Garlits introduced Swamp Rat XXX, a streamlined Top Fuel dragster designed with an aerodynamic nose and cockpit canopy, at the NHRA Gatornationals, then shattered the 270-mph barrier with an eye-popping 272.56 mph and went on to win the event and, ultimately, the world championship. Swamp Rat XXX earned it a place in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in October 1987.
