Swamp Rat 14: While I was in the Pacific Coast Hospital in Long Beach CA recuperating from injuries sustained in the tranny explosion in SR 13, I laid out the plans for the Rear Engine Top Fuel Dragster, Swamp Rat 14. From my wheelchair in Seffner, I made parts for this new car. Swingle, Lemons and me completed the car in October and testing began. Run after run I drove off the strip at the Orlando Speedworld and after 3 months we parked the little RE Car in the back of the Seffner shop and the three of us built Swamp Rat 15, a slingshot for the 1971 Season. My wife Pat saw what we were doing and went ballistic, she wanted to know why would I give up on the project? She told the three of us in no uncertain terms to get back on the RE Project! We did, determined that the steering was too fast and the rest is history. Swamp Rat 14 set the all time quickest ET at Indy, a blistering 6.21 Seconds and ran over 240 most of the time. It was retired in the fall of 1971 - as we had learned a lot and were already building Swamp Rat 16. SR 14 was sold to Carl Casper for his show car circuit and later retrieved when the Museum was formed. It is still totally original and on display here at the Drag Racing Museum.
