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| A couple of years ago Shirley put together a deal that got her to the U.S. Nationals and the World Finals. Actor Richard Dreyfuss was in Shirley's pit hanging around with her entourage at Indy. Everyone seemed to be having fun. Jeff Burk photo. |
Historically, Shirley Muldowney is the most socially important driver drag racing has ever produced. Hell, you can probably make that all of auto racing. In all sports, women are separated from men. Obviously in strength disciplines like boxing or power-lifting, there's no hope on the immediate horizon for anything approaching parity. Thirty years ago, that segregation existed in most sports, and in many cases for good reasons. Auto racing was included in this dichotomy, and to my way of thinking, it was Muldowney's incredible successes from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, that launched a small army of female talent to try their skills behind the wheels of all kinds of different race cars.
To my mind, she is one of the top 10 female athletes of the last century.
What she did on the drag strip (and is still doing) will have repercussions
for years to come.
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| This is the earliest shot of Shirley we have in the DRO archives. We believe that Shirley is getting her Top Fuel license in Pancho Rendon's Frito Bandito Top Fuel car. The car was driven by the late Gene Domagalski. Tim Marshall photo. |
FAVORITE CAR
I liked the Al Swindahl-built 1982 Pioneer Stereo World Champ dragster.
There were some cars that were more attractive (although not many),
but the car's biggest strength was that it always got the job done,
no matter where it raced. Shirley scored some of her biggest heat wins
with this car, most notably her conquering of Don Garlits at that year's
Gatornationals and her U.S. Nationals-trouncing of former crew chief/boyfriend
Connie Kalitta in the final round.
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