Shirley had a great carreer in AHRA Top fuel as well and NHRA. This photo was taken at Dragway 42 in Ohio. Shirley won an AHRA Grand Nationals at the track running consistant 6.0's at 245-plus to get the win over the likes of Karamisines, Garlits, LaHaie and Frank Bradley. Winning an AHRA race was not easy by any means. Photo by John Kahl.

Here is Shirley in here World Championship winning Top Fueler at an NHRA event. The late National Dragster Photo Editor Les Lovett can be seen in the background.

BIGGEST WIN

Shirley's Funny Car win at the 1971 IHRA Southern Invitational at Rockingham, N.C. was an easy call for me. Again, one needs to be aware of the time in which this win occurred. There were no female pro drivers anywhere and Shirley's mere appearance was treated almost as a joke. The press called her "Cha Cha;" the sponsors, such as they were, put her in hot pants and knee boots and a '71 Mustang, and dismissed her as a novelty. The field at Rockingham was a 16-car affair. There were a few hitters there, but what really impressed people was that Muldowney convincingly whipped four solid match racers and ran low e.t. of 6.84. That elapsed time was the equivalent of a 4.83 or 4.84 in Funny Car today. It probably wouldn't handle a Force or a Bazemore, but it's good enough for just about anybody else.

Shirley wouldn't go away. In 1972, at the IHRA U.S. Open Nationals, she made it to another Funny Car final with her "Bounty Huntress" Mustang, only to lose to the always competitive Richard Tharp in Harry Schmidt's "Blue Max."

FINEST MOMENT

Everyone knows this one. After taking runner-up honors to Marvin Graham at the '75 NHRA Springnationals, Shirley returned in 1976 and became the first female winner in a pro class. She ran a 5.96/243.90 in the final to beat the late Bob Edwards in the Edwards Bros. dragster.

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