GLIDDEN VS. SHEPHERD: 1980 AN UNLIKELY CHAMPIONSHIP
The 1980 NHRA Pro Stock Championship wasn’t decided by points resets, manufactured drama, or late-season gimmicks. It was settled the hard way — over an entire season of pressure, precision, and outright confrontation.
This remastered CompetitionPlusTV documentary zeroes in on the year when Bob Glidden finally saw his iron grip on Pro Stock racing challenged — and ultimately broken — by Lee Shepherd.
From 1978 through 1979, Glidden dominated the NHRA Pro Stock standings with an authority rarely seen in any category. By the start of 1980, he was the standard — the man everyone had to beat, and the man no one had been able to outlast. But that season, a determined effort led by Reher-Morrison-Shepherd turned every national event into a referendum on Glidden’s reign.
Race after race, Shepherd stayed in the fight. Not for headlines. Not for moments. For a championship.
This documentary revisits the full-season battle for the 1980 NHRA Pro Stock world title, featuring rare, exclusive insight from the late Bob Glidden himself, along with detailed technical and strategic perspective from engine builder David Reher. Together, they explain how consistency, preparation, and refusal to blink ultimately decided one of the most important championships in Pro Stock history.
This is the story of the season that ended an era — and proved that even the most dominant force in drag racing could be beaten over time.
For more historic drag racing documentaries, exclusive interviews, and original content, visit CompetitionPlus.com.
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