Garlits wasn't goofin' around. His black mono-pod Summit dragster hit it for all it was worth and scorched two pistons, forcing the master mechanic to take a hands-on approach in the pits, pounding in new pistons and looking over the computer. Muldowney, on the other hand, had no such woes, signing autographs while Rahn Tobler, her husband/crew chief, whipped the "Terminator" back into shape.

"Well, it looked like we were going to win," Tobler said. "The belts fly off these things sometimes, and that's what happened here. We're going to approach our next run pretty much the same. Cordova actually is a pretty good little track with the only problem being the short 300-foot concrete pad. We're gonna launch hard, soften it up in the middle, and then really go after it on the top end."

That's what transpired as Muldowney evened the score in round two with the best pass of the weekend by anything. At about 10:45 p.m., Garlits tried too hard and jumped the gun by .011, while Muldowney roared back with a vengeance at 4.694/314.17 to a losing

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5.744/169.61. Garlits, again, tried his level best on that run with the engine reportedly sustaining damage, accounting for the early shut-off.

For her "Last Pass" at Cordova, Muldowney was more than comfortable with the results. When asked if she would miss going as quick and fast as she did, she remarked, "Well, you can't do this if you don't like to go fast and obviously I like a good fast car. Rahn set this thing to run hard on the other end, and at about half-track or so, I thought to myself, 'Whoa, this thing is really charging.' As far as doing it or not doing it again, I've had my fair share of good rides. I'm not one of those racers who say they quit, but can't stick by it. I've had a great time and have accomplished all that I could want. I've just reached a time where I feel it's right to retire. I'm not going to just disappear; I'll still come out to the drags," and then she waved to a line numbering anywhere from 50 to 100 people, all waiting for autographs.