John Mulligan
In a career spanning less than a decade, John Mulligan left an indelible mark on drag racing history. In 1962 he began driving the Chevy powered Fiat will altered of the Beebe Brothers. In 1964 Garden Grove car dealer, Jack Warye built two stunning and nearly identical full-body dragsters. One ran a Chevy, the other a Chrysler and they were transported on a special tandem trailer for one of drag racing’s first high profile efforts. Beginning his top fuel career, Mulligan drove both on occasion. In 1966 Warye formed a team with engine wizard Gene Adams and Mulligan driving. They broke the seven second barrier with a 6.95 ET blast at Carlsbad in October and consistently ran speeds around 220 mph. Meanwhile the Beebe Brothers had their own fuel dragster housed in a shop just yards from Waryes’. For months the mythical feud over the title “King of Garden Grove” filled the trade papers. In reality they were best of friends, and when Dave Beebe became too busy to drive, he suggested John take over. The “Fighting Irish” team of expert tuner Tim Beebe and ace driver John Mulligan was born. When drivers began using every animal nickname imaginable, John was simply “The Zookeeper”. At the 1969 Winternationals he won his biggest Top Fuel title, claiming top speed honors at 225 mph and defeating Don Prudhomme to finally shed his bridesmaid image. At the US Nationals, Mulligan qualified at an outstanding 6.43 ET, the quickest in history. The first round of eliminations look like an identical pass until the clutch exploded at 1000 feet causing a horrific crash and fire. John Mulligan succumbed to his injuries two weeks later, at the very young age of 26.