The Role Of Courtney Force In The Fans Of 1980s NASCAR

While motorsports worldwide appears to be dominated by men, over the years, there have been several women who have taken on the boy’s club in the pits. Today the names of Danica Patrick and Courtney Force are familiar names to even the most casual viewer. However, just because Danica is a NASCAR regular and Courtney does burnouts on the NHRA tracks, does not mean that women have always found their way to the finish line.

Fans of 1980s NASCAR may remember Shawna Roberts or Patty Moise, but neither woman made it much further than the lower tiers of the sport. Even Dale Earnhardt’s daughter, Kelley, only raced for a few years before giving it up. Courtney Force certainly has an advantage over other women by being the child of NHRA legend, John Force, but that does not secure her spot in the sport.

This does not mean that there have been no

Janet is retired.

Shirley Muldowney

Shirley “ChaCha” Muldowney is the First Lady of Drag Racing. She was the first NHRA licensed woman, and the first woman to sit in the cockpit of a top fuel dragster. She picked up the championship in the top fuel category in 1977, 1980 and again in 1982. Those wins made her the very first person of either gender to win two and three titles in the top fuel category. She has 18 national event wins under her belt.

Shirley had to muscle her way into racing because in 1958, everyone was against her. It was a boy’s club, and she had to fight the NHRA to prove that she could fill the stands and win races. With racers like Don Garlits and Connie Kalitta on her side, she got her licenses and became a competitive racer until a 1984 crash caused her extensive injuries to her pelvis, hands and legs that took her off the track for almost two years.

She made a few comebacks after the fact, but her injuries were too severe, and she finally retired in