so you can be sure your investment in filtration will last for many winters to come!

After this shakedown session, it is apparent that the Suzuki will need some new rubber on the rear

K&N has all of your performance induction filtration needs covered for this Christmas

K&N was on hand to capture Santa getting sideways in his 2017 Ford Mustang 5.0L

Santa even practiced delivering K&N cold air intakes under the Christmas tree

Rick Ward's custom Dyna has drag bike looks and performance to match

The Modified Harley Class is one of the competitions sponsored by K&N at each stop of the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. It’s fitting that the Mod Harley winner at the Minnesota IMS is a horsepower beast. After all, extracting maximum power from engines is something that K&N has been doing for decades.

Here is what a 161 horsepower Harley engine looks like

The Ward Performance custom rolls on carbon fiber wheels designed and built by BST. The front wheel is controlled by trick inverted forks clamped in a custom triple tree.

Out back, the aluminum swing arm is stretched 6 inches for a drag bike stance. JRI drag shocks keep the 190 width Michelin planted in the rear. The drag bike theme is continued with the rear-set foot controls.

Enough waiting – let’s look at that engine. The Ward Performance 124 CI engine breathes through a forward-sweeping intake featuring a K&N conical high-performance filter. The big twin's cylinder heads have been ported using Ward's highly tested and refined process and other internal performance mods abound. Spent gas duties are handled by a beautiful hand built custom stainless exhaust.

A 6-inch stretch on the aluminum swing arm leads to carbon fiber wheel

The paint and bodywork is appropriately sinister and subtle. Blacks and reds combine to unify the all-business motif of the street burner. The project is capped with minimal instrumentation and low-rise drag bars.

K&N is happy that a pure performance machine rolled away with the Mod Harley class in Minnesota.

The 63-1141 intake reduces airflow restriction with its smooth intake tube bends

No one does powersports intakes like K&N. Our engineers are the industry leaders in developing intakes that provide the ultimate in power-boosting airflow to UTVs. Importantly, K&N provides this power while still delivering top-notch engine protection.

The 63-1141 AirCharger replaces the restrictive stock unit with an intake that is designed to straighten and smooth the airflow to the fuel injection system. Of course, it also uses legendary K&N filter technology that has proven to be the ultimate free-flowing air cleaner system for over four decades.

The air box on the 63-1141 intake is fully sealed to eliminate heat and dirt

The impressive power that the 63-1141 AirCharger can provide does not come at the expense of engine protection. The K&N intake for the Maverick X3 Turbo is built with free-flowing aluminum intake tubes and a fully sealed air box design. That design separates the air filter from the heat and dirt that will rob power and reduce engine life.

The K&N oil-impregnated, cotton gauze filter element is specifically designed to stand up to the extreme duty for which the Can-Am Maverick X3 Turbo is designed. Off-road racers and enthusiasts have trusted K&N filters for decades, and the 63-1141 includes the full evolution of that technology. There are also optional pre-filters available for the intake. The 25-5167 extreme duty pre-cleaner wrap or RU-5064DK Drycharger can be used for even more protection.

The intake comes ready to install out of the box.

Applications:

2017 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 TURBO 900 - All Models