WORST MOMENT

Her 247-mph, full-speed contact with a dirt berm crash at the NHRA Le Grandnational Molson gets the biscuit. She was badly hurt. What was amazing, though, was her recovery. It took two years from what many viewed as a career ender, but as early as the 1989 NHRA ATSCO Nationals at Firebird Raceway in Arizona, Shirley won a national-event Top Fuel title.

Garlits and Shirley have "feuded" through the years but when Garlits was trying to get his four-second. 300-mph pass back in the late 80's Shirley and husband Rahn Tobler graciously put the "Old Man" in their car and allowed him to make laps at the Texas Motorplex to try and get the job done. Rick Shute/Auto Imagery photo.

BEST RUN

This one is subjective as hell (as is most of this piece), but one of the few times that I really stood and applauded and even jumped around about a run came at the 1984 Coors Super Bowl in January. Shirley had been booked in a best of five, two-day Top Fuel match with Don Garlits.

She whipped in round one on Saturday, and that evening they raced again. Garlits launched okay, but Shirley's mount went into a wheelstand, the front end a good four feet or so above the asphalt. She feathered the throttle, landed the car, and ran down Garlits to record a 5.84/248.61 win. There are racers who have that kind of feel for their cars, but that run just cemented the fact that Shirley was the equal of anyone I'd seen in this category.

Shirley brought this edition of her car to Cordova Dragway for an IHRA event in 2000. Jeff Leonard photo.

As far as e.t and mph, I'd go with her 2000 IHRA Summer Nationals run at Cordova Dragway. Her 319-mph speed was 11-mph better than any other IHRA Top Fuel racer.

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