When you talk about the Mt. Rushmore of drag racing, you can’t even start the conversation without mentioning Bob Glidden. The man was a machine. He didn't just win; he dominated an era of NHRA Pro Stock racing that was arguably the most competitive the sport has ever seen. So, when news broke on December 17, 2017, that the "Mad Dog" had passed away at the age of 73, the racing world collectively caught its breath.
There’s always a bit of a scramble for info when a legend like that goes. People want to know the "why" and the "how." For Glidden, the details were initially kept pretty close to the vest by the family, which is exactly how Bob lived his life—focused, private, and no-nonsense. But as time has passed, the picture of what led to his final days has become clearer.
Bob Glidden Cause of Death: The Reality Behind the Headlines
Honestly, if you’re looking for a single, dramatic event that took Bob Glidden, you won't find it. It wasn't a crash or a sudden catastrophe. Bob Glidden died following a brief, undisclosed illness, though his health had been a concern for those in his inner circle for several months prior. He was hospitalized earlier in December 2017, and he eventually passed away at a hospital in his hometown of Whiteland, Indiana. While some later reports, including citations on Simple English Wikipedia, have pointed toward colorectal cancer, the official NHRA statements and family releases at the time stuck to the "brief illness" phrasing.
What a lot of fans forget is that Bob’s body had been through the ringer long before 2017. Back in 1994, he underwent a massive six-way heart bypass surgery. Doctors at the time were pretty grim about it. They basically told him he had maybe two to four years left to live.
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Bob, being Bob, ignored that. He lived another 23 years. He even got back into the driver's seat of a Pro Stocker more than a decade after that surgery. That’s the kind of grit we’re talking about here.
A Life Defined by the Work
To understand how he died, you kind of have to understand how he lived. Glidden was nicknamed "Mad Dog" for a reason. He was famously the first person at the track and the last one to leave. While other teams were out at fancy dinners, Bob and his wife, Etta, were usually in the trailer, thrashing on an engine or analyzing data.
He didn't just drive the car. He built the engines. He did the bodywork. He was a self-taught engineer who somehow out-thought the giant corporate budgets of GM and Chrysler using Ford parts he often massaged into perfection himself.
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That level of intensity takes a toll.
By the time he reached his 70s, the years of inhaling nitro fumes, the vibration of 9,000 RPM engines, and the sheer stress of maintaining a championship-winning program had naturally worn him down. His son, Billy Glidden, mentioned shortly before Bob's death that his father was "on the road" to the end. It was a poetic way of saying the legend was finally slowing down.
The Legacy of the 10-Time Champion
You can’t talk about his death without looking at the 85 national event wins and those 10 NHRA Pro Stock championships. Between 1985 and 1989, he won five straight titles. Think about that. In a class where races are won and lost by thousandths of a second, he was the king for half a decade straight.
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His 1978 season was the stuff of myth. He won seven of the nine national events. He didn't lose a single round of competition for an entire year. If you lined up next to Glidden in the late 70s or mid-80s, you weren't racing for the win; you were racing for second place.
Why He Still Matters Today
A lot of people think drag racing is just about hitting the gas. It’s not. It’s about the chemistry of the fuel, the grip of the track, and the way a manifold breathes. Glidden was a scientist in a firesuit.
- He stayed loyal to Ford: Even when it was harder to win with a Blue Oval, he made it work.
- Family was the crew: Etta was his crew chief and the backbone of the operation. His sons, Billy and Rusty, grew up in the pits.
- He was humble: Despite being the winningest driver for a long stretch, he often called himself "lucky."
When he passed, it wasn't just the loss of a driver; it was the loss of that "do-it-all" era. Today, teams have specialized engineers for every bolt. Bob was the engineer, the driver, and the truck driver all in one.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking to honor Bob’s legacy or dive deeper into the history of the sport, here is what you should actually do:
- Watch the 1986 Southern Nationals Footage: If you want to see Bob’s toughness, find the clip of his horrific crash at Atlanta Dragway. He flipped his Thunderbird multiple times, walked away, and still came back to win the championship that same year. It’s the ultimate proof of his character.
- Visit the Motorsports Hall of Fame: He was inducted in 1994, and his displays are a masterclass in 20th-century racing engineering.
- Support Local Drag Strips: Bob started at small tracks in Indiana. The best way to keep his spirit alive is to support grassroots racing where the "Mad Dog" mentality still lives.
- Check for Official Updates: While "brief illness" remains the standard term, those interested in his medical history often look to the Glidden family's social media archives (specifically Billy Glidden's posts) for the most authentic, personal accounts of his final months.
Bob Glidden didn't want a long, drawn-out goodbye. He finished his race, pulled the chutes, and exited the track on his own terms. His cause of death was ultimately a body that had given everything it had to the sport of drag racing.