SOME OF SHIRLEY'S HIGHLIGHTS

DRO file photo

• Won the IHRA Southern Invitational in Funny Car (1971)
  
  
• Ran a best of 6.09 at the 1974 U.S. Nationals in Top Fuel, her first year in the class.
  
  
• Ran her first "five", a 5.95, at the 1975 Popular Hot Rodding Championships.
  
  
• Became the first woman pro finalist when she lost to Marvin Graham at the 1975 NHRA Springnationals Top Fuel show.
  
  
• Runner-upped to Don Garlits at the 1975 U.S. Nationals.
  
  
• Became the first woman to ever win a nitro title by taking the 1976 NHRA Springnationals Championship.
  
  
• Won her second NHRA title with a 5.77 final-round trouncing of Jerry Ruth at the
  1976 NHRA World Finals at Ontario.
  
  
• At the (January) 1977 PRO Winternationals, she broke Garlits' all- time speed record of 250.69 at the NHRA World Finals in Ontario with a 252.80 blast.
  
  
• At the NHRA Winston points race on May 5, 1977 at Orange County, she improved on that PRO run with a 253.52 top speed.
  
  
• In 1977, she won the first of three NHRA Winston world titles (the others being 1980 and 1982).
  
  
• In 1981, she won Top Fuel at the Bakersfield U.S. Fuel and Gas Championships.

Photo by John Kahl

• In 1981, she won the AHRA Top Fuel world title, running a controversial (and best to that time) 5.57 at the association's World Finals at Spokane. The run would've been the first 5.5-second run.
  
  
• In 1982, she lost to the late Lucille Lee in the first all-woman pro nitro final at the U.S. Fuel and Gas meet at Bakersfield.
  
  
• She won the NHRA Springnationals Top Fuel title for the fourth time, by taking the 1982 over Lucille Lee (the first NHRA all-woman nitro final.)
  
  
• Won the U.S. Nationals for the first and only time in 1982 when she beat former crew chief Connie Kalitta in the final.
  
  
• After suffering a horrifying 247-mph crash at the NHRA LeGrandnational Molson in Montreal, Shirley returned to the sport in 1986. In 1989, and despite suffering severe injuries to her legs and feet, Shirley won the 1989 NHRA ATSCO Nationals Top Fuel title over Darrell Gwynn in the final.
  
  
• Going into her final event, Shirley Muldowney has won 18 NHRA national events and has a best elapsed time and mile-per hour of 4.579 at 327.66 mph. Her best lap at her first NHRA national event as a Top Fuel driver was a 6.75, 204.54 at the 1974 Winternationals at Pomona