In early 1964, Don Garlits was in the process of bringing out yet another new car with which to challenge the best Top Fuel drivers in the sport of drag racing. Never one to rest on his laurels, Don had retired the car that won the Winternationals a year earlier and was all set to unleash Swamp Rat 6 on the unsuspecting drag racing community. The new car, the first round back car that Don would run, was a nifty little 125 inch wheel base creation that featured a chassis that was built by Dons close friend, Connie Swingle. Complete with a 396 cubic inch Dodge motor and tipping the scales at just over 1,300 pounds the car was initially completed and painted red, but that only lasted for a couple of weeks, and by the time it hit the track in earnest it sported the traditional Garlits black color that was Dons trademark throughout most of his career.

As Swamp Rat 6 began the 1964 season, Don, his brother Ed, and Connie Swingle headed west for a series of match races that included a head-to-head battle with Ron Rivero, one of the sports top drivers at the time. After beating Ron, Don and his slingshot dragster were crowned #1 in the prestigious Drag News Top Ten list, an accomplishment that was the equivalent of winning the World Championship. When you throw in a strong runner-up finish at the Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championship and a Top Eliminator title at Kingdon, California, you have the start of a very good year for Don and his latest marvel. But the best was really saved for the East Coast and Great Meadows Dragway in New Jersey where Don made drag racing history by setting the national record at an unbelievable 201.34 miles per hour (7.78 elapsed time) after breaking the 200 mph barrier a few weeks earlier in Detroit. After the record setting run, Don did an in depth interview with Ray Brock of Hot Rod magazine in which he explained all the inner workings of Swamp Rat 6 and he ended his interview by telling Ray that he was going to take the car to Indianapolis and win Indy. And you know what, he did just that.

While the car that ended the year and won Indy had sponsors names on it and bore little physical resemblance to the red car that started the season, inside it was still SR6, one of the fiercest cars to come out of Garlits garage at that time.  Bob Frey