May 13th, 2016: Women in Drags

Drag racing became popular in the US because anyone could do with run-what-ya brung stock classes to
include everyone. If you wanted to make modifications to be a little quicker than your girlfriend’s other
boyfriend, have at it. But it was mostly a boys thing, they claimed girls didn’t want to, which was mostly
true because they had been taught that it wasn’t girly.
Then in the early 1970s Shirley Muldowney said bullshit, I wanna. And by winning 18 races and becoming
a three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion did it.
Top Fuel has become a huge money pit and the people putting up the cash now want proven drivers.
But a lot of girls have done well in the lower classes mere mortals can enter.
And the girls are also working their way up.



Back in 2012 Force and Enders happened…
In Seattle, 24-year-old Courtney Force, daughter of 15-time Funny Car world champion John Force, continued
the tradition. She beat defending world champ Matt Hagan in the final round of the NHRA Northwest Nationals
to earn her first career victory. The rookie driver became the 13th different female to win a race at the most
elite level of the sport. She is only the third woman to win a Funny Car race, joining sister Ashley Force Hood
and Melanie Troxel.
Earlier this year in Chicago, Enders became the first female to win an NHRA Pro Stock race in the category’s
42-year history. In Seattle Enders scored the second of her career.
“To have both me and Erica in the winner's circle is awesome,” Force said. “We're not just out here to race
the boys, we're here to beat the boys and today just proves that.”



But there are other ladies happy to race at lower classes, like Judi Bureski. Judi has been into drag racing
with her husband Bill, since the ‘60’s and is still racing her ’70 Oldsmobile 442, at age 72. You go, girl.

Awesomeness!

As a woman who will never be able to safely drive again, I admire these ladies immensely. I thought about fixing up my favorite car to do "race what you drove here" drags at Mukilteo Speedway, but it would've taken the GNP of a small country to do that kind of work on my old Plymouth. I don't follow much of any sports at all--have we ever had a high-ranked female NASCAR driver?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakeadelic --have we ever had a high-ranked female NASCAR driver?

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce Probably not, NASCAR only turns left and women are always right.

In NASCAR, there is Danica Patrick (a couple of top ten finishes, I think) in the top series, Sprint Cup. And there was Janet Guthrie, the first female driver to compete in the top series (then called Winston Cup) back in 1976. She finished 15th in the World 600.

Jennifer Jo Cobb has participated in NASCAR's Xfinity Series (one step below Sprint Cup).

Lots of women have raced in NASCAR-sanctioned race series.

I saw Shirley Muldowney and her big pink dragster at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky about a hundred years ago.

She was absolutely mobbed with fans.