Interview by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NNCA/NMRA Staff
When it comes to working on his race car, Gordon Harlow is fine flying solo.
At home, he uses the time to think about what he wants to do with his robust combination and whether it will rustle up the results he seeks. At the racetrack, he uses the time to ready his car for rounds in NMRA ARP Open Comp and NMCA MagnaFuel Open Comp.
That involves an intense amount of work, as the categories are consistently competitive and famously fierce, but Harlow rises to the occasion at each race.
When he does need a helping hand, he knows he can rely on fellow racers who have become close friends over the years, including Charlie Atkinson, among others.
The routine, along with Harlow’s resolve, continuously helps him ramp up his racing program, and as a result, he is doing very well in his 1989 Mustang.
The racer from Bowling Green, Kentucky, was celebrated for earning the NMRA ARP Open Comp championship in 2018. As of this writing, he is leading NMRA ARP Open points with two races to go in the 2023 season. While Harlow doesn't race in the NMCA as often as he does NMRA, he is also currently in 12th place in NMCA MagnaFuel Open Comp points.
When he is not aiming down a racetrack or at his job as a pipe fitter building gas turbines for electricity, he spends time working on a 1966 Mustang that he is restoring. Fans might see his 1966 Mustang at a racetrack someday, but for now, he is going after goals in his 1989 Mustang. Read on for more about Harlow.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE VERY FIRST CAR YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH?
It was my father, Eddie’s, 1967 Fairlane. I can remember a lot of things about the car, but what I remember most is how much I enjoyed riding around in it with my father. He did a burnout when I was in the car once, and of course, I thought that was cool. I also got to go to races because my uncle, Kenneth Matthews, raced in NHRA Super Stock. My aunt, Linda Matthews, and I would go watch him. He had a lot of cars, but the ones that stood out for me were his 1955 Chevrolet and 1968 Camaro.
DID THOSE EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE YOU?
They definitely did. When I was watching my uncle race, I told myself that I was going to race one day, too, but first, I went on to have a show truck that I bought in 1994. It was a 1966 Ford F-100 pickup with an FE engine. I showed it at various car shows, including the F100 Supernationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I still have the truck, and it is very clean, but I don’t really show it at car shows anymore. It hasn’t been restored, but it is staying nice in the garage.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACE CAR?
It was a 2001 Mustang GT that I raced for a few years. It had a 4.6-liter engine and I raced it in NMRA for the first time in 2014, in Bracket and True Street. Pretty soon after I got the car, I won the 14-second category in True Street at the NMRA race at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I raced that car for three or four years in Bracket and in the Street Car Shootout at Beech Bend Raceway, and then about 14 years ago, I bought the 1989 Mustang that I currently race. I bought it from NMCA and NMRA racer Joel Greathouse. He had been thinking about building it into a race car, but then he decided to go in a different direction. I also bought from him a 347 cubic-inch Ford engine and a Powerglide transmission. It was funny because I had just gone to Joel’s to buy the car, but I ended up buying the engine and transmission as well.
WHAT WORK DID YOU PERFORM ON THE 1989 MUSTANG AFTER YOU PURCHASED IT FROM JOEL GREATHOUSE?
It was a shell of a car, and it didn’t have anything in it. I welded up a new roll cage and I did some work in the engine bay to get it how I wanted it. It had an 8.8 rear and I worked on the rear and put steeper gearing in it and put a K-member under it to continue running in the Bracket class as well as the Street Car Shootout at Beech Bend Raceway. Then, about 11 years ago, a friend of mine, Wade Vincent, who was running in NMRA Open Comp, suggested I try racing the class, so I did at the NMRA/NMCA race at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois. I was all for it, but didn’t know anything about the class, or how it worked, but I decided to give it a try.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO LEARN ABOUT THE NMRA ARP OPEN COMP AND NMCA MAGNAFUEL OPEN COMP CATEGORIES?
I basically jumped in, started running them, and started learning everything I could. My friend, Wade Vincent, told me about how you have to drop a tenth during qualifying for the dial, how to adjust the weight in the car for that tenth, and stuff like that. Because I had been leaving the line off a full tree, I had to quickly get used to leaving the line off a pro tree, and that took a bit to get used to. I had a lot to learn, and still have a lot to learn. Open Comp is a tough class to win in. All of the racers are very good. They are good on the tree, and they run their numbers, and even though they are your friend in the pit area, they are your opponent when they race you, and they want to win just as much as you do. With the level of competition in this class, it is always a fight to the finish line.
GIVEN THAT LEVEL OF COMPETITION, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN?
It takes a lot of work, a lot of runs, putting those runs into the logbook and referring to the logbook when dialing the car. You also have to pay attention to what the weather is at the time of each run. I have a weather station in my trailer, and I rely on that to help me dial the car as well. It is a lot of work, but it is very important to accumulate data and write it all down. I carry my logbooks from several years back and from all of the racetracks we go to.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO STAY IN NMRA ARP OPEN COMP AND NMCA MAGNAFUEL OPEN COMP?
I won the NMRA Open Comp class championship in 2018, and I have stayed within the Top 5 in points in NMRA Open Comp for several years, and I want to keep doing well and maybe even try to earn another championship. It is not easy to do well and get a championship in NMRA Open Comp or NMCA Open Comp. Honestly, you are lucky if you can pull off a win. You have to keep telling yourself to focus on the staging and the reaction time and the top end, and you have to do the same thing every time, and you can’t get rattled. I love index racing, and I love the class. It is fun, and I can still do it by myself. Also, I have become more competitive with the more I have learned through the years. I definitely wouldn’t mind running a heads-up class someday, especially the NMRA Renegade or NMCA Xtreme Street class. Right now, though, I’m running as fast as I can afford to.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2023?
I’m going full speed ahead in 2023 and I really want to earn another Open Comp championship. Beyond that, I look forward to racing in the NMRA and NMCA series for a long time to come. I love the series, the events, and the people. I would like to thank Bennett Racing Engines for their help with my engine, Jeff Reed with TCI for my transmission needs, Justin McChesney, Ben Thomas, and last but not least, Joel Greathouse.
(Interview from Sept. 2023 Fastest Street Car)
Photos by NNCA/NMRA Staff
When it comes to working on his race car, Gordon Harlow is fine flying solo.
At home, he uses the time to think about what he wants to do with his robust combination and whether it will rustle up the results he seeks. At the racetrack, he uses the time to ready his car for rounds in NMRA ARP Open Comp and NMCA MagnaFuel Open Comp.
That involves an intense amount of work, as the categories are consistently competitive and famously fierce, but Harlow rises to the occasion at each race.
When he does need a helping hand, he knows he can rely on fellow racers who have become close friends over the years, including Charlie Atkinson, among others.
The routine, along with Harlow’s resolve, continuously helps him ramp up his racing program, and as a result, he is doing very well in his 1989 Mustang.
The racer from Bowling Green, Kentucky, was celebrated for earning the NMRA ARP Open Comp championship in 2018. As of this writing, he is leading NMRA ARP Open points with two races to go in the 2023 season. While Harlow doesn't race in the NMCA as often as he does NMRA, he is also currently in 12th place in NMCA MagnaFuel Open Comp points.
When he is not aiming down a racetrack or at his job as a pipe fitter building gas turbines for electricity, he spends time working on a 1966 Mustang that he is restoring. Fans might see his 1966 Mustang at a racetrack someday, but for now, he is going after goals in his 1989 Mustang. Read on for more about Harlow.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE VERY FIRST CAR YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH?
It was my father, Eddie’s, 1967 Fairlane. I can remember a lot of things about the car, but what I remember most is how much I enjoyed riding around in it with my father. He did a burnout when I was in the car once, and of course, I thought that was cool. I also got to go to races because my uncle, Kenneth Matthews, raced in NHRA Super Stock. My aunt, Linda Matthews, and I would go watch him. He had a lot of cars, but the ones that stood out for me were his 1955 Chevrolet and 1968 Camaro.
DID THOSE EXPERIENCES INFLUENCE YOU?
They definitely did. When I was watching my uncle race, I told myself that I was going to race one day, too, but first, I went on to have a show truck that I bought in 1994. It was a 1966 Ford F-100 pickup with an FE engine. I showed it at various car shows, including the F100 Supernationals in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I still have the truck, and it is very clean, but I don’t really show it at car shows anymore. It hasn’t been restored, but it is staying nice in the garage.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACE CAR?
It was a 2001 Mustang GT that I raced for a few years. It had a 4.6-liter engine and I raced it in NMRA for the first time in 2014, in Bracket and True Street. Pretty soon after I got the car, I won the 14-second category in True Street at the NMRA race at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I raced that car for three or four years in Bracket and in the Street Car Shootout at Beech Bend Raceway, and then about 14 years ago, I bought the 1989 Mustang that I currently race. I bought it from NMCA and NMRA racer Joel Greathouse. He had been thinking about building it into a race car, but then he decided to go in a different direction. I also bought from him a 347 cubic-inch Ford engine and a Powerglide transmission. It was funny because I had just gone to Joel’s to buy the car, but I ended up buying the engine and transmission as well.
WHAT WORK DID YOU PERFORM ON THE 1989 MUSTANG AFTER YOU PURCHASED IT FROM JOEL GREATHOUSE?
It was a shell of a car, and it didn’t have anything in it. I welded up a new roll cage and I did some work in the engine bay to get it how I wanted it. It had an 8.8 rear and I worked on the rear and put steeper gearing in it and put a K-member under it to continue running in the Bracket class as well as the Street Car Shootout at Beech Bend Raceway. Then, about 11 years ago, a friend of mine, Wade Vincent, who was running in NMRA Open Comp, suggested I try racing the class, so I did at the NMRA/NMCA race at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois. I was all for it, but didn’t know anything about the class, or how it worked, but I decided to give it a try.
WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO LEARN ABOUT THE NMRA ARP OPEN COMP AND NMCA MAGNAFUEL OPEN COMP CATEGORIES?
I basically jumped in, started running them, and started learning everything I could. My friend, Wade Vincent, told me about how you have to drop a tenth during qualifying for the dial, how to adjust the weight in the car for that tenth, and stuff like that. Because I had been leaving the line off a full tree, I had to quickly get used to leaving the line off a pro tree, and that took a bit to get used to. I had a lot to learn, and still have a lot to learn. Open Comp is a tough class to win in. All of the racers are very good. They are good on the tree, and they run their numbers, and even though they are your friend in the pit area, they are your opponent when they race you, and they want to win just as much as you do. With the level of competition in this class, it is always a fight to the finish line.
GIVEN THAT LEVEL OF COMPETITION, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO WIN?
It takes a lot of work, a lot of runs, putting those runs into the logbook and referring to the logbook when dialing the car. You also have to pay attention to what the weather is at the time of each run. I have a weather station in my trailer, and I rely on that to help me dial the car as well. It is a lot of work, but it is very important to accumulate data and write it all down. I carry my logbooks from several years back and from all of the racetracks we go to.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO STAY IN NMRA ARP OPEN COMP AND NMCA MAGNAFUEL OPEN COMP?
I won the NMRA Open Comp class championship in 2018, and I have stayed within the Top 5 in points in NMRA Open Comp for several years, and I want to keep doing well and maybe even try to earn another championship. It is not easy to do well and get a championship in NMRA Open Comp or NMCA Open Comp. Honestly, you are lucky if you can pull off a win. You have to keep telling yourself to focus on the staging and the reaction time and the top end, and you have to do the same thing every time, and you can’t get rattled. I love index racing, and I love the class. It is fun, and I can still do it by myself. Also, I have become more competitive with the more I have learned through the years. I definitely wouldn’t mind running a heads-up class someday, especially the NMRA Renegade or NMCA Xtreme Street class. Right now, though, I’m running as fast as I can afford to.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR 2023?
I’m going full speed ahead in 2023 and I really want to earn another Open Comp championship. Beyond that, I look forward to racing in the NMRA and NMCA series for a long time to come. I love the series, the events, and the people. I would like to thank Bennett Racing Engines for their help with my engine, Jeff Reed with TCI for my transmission needs, Justin McChesney, Ben Thomas, and last but not least, Joel Greathouse.
(Interview from Sept. 2023 Fastest Street Car)