Former Top Gas dragster champion Gordon Collett passed away Sunday, July 24, 2022 at age 88. Born in Ottway Ohio, Collett was the winningest driver of all-time in the NHRA Top Gas dragster category with 7 national event wins. Other career milestones included winning:
• Bakersfield Fuel and Gas Championship – 1963 & 1964
• NHRA Divisional Championships – 1964 & 1965
• AHRA Winter Nationals – 1965
• Membership in Car Craft All Star Drag Racing All Stars for Top Gas Dragster in 1968, 1969 and 1970,
Famed cam grinder and long-time friend, Ed Iskenderian, dubbed him “Collecting” Collett, because Gordon collected trophies everywhere he raced, a moniker he used for the remainder of his racing career through 1974.
Collett’s accolades include being the first to win the Winternationals three years in a row (1966, 1967 & 1968) and serving as Grand Marshal for 2015 Bowling Green Hot Rod Reunion. He was inducted into the NHRA Hall of Fame in 1998 and International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 2006. His sons continue to display Collett’s most popular dragsters at major nostalgia racing events and Cacklefests.