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Connie Swingle, 72, one of the true pioneers of drag Racing, passed away Saturday evening, peacefully in his home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the city of his birth. Connie had health problems for the last ten years and finally succumbed to Cancer. His faithful nurse, Virginia, was at his side. Connie served a hitch in the US Army in Africa and when discharged moved to Tampa Florida. He arrived at Garlits Automotive Inc. in 1960 and started welding. He became one of the best welders in the world. Swamp Rat III-A had been started, so "Swingle," as he liked to be called, finished the project and took the new chrome moley car on tour. Swingle won many races with the car, the biggest being the big Riverside Drag race in 1962 at Riverside Raceway. Swingle was instrumental in the success of the Garlits Chassis business from 1961 through 1964. At which time Don Garlits relocated to Troy Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, Swingle went west and joined up with the "Old Master" Ed Pink. Driving Pink’s "Old Master" AA/FD car, Connie enjoyed his biggest win at Fontana Dragstrip in the fall of 1965, when he beat Don Garlits in the final for the "Mickey Thompson 200 MPH Meet and took home all the "gold," about $10,000, a very large purse for that era.
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