Shirley: The life and career of Shirley Muldowney

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Published 2024-08-26
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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All Comments (21)
  • Garlits, Muldowney, Force, Snake and Bernstein are the names that have truly made our sport. All different and all special in their own way. This documentary is awesome! Thank you Shirley and thank you to all at NHRA who helped make this happen. More like this please!
  • Shirley is in my opinion the best female driver ever. She also had charisma and flair that helped her reach fans.
  • @chadkent1241
    What an incredible tribute to the baddest woman in racing history! We love you, Shirley!!!!!!❤❤❤
  • @0U812UBE
    This is a beyond amazing documentry!
  • One of the best NHRA drivers ever! One of these days I would love to meet Shirley!
  • Thank you for such an incredible show! Shirley is one of the greatest race car drivers to have graced this planet. She is also a great inspiration to many, an icon, philanthropist, and best representatives of the sport of drag racing. She is also very kind and appreciative of her MANY fans.
  • She surrounded herself with a lot of great people! Earned every scar and championships! Thanks NHRA for putting this out!
  • It's about time there's a good documentary on the greatest female drag racing champion in the world God bless you Shirley! A job well done!!!
  • @fixedlink
    Shirley Muldowney could kick ass! A true drag racer and she had the skills, the team and gusto to beat Big Daddy Don. Thank you for all the excitement and inspiring others to pursue their dreams.
  • @stymieslc8484
    As a young 20 something back in the early 70's living in SW Michigan & Martin Dragway was an hour's drive away, every time a big event came along, I was there, camera in hand shooting as many photos as I could get, I was always a huge fan of Shirley from day one. Back then, the dragstrip would allow me to have full access on the starting line to shoot as many photo's as I wanted. I lived to get action shots of Shirley, Big Daddy, Connie Kalitta, Jungle Jim & all the other top drivers back in the mid 70's & 80's. Drag racing is in my blood for sure! Somewhere all those photos got lost or hidden in boxes packed away. To this day, I'm a die-hard drag racing fan & watch all the events I can catch on TV & the internet. Man, those were the good ole days for sure! Lots of time spent at dragstrips all over Illinois, Michigan, Indiana - I lived to go to the dragstrips all over! Thanks to whoever put this video together! Great job! Hats off to all of those who had a part in the making of this great video! I have always been a huge fan of Shirley from day one! Magic Sam
  • Shirley was awesome when I was growing up, in 1970 I was 13 and just starting to watch NHRA races. She did it her way and it worked. Thank you Cha-Cha. NHRA did an absolutely wonderful job with this tribute to the truly baddest woman on the planet.
  • @whitehorse420
    I remember this beautiful woman. I was only 13 years old and lived in Carlsbad NM. My step-dad took me to Roswell NM to see her and Don Garlit race. I'm an Oldman now but I'll never forget her. ❤❤❤
  • Wow, what accomplishments. Drag racing is my favorite sport by far. Thank you, Shirley for being a huge part of it and just being you.
  • This video made me 😭 very heartfelt.... I'm glad I was able to get your autograph at bandimere years ago. Thank you Shirley for being a great racer and a historic champion the industry will never forget you.
  • @022367ASM
    One of the best stories I have ever watched on NHRA YouTube. You guys did it write. Thank you. 💯 ❤‍🔥
  • @packatk7431
    I remember watching Heart Like a Wheel when I was a kid in the theater with my Dad. I remember thinking Shirley was such a badass. My Dad and I would spend Sunday afternoon's watching her drag race on TV in the early 80s. Such great memories... thanks for sharing this.
  • @cskvision
    Thanks a million for posting this! Us Canadians have waited all year to see this. 🇨🇦 Shirley is the best of the best!