Shirley Muldowney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shirley Muldowney |
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Muldowney signing autographs in July 2017 at the Automobile Driving Museum
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| Born | Shirley Ann Roque June 19, 1940 Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Debut season | 1958 |
| Previous series | |
| NHRA, Top Fuel | |
| Championship titles | |
| Top Fuel 1977, 1980, 1982 | |
| Awards | |
| 1990 2001 2004 | Motorsports Hall of Fame of America NHRA Top 50 Drivers of 1951–2000 International Motor Sports Hall of Fame |
Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940) is a famous American auto racer. She is also known as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing". Shirley was the first woman to get a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a powerful Top Fuel dragster. She made history by winning the NHRA Top Fuel championship three times: in 1977, 1980, and 1982. She was the first person ever to win two and then three Top Fuel titles. Overall, she won 18 NHRA national events during her amazing career.
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Shirley Muldowney's Racing Journey
Shirley Ann Roque was born in Burlington, Vermont, on June 19, 1940. She started street racing in the 1950s in Schenectady, New York. Shirley loved racing from a young age. She once said, "School had no appeal to me. All I wanted was to race up and down the streets in a hot rod."
When she was 16, she married Jack Muldowney. Jack helped her by building her first dragster. Shirley explained that Jack taught her how to drive. He was also the mechanic who made her cars fast enough to win against the boys. She felt that racing gave her direction and helped her achieve something special.
Early Drag Racing Career
Shirley Muldowney first raced on a dragstrip at the Fonda Speedway in 1958. She earned her professional NHRA license in 1965. In 1969 and 1970, she competed in the U.S. Nationals using a special dragster with two engines in the Top Gas category.
When Top Gas became less popular, Shirley switched to racing Funny Cars. She bought her first Funny Car from another famous racer, Connie Kalitta. Shirley and Jack divorced in 1972, but they remained good friends until he passed away in 2007.
Breaking Barriers in Top Fuel
Shirley won her first big event, the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Southern Nationals, in 1971. In 1973, she moved up to the Top Fuel class. This was a huge step, and she became the first woman to get a Top Fuel license. Racing legend Don Garlits was one of the people who signed her application.
From 1973 to 1977, Shirley teamed up with Connie Kalitta. They raced together as the Bounty Hunter (Kalitta) and Bounty Huntress (Muldowney) in special "match races."
In 1976, Shirley showed her dominance in Top Fuel at a race in Columbus, Ohio. She was the fastest qualifier and set the best times and speeds. She won the event, breaking her own speed record in the final race.
Championship Wins and Challenges
Shirley Muldowney went on to win three NHRA Top Fuel Dragster world championships. These historic wins happened in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Her success was not easy. Many people in drag racing felt that women did not belong in the sport.
Don Garlits, a respected racer, said he had the most respect for Shirley. He explained that she faced many challenges because the racing associations and other racers did not want her to compete in Top Fuel. Shirley herself noted that the NHRA fought her at first. However, when they saw how many fans she attracted, they realized she was good for the sport.
In 1984, Shirley had a serious crash that injured her hands, pelvis, and legs. She needed many operations and 18 months of therapy to recover. Shirley was out of racing for a long time, but she bravely returned to the sport in the late 1980s. She even appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1986, walking with a cane.
She continued to race through the 1990s, often without big sponsors. She competed in IHRA events and match races. Shirley returned to the NHRA for a few races near the end of her career. She officially retired from racing at the end of 2003.
Fred Farndon, another longtime drag racer, called Shirley the "best 'natural' driver" in Top Fuel or Funny Car. In 2005, her memoirs, Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track, were published.
Shirley's Kids Charity
Shirley Muldowney runs a charity called Shirley's Kids. This organization helps children who are in need. It focuses on helping kids in cities where drag racing is a part of the community.
Film About Shirley's Life
In 1983, a movie called Heart Like a Wheel was made about Shirley Muldowney's life and racing career. Actress Bonnie Bedelia played Shirley in the film. Shirley had mixed feelings about the movie. She felt it didn't fully capture her life, but she believed it was very good for the sport of drag racing.
Awards and Honors
Shirley Muldowney has received many awards and honors for her groundbreaking career:
- In 1975, she was the first woman voted onto the Auto Racing All-American team.
- In 1976, she was named Drag News Top Fuel Driver of the Year.
- In 1977, she won her first NHRA Winston world points championship. She also received an "Outstanding Achievement Award" from the United States House of Representatives.
- She won her second NHRA Winston world points championship in 1980.
- In 1981, she won the AHRA world championship.
- In 1982, she won her third NHRA Winston points championship, becoming the first person to do so.
- In 1989, she was inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- In 1990, she was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
- In 2001, the National Hot Rod Association ranked her number five on its list of the Top 50 Drivers from 1951-2000.
- In 2004, she was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- In 2005, she was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
- In 2008, ESPN ranked her 21st on its list of the Top 25 Drivers of All Time. They noted her achievement as the first woman to win a major racing championship.
Images for kids
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Muldowney selling photographs to benefit her nonprofit, Shirley's Kids, at the 2023 DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
