In February 2018, Ford Performance Parts announced the creation of the Bob Glidden 85/10 Award, intended for recipients who share the same grit and determination that the legendary racer embodied. At the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show held in Indianapolis, IN in December 2018, Ford Performance Parts presented the inaugural award to longtime Mustang Cobra Jet pilot John Calvert.“There will never be another Bob Glidden, it’s true, but we couldn’t be more pleased to have racers like John Calvert continue his legacy with Ford,” said Eric Cin, Global Director for Ford Performance Parts. “A family man who has definitely earned his own place in both Ford Motor Company and drag racing history, John is the perfect choice for our first recipient of the 85/10 Award.”
“I am so honored to have been selected as the first recipient of the Bob Glidden 85/10 Award,” Calvert said. “I feel as though Ford Motor Company and Ford Performance, while helpful and generous to all, welcomed me into their family. Bob was such an inspiration to me, both personally and professionally, and to now have my name associated with such a legend is humbling.”
Calvert started out racing his own car in demolition derbies and dirt ovals before settling into drag racing. Calvert entered his first Winternationals in 1975 and by 1991 was an NHRA National Champion in the Stock Division.
In 2009, Calvert prepared and drove Brent Hajek’s second-generation Mustang Cobra Jet in the Winternationals, painted to honor the 1968 car in which Al Joniac captured the very first Cobra Jet win. History repeated itself as Calvert captured the win and ignited a fire in the sportsman stock class culture. Though his family business, Calvert Racing Suspensions, has grown, Calvert retains his competitive spirit, continuing to proudly campaign several Mustang Cobra Jets as well as managing his twin sons, Brent and Johnny, in their careers as the next generation of Calvert drag racers.
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