In the early days of drag racing , that is, before the era of corporate sponsorship, most Top Fuel cars were known by the name of the people involved with the race car. The car could be named after the owner and driver, the engine builder and tuner, driver and mechanic, tuner and the financier or any combination of those things. As such, you would go to the track to see such greats as the Warren-Coburn-Miller, the Crossley-Beebe team, the Baney-Prudhomme dragster and so on. And, at that time, one of the most feared teams in the sport was the team of Bob Creitz & Ed Donovan. Bob Creitz was a brilliant tuner who lived in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. When a friend of his told him that famed engine builder Ed Donovan was looking for some help Bob didn’t hesitate to contact him and one of the great relationships in drag racing history began. “Ed liked Okies,” Bob said. “In fact, he told me once to send him some more of those dog-eared Okies because they love to work.” The two formed a partnership and ran a series of cars that featured some of the great drivers of their time. Mike Snively, Mike Sorokin, Billy Tidwell, Bennie Osborne and Richard Tharp all drove for the team of Creitz & Donovan, but one of their most successful drivers was Steve Carbone, another Okie. In 1968 the team went to Indianapolis and made it to the final round of the Nationals only to lose to “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. Years later Carbone would have his revenge when he beat “Big” at the ’71 Indy race after one of the classic staging battles of all-time. For almost a dozen years, Bob Creitz and Ed Donovan combined their engine building and tuning skills and fielded some of the most competitive cars in the country. Most of their dragsters featured a beautiful Don Long chassis with a full body by master craftsman, Tom Hanna. “We made a living at it for a while, doing mostly match racing,” Bob said. “You couldn’t make money running national events back then.” They raced all over the country, from California to Long Island, New York, and for a match race the team would pocket about $1,000 and then pack up and move on to the next stop. Along the way they would use the match race money to buy new parts and to ensure that their car would be among the best in the country, and for a long while, that’s exactly what the team of Creitz and Donovan represented in the sport of drag racing…the very best! – Bob Frey
The car is currently being restored at Don Garlits' Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida
In Stock price £47-99
