The First lady of drag racing

Shirley Muldowney

In the testosterone-fueled world of drag racing, where burning rubber and roaring engines define the landscape, one woman shattered the glass ceiling, leaving a trail of broken records and blazing tracks in her wake.

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1958: Begins her drag racing career in the Super Stock class. 1965: Achieves her first major victory in a match race against Don Garlits.

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1973: Becomes the first woman to earn a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) licence in Top Fuel. 1976: Secures her first NHRA Top Fuel World Championship, making history as the first woman to win a major motorsports title.

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Getting Started

1980: Clinches her second NHRA Top Fuel World Championship. 1981: Survives a near-fatal crash at the NHRA Southern Nationals

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1982: Earns her third NHRA Top Fuel World Championship. 1983: Her autobiographical movie, ‘Heart Like A Wheel’ hit the cinemas

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1986: Announced her retirement from full-time racing. 2004: Returns to NHRA racing for a brief period at the age of 64.

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2011: Receives the prestigious NHRA Lifetime Achievement Award. 2020: Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.