Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940 in Burlington, Vermont ), also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fueldragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. She won a total of 18 NHRA national events.
Racing career
Born Shirley Ann Roque, Muldowney began street racing in the 1950s in Schenectady, New York. "School had no appeal to me. All I wanted was to race up and down the streets in a hot rod," declared Muldowney. When she was sixteen, she married nineteen-year-old Jack Muldowney, who would build her first dragster.
In 1958, the then eighteen-year-old made her debut on the dragstrip of the Fonda Speedway. Muldowney obtained her NHRA pro license in 1965. She competed in the 1969 and 1970 U.S. Nationals in a twin-engine dragster in Top Gas. With Top Gas losing popularity, Muldowney switched to Funny Car, buying her first car from Connie Kalitta.
"We might not have the latest set of heads or the latest pump, but we have good stuff. Just not an abundance of it."
"Heart Like a Wheel."
"I feel at home with these people now, but when I raced and was on the starting line, I hated their guts,"
"When she was promoting the movie on TV shows, she would tell interviewers she didn't even like racing. She got out of race car like she was getting up from the dinner table."
"The guys said, maybe this problem will go away. It didn't go away. It got worse. Nobody messes with me."
"If she has me hanging around, she's going to be tough to deal with. I told her that I would be there if she needed me."
Shirley is the true, unfiltered story of the inimitable Shirley Muldowney. Salty, sassy, and unflappable, Muldowney crushed stereotypes and became an integral part of the gritty, golden age of drag racing. Her aggressive approach fueled intense rivalries, passionate fan reaction, and occasional caustic headlines but never derailed her quest to be a champion. She'd be the first woman to earn a license to drive a Top Fuel dragster, first woman to win a professional racing championship, and the first driver to win three Top Fuel championships. Her journey came with great personal costs, but her perseverance proved women could race equally with men. Controversial, inspirational, and fiercely honest — there is only one Shirley, and luckily, she was up to the challenge.
🎟 https://www.nhra.com/s...
published: 26 Aug 2024
John Force asks Shirley Muldowney a special question at SEMA
At the end of this year's annual NHRA SEMA Breakfast featuring the women of the NHRA, an unexpected question came up from 16-Time Funny Car World Champion John Force making for a good ending to the show.
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published: 06 Nov 2015
Shirley Muldowney Career Highlights - #100WinsbyWomen
As part of the 100 Pro Wins by Women series, the legendary career of Shirley Muldowney is highlighted in this video. Shirley is the first female to win 3 Top Fuel World Championships and has won a total of 18 NHRA National events.
published: 16 Apr 2014
Drag Racing Shirley Muldowney Top Fuel Dragster Crash Indianapolis Raceway Park 1983
Shirley Muldowney looses a left front tire and hits the guardrail during qualifying for the 1983 NHRA U.S. Nationals.
published: 26 Aug 2016
Nitro Time Machine: Shirley Muldowney's Wild Ride in Phoenix
Take a trip with Brian Lohnes on the Nitro Time Machine as he goes back to the magnificent year of 1990 in Phoenix, AZ to watch Shirley Muldowney's wild ride in her Otter Pops dragster.
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published: 26 Feb 2020
Shirley Muldowney on Johnny Carson
Shirley Muldowney on Johnny Carson before the 1986 Winternationals
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published: 08 Feb 2022
Shirley Muldowney
published: 11 Jun 2010
Shirley Muldowney Drag Racing Videos3
published: 28 Jul 2011
SEASON PREMIERE - LEGENDS: THE SERIES - THE LEGEND OF SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY
Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be today had there never been a woman with the fiery determination of Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney?
While Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly and others had broken drag racing’s gender barrier long before Muldowney left the streets of Schenectady, N.Y., they earned their NHRA hardware in cars that could have been driven to and from church, school or the corner store.
When Muldowney burst upon the scene in the early 1970s, though, she wasn’t interested in driving a Dodge or Ford or Chevrolet. She was hell bent on mashing the pedal on a Top Fuel dragster, a purpose-built race car that even in 1973 was capable of zero to 240 mile per hour accelera...
published: 06 Feb 2019
Shirley Muldowney VS. Connie Kalitta US. Nationals 1982.
Shirley Muldowney VS. Connie Kalitta US. Nationals 1982.
Shirley is the true, unfiltered story of the inimitable Shirley Muldowney. Salty, sassy, and unflappable, Muldowney crushed stereotypes and became an integral p...
Shirley is the true, unfiltered story of the inimitable Shirley Muldowney. Salty, sassy, and unflappable, Muldowney crushed stereotypes and became an integral part of the gritty, golden age of drag racing. Her aggressive approach fueled intense rivalries, passionate fan reaction, and occasional caustic headlines but never derailed her quest to be a champion. She'd be the first woman to earn a license to drive a Top Fuel dragster, first woman to win a professional racing championship, and the first driver to win three Top Fuel championships. Her journey came with great personal costs, but her perseverance proved women could race equally with men. Controversial, inspirational, and fiercely honest — there is only one Shirley, and luckily, she was up to the challenge.
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Shirley is the true, unfiltered story of the inimitable Shirley Muldowney. Salty, sassy, and unflappable, Muldowney crushed stereotypes and became an integral part of the gritty, golden age of drag racing. Her aggressive approach fueled intense rivalries, passionate fan reaction, and occasional caustic headlines but never derailed her quest to be a champion. She'd be the first woman to earn a license to drive a Top Fuel dragster, first woman to win a professional racing championship, and the first driver to win three Top Fuel championships. Her journey came with great personal costs, but her perseverance proved women could race equally with men. Controversial, inspirational, and fiercely honest — there is only one Shirley, and luckily, she was up to the challenge.
🎟 https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2024
🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/Nhra1951
🌐 Visit NHRA.TV to access more content: https://www.nhra.tv/
📲 And Follow us on all our social networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: @NHRA: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: @NHRA: http://instagram.com/nhra
TikTok: @NHRA: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhra
At the end of this year's annual NHRA SEMA Breakfast featuring the women of the NHRA, an unexpected question came up from 16-Time Funny Car World Champion John ...
At the end of this year's annual NHRA SEMA Breakfast featuring the women of the NHRA, an unexpected question came up from 16-Time Funny Car World Champion John Force making for a good ending to the show.
Join NHRA Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NHRA
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Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Nh…
At the end of this year's annual NHRA SEMA Breakfast featuring the women of the NHRA, an unexpected question came up from 16-Time Funny Car World Champion John Force making for a good ending to the show.
Join NHRA Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NHRA
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As part of the 100 Pro Wins by Women series, the legendary career of Shirley Muldowney is highlighted in this video. Shirley is the first female to win 3 Top F...
As part of the 100 Pro Wins by Women series, the legendary career of Shirley Muldowney is highlighted in this video. Shirley is the first female to win 3 Top Fuel World Championships and has won a total of 18 NHRA National events.
As part of the 100 Pro Wins by Women series, the legendary career of Shirley Muldowney is highlighted in this video. Shirley is the first female to win 3 Top Fuel World Championships and has won a total of 18 NHRA National events.
Take a trip with Brian Lohnes on the Nitro Time Machine as he goes back to the magnificent year of 1990 in Phoenix, AZ to watch Shirley Muldowney's wild ride in...
Take a trip with Brian Lohnes on the Nitro Time Machine as he goes back to the magnificent year of 1990 in Phoenix, AZ to watch Shirley Muldowney's wild ride in her Otter Pops dragster.
Don't forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: @NHRA: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: @NHRA: http://instagram.com/nhra
Snapchat: @NHRA
NHRA.TV: https://www.nhra.tv/
Take a trip with Brian Lohnes on the Nitro Time Machine as he goes back to the magnificent year of 1990 in Phoenix, AZ to watch Shirley Muldowney's wild ride in her Otter Pops dragster.
Don't forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: @NHRA: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: @NHRA: http://instagram.com/nhra
Snapchat: @NHRA
NHRA.TV: https://www.nhra.tv/
Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be toda...
Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be today had there never been a woman with the fiery determination of Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney?
While Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly and others had broken drag racing’s gender barrier long before Muldowney left the streets of Schenectady, N.Y., they earned their NHRA hardware in cars that could have been driven to and from church, school or the corner store.
When Muldowney burst upon the scene in the early 1970s, though, she wasn’t interested in driving a Dodge or Ford or Chevrolet. She was hell bent on mashing the pedal on a Top Fuel dragster, a purpose-built race car that even in 1973 was capable of zero to 240 mile per hour acceleration in less than six seconds.
The problem was that conventional wisdom suggested that while it was okay for women to compete in Stock and Super Stock, members of the “fairer sex” simply were not physically capable of handling the torque and power of a fuel altered, Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster.
Muldowney, of course, begged to differ and in this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, the “First Woman of Racing” talks about how she forever changed the landscape of the sport; how she believes that “if I hadn’t had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, I would have failed”; how her opponents never understood that “the madder I got, the better I got”; and how, ultimately, she battled back from horrendous injuries in a 1984 crash at Montreal to win yet again.
So, pull up a chair and strap in. It’s gonna be one wild ride.
Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be today had there never been a woman with the fiery determination of Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney?
While Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly and others had broken drag racing’s gender barrier long before Muldowney left the streets of Schenectady, N.Y., they earned their NHRA hardware in cars that could have been driven to and from church, school or the corner store.
When Muldowney burst upon the scene in the early 1970s, though, she wasn’t interested in driving a Dodge or Ford or Chevrolet. She was hell bent on mashing the pedal on a Top Fuel dragster, a purpose-built race car that even in 1973 was capable of zero to 240 mile per hour acceleration in less than six seconds.
The problem was that conventional wisdom suggested that while it was okay for women to compete in Stock and Super Stock, members of the “fairer sex” simply were not physically capable of handling the torque and power of a fuel altered, Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster.
Muldowney, of course, begged to differ and in this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, the “First Woman of Racing” talks about how she forever changed the landscape of the sport; how she believes that “if I hadn’t had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, I would have failed”; how her opponents never understood that “the madder I got, the better I got”; and how, ultimately, she battled back from horrendous injuries in a 1984 crash at Montreal to win yet again.
So, pull up a chair and strap in. It’s gonna be one wild ride.
Shirley is the true, unfiltered story of the inimitable Shirley Muldowney. Salty, sassy, and unflappable, Muldowney crushed stereotypes and became an integral part of the gritty, golden age of drag racing. Her aggressive approach fueled intense rivalries, passionate fan reaction, and occasional caustic headlines but never derailed her quest to be a champion. She'd be the first woman to earn a license to drive a Top Fuel dragster, first woman to win a professional racing championship, and the first driver to win three Top Fuel championships. Her journey came with great personal costs, but her perseverance proved women could race equally with men. Controversial, inspirational, and fiercely honest — there is only one Shirley, and luckily, she was up to the challenge.
🎟 https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2024
🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/Nhra1951
🌐 Visit NHRA.TV to access more content: https://www.nhra.tv/
📲 And Follow us on all our social networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: @NHRA: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: @NHRA: http://instagram.com/nhra
TikTok: @NHRA: https://www.tiktok.com/@nhra
At the end of this year's annual NHRA SEMA Breakfast featuring the women of the NHRA, an unexpected question came up from 16-Time Funny Car World Champion John Force making for a good ending to the show.
Join NHRA Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: http://instagram.com/nhra
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nhra
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Nh…
As part of the 100 Pro Wins by Women series, the legendary career of Shirley Muldowney is highlighted in this video. Shirley is the first female to win 3 Top Fuel World Championships and has won a total of 18 NHRA National events.
Take a trip with Brian Lohnes on the Nitro Time Machine as he goes back to the magnificent year of 1990 in Phoenix, AZ to watch Shirley Muldowney's wild ride in her Otter Pops dragster.
Don't forget to hit the SUBSCRIBE button!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NHRA
Twitter: @NHRA: https://twitter.com/NHRA
Instagram: @NHRA: http://instagram.com/nhra
Snapchat: @NHRA
NHRA.TV: https://www.nhra.tv/
Drag racing boasts a diversity of participation that is the envy of every other motor racing discipline on the planet. But, how diverse would the sport be today had there never been a woman with the fiery determination of Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney?
While Shirley Shahan, Judy Lilly and others had broken drag racing’s gender barrier long before Muldowney left the streets of Schenectady, N.Y., they earned their NHRA hardware in cars that could have been driven to and from church, school or the corner store.
When Muldowney burst upon the scene in the early 1970s, though, she wasn’t interested in driving a Dodge or Ford or Chevrolet. She was hell bent on mashing the pedal on a Top Fuel dragster, a purpose-built race car that even in 1973 was capable of zero to 240 mile per hour acceleration in less than six seconds.
The problem was that conventional wisdom suggested that while it was okay for women to compete in Stock and Super Stock, members of the “fairer sex” simply were not physically capable of handling the torque and power of a fuel altered, Funny Car or Top Fuel dragster.
Muldowney, of course, begged to differ and in this episode of Legends, The Series, Season Five, the “First Woman of Racing” talks about how she forever changed the landscape of the sport; how she believes that “if I hadn’t had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, I would have failed”; how her opponents never understood that “the madder I got, the better I got”; and how, ultimately, she battled back from horrendous injuries in a 1984 crash at Montreal to win yet again.
So, pull up a chair and strap in. It’s gonna be one wild ride.
Shirley Muldowney (born June 19, 1940 in Burlington, Vermont ), also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fueldragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980 and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. She won a total of 18 NHRA national events.
Racing career
Born Shirley Ann Roque, Muldowney began street racing in the 1950s in Schenectady, New York. "School had no appeal to me. All I wanted was to race up and down the streets in a hot rod," declared Muldowney. When she was sixteen, she married nineteen-year-old Jack Muldowney, who would build her first dragster.
In 1958, the then eighteen-year-old made her debut on the dragstrip of the Fonda Speedway. Muldowney obtained her NHRA pro license in 1965. She competed in the 1969 and 1970 U.S. Nationals in a twin-engine dragster in Top Gas. With Top Gas losing popularity, Muldowney switched to Funny Car, buying her first car from Connie Kalitta.
PhotoCredit. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin . FilmMagic via Getty Images...Soon, in 1983, she made her feature debut in the biographical film, Heart Like a Wheel, which was based on drag racing�driver�Shirley Muldowney’s life, in a supporting role ... .
motorsports series to welcome female drivers in large numbers — women have won 23 drag-racing championships, dating to Shirley Muldowney’s top fuel title in 1977 — was especially helpful, Shumake said ... They’re very strategic and authentic,” he said ... .
The title and cover art are both homages to the pioneering drag racer Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney; frontman Dave Pirner was always a big fan ...Slowly But Shirley doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s coming this fall.
Today is Wednesday, June 19, the 171st day of 2024. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth. Today’s Highlight in History. ... On this date. ... In 1987, the U.S ... In 2014, Rep ... Hall of Fame race car driver Shirley Muldowney is 84 ... is 44 ... .