DON
PRUDHOMME
DRO: With Shirley
retiring and with losing more of our legends
like you and Bernstein - what does it do for
the sport to be losing our history? Shirley
really seems like she's happy for it to be over.
DP: Quite frankly
I think it's good, because we need new young
guys and gals and I think it's one of the problems
with our sport is that the older generation,
let's say, can stay around as long as you can
walk. You can drive one of these things, Garlits
is 70 - 75 years old, and to make the sport
grow, you really need to have the young drivers
for the young consumers and major sponsors.
There aren't a lot of sponsors that want to
sponsor a 70 year old guy, I mean there just
aren't, so you know it's just that the sport
has changed and I think it's healthy. But I
don't think that any of the new drivers will
ever replace a Shirley, a Garlits or anything
like that cause they started the sport.
DRO: Do you think
you should start giving your guys nicknames?
DP: I think it
would help us more giving them wins. It's all
about winning now, not nicknames.
GARY
SCELZI
DRO: How do you
feel about Shirley retiring?
GS: Well, I think
it's time. I mean there's not much more she
could have done for the sport. It's incredible.
She's paved the way for every woman and straightened
out every man along the way. I always loved
her. I like that she speaks her mind and she's
never been afraid to do it whether it helped
her or hindered her, but you always knew where
you stood with her. And I love her and love
Ron her husband, I think they're a great bunch
and it's sad, it's a passing, I wish I could
have got to race her but it never happened,
but I think it's great and I think no matter
what, a hundred years from now people will know
Shirley Muldowney and if you can do anything
in this sport and even if she has never won
a championship and she has won several races,
I think it's incredible. It probably doesn't
matter to Shirley which is really neat - she's
left a mark and she doesn't need to prove anything
and I think she can go away after all she's
been through and just be an icon. And that's
something that when you walk away from any sport
and be able to do that I think that's pretty
incredible.
CHRIS
KARAMESINES
DRO: With Shirley
retiring, who is actually younger than you,
do you have any thoughts about other legends
of drag racing retiring?
CK: Not Really,
if they don't want to drive or play around...
I do it because I enjoy it, I'll keep doing
it as long as I can. I still get a lot out of
it and I'm having a good time.
JIMMY PROCK
DRO: With Shirley
retiring how do you feel about it?
JP: Shirley's
done a lot for the sport. She put women on the
map with racing and it's kind of sad to see
her go but I mean she's done a lot for the sport
and she's done good and
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she
had her nice little retirement tour. And I wish
her well; I mean I don't know how you say it
hurts the sport. She feels it's time for her
to go and I mean that's what she did. Like I
said she's had a good career and she's done
a lot and she figured it's time to step aside
and everyone has to do that sooner or later.
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