Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940), also professionally known as "Cha Cha" and "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American car racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Fuelster Top Fuel. He won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980, and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. He won a total of 18 NHRA national events.
Video Shirley Muldowney
Racing career
Born Shirley Ann Roque in Burlington, Vermont, Muldowney started a street race in the 1950s in Schenectady, New York. "School does not interest me, all I want to do is run around the streets with hot rods," Muldowney said. When he was 16, he married Jack Muldowney, 19, who would build his first dragster.
It was Jack Muldowney who first taught me how to drive a car. Jack is the mechanic. He is the one who sets the cars that let the girl defeat all the boys. I was little from New York without guidance, no direction. I'm heading for trouble, nothing happened to me. Then I found the sport at a very young age and able to make something out of it.
In 1958, Muldowney made his debut with dragstrip from Fonda Speedway. He obtained a NHRA pro license in 1965. He competed in 1969 and 1970 US citizens in twin-engine racing cars at Top Gas. With Top Gas losing popularity, Muldowney switched to Funny Car, buying his first car from Connie Kalitta.
Around this time, she and her husband stayed away; they finally divorced in 1972. "He did not want to go nitro racing and we split up, but we remained friends for many years until he died [in 2007]," he said later.
Muldowney won his first major event, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) of Southern Nationals, in 1971.
He went to Top Fuel, licensed him in 1973. From 1973 to 1977, he worked with Connie Kalitta as Bounty Hunter and Bounty Huntress in a race race, in a pair of Ford Mustangs, his butoman chassis, his Logghe. The Mustang Bounty Huntress burned at Dragway 42 in Ohio in 1973.
The unprecedented NHRA Top Fuel Dragster world championship followed, in 1977, 1980, and 1982.
The success of Muldowney gets enormous opposition from those who feel drag racing (or any form of motorsport, for that matter) is not a place for women. Don Garlits said of him:
Now, if you ask who I value most, I will say Shirley Muldowney. He opposed all odds. They do not want him to race Top Fuel, associates, racers, no... Just Shirley.
Muldowney noted, "NHRA is fighting me every inch of the way, but when they see how a girl can fill the stands, they see me well for the sport."
An accident in 1984 destroyed his hands, pelvis, and legs, requiring half a dozen operations and 18 months of therapy. Muldowney ruled out for a long time, but returned to the circuit in the late 1980s. He continued to race, mostly without major sponsorship, throughout the 1990s in IHRA competitions and racing events. He returned to NHRA towards the end of his career, running a certain event until he retired in late 2003.
Muldowney is described by old drag rider Fred Farndon as the "best" natural rider (top fuel or funny car), no doubt. "
Recent activities include his memoir dictation, Tales Shirley Muldowney from the Track , transcribed by Bill Stephens, and the Sports Publishing L.L.C. published in 2005.
Maps Shirley Muldowney
Health issues
In March 2016 Muldowney ignored cancer's fear of becoming an official starter of Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. After being given a diagnosis of lung cancer before the event, Muldowney was then given a diagnosis of histoplasmosis, a curable and non-malignant fungal infection that could mimic cancer.
Shirley's Kids
Muldowney operates a charity organization, Shirley's Kids, which helps children in need in cities where drag racing is part of the community.
Movie depiction
The 1983 biopic Heart Like a Wheel, about Muldowney's life and career, starring Bonnie Bedelia. Muldowney preferred Jamie Lee Curtis to play it; she calls Bedelia "snot," and states, "When she promotes a movie on a TV show, she'll tell the interviewer that she does not even like racing. She gets out of a racing car like she wakes up from the dining table. "Muldowney has mixed feelings about the film itself, stating," No, the movie did not interest my life, but more importantly, I think it's very, very good for sports. "
Awards and honors
- In 1975, he was elected as the first female member of ten Auto Racing All-American teams by the American Auto Racing Writers and Announcers Association.
- In 1976, he was named the Fuel Driver of Year-End News and opted for the Auto All-American Racing Team for the second time.
- In 1977, he won the NHRA world champion points Winston, becoming the first woman to claim the most prestigious drag racing title. Recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the United States House of Representatives on October 14, 1977. Named Drag News Top Fuel Driver of the Year for the second consecutive season. Named Car Craft Magazine, People of the Year in the annual Car Craft Awards Banquet, Indianapolis, Indiana. First Fuel Driver to win three NHRA national shows in turn.
- 1980 Winning NHRA Winston world points championship for the second time.
- 1981 Won the AHRA world championship. Elected to the All-American Auto Racing team for the fifth time. Choosing The All-Star Car Craft Magazine Team, The Biggest Fuel Driver of the Year, for the second year in a row.
- 1982 Win the NHRA Winston points championship, becoming the first person to claim the most prestigious drag racing title three times. Elected to the All-American Auto Racing Team for the fifth time.
- In 1990, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of America of Motorsports.
- In 2001, he was ranked 5th in the 50th 50th National Hot Rod Association list of the Top 50 Drivers, 1951-2000.
- In 2004, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- In 2005, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
- in 2008, ESPN ranked 21st in the list of 25 Top Drivers of All Time, citing his notes as the first woman to win a major racing championship.
References
Source
- McClurg, Bob. "50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 2" in Drag Racer , November 2016, pp.35-50.
External links
- Official website
- Shirley's Kids
- Listen to live radio interviews with Shirley Muldowney.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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