Competition Plus Gives The First Lady Of Drag Racing Our Soapbox And She Doesn't Let Us Down...

“Pro Modified is probably the most controversial class in racing. The biggest thing is the two different combinations. It's like putting two different animals in the same cage and expecting them to get along with one another. That doesn't happen very often and it doesn't happen in IHRA either. ”		The Unsinkable Shirley Muldowney
By Bobby Bennett, Jr.

Shirley Muldowney has a name that is as famous as the sport that she helped bring to the limelight. The veteran Top Fuel racer stands as the first female drag racer to win a Top Fuel World Championship and solidified her status with two more. She's been the subject of a motion picture and the victim of a horrific crash that could have easily taken her life. Muldowney once toured national events religiously and, despite running a limited schedule, still commands respect both on and off of the track with her relentless pursuit of excellence. Competition Plus editor Bobby Bennett, Jr., managed to catch the popular and outspoken veteran and discuss the trials and tribulations of the sport, past rivalries and her disgusts with certain aspects of the sport.

CP   Are you unsinkable?

SM   I've always been an intense competitor. I'm not easily pushed around. But, I will definitely wait my turn.

CP   You've fired off barbs at other female racers like Lori Johns and Rhonda Hartman. Is this just a case of you seeing these female drivers as invading your territory?

SM   Shirley laughs That's a very loaded question. First of all, I'll clarify my problem with Rhonda. Rhonda first appeared on the IHRA scene, I had not met her. She won a race and had a couple of events where her car performed. Then I showed up the next year and I don't think Rhonda appreciated a new sheriff in town. What they tried to do, not just Rhonda, but the whole Hartman team, they tried to change the rules. I objected to that. That's the only problem that I ever had with Rhonda. I would have that same problem with any competitor whether it be male or female. They tried to go between qualifying runs and make a test run at a national event. That does not fly with me. What got me off about Lori is that she came in like a trusty old sedan, her half down the center of the road. I don't know how to explain it. She moved right in...expected everyone to accept the baggage she brought along. The lawsuit was what really got to me. The style in which they went racing. I wasn't the only one that saw it that way. I wouldn't put Lori out there. Young ladies, I'll not name names, that go out there and run a number and think they know it all. They don't have a clue.

CP   You don't deny ever saying about one particular driver that there is no place in drag racing for bimboism?

SM   I absolutely said it and meant it. I'm not going to deny that. Lori tried to come in and get under my wing. It's not that she wanted to learn under me. She wanted to use me to enhance her career. I didn't stand for it one minute. The lawsuit touched me off and it seemed as if it didn't matter to the ones promoting the sport. She was promotable. But, she didn't last. Where is she now? Where is Rhonda Hartman? It's a good question, not a loaded one. I really didn't have anything against Rhonda. She's a pretty girl. I'm surprised she didn't get hurt. The things we saw them do with that car...not just me...we all shook our heads...I am glad she didn't get hurt. I think she is a mother now and maybe that is the best thing that she should do, at least if she drives a car prepared by that group.

CP   If you were an aspiring female Top Fuel racer, how would you view Shirley Muldowney?

SM   As someone who got the job done...I think all of them should take a few lessons from me, in terms of being a competitor. There's more to it, than just going out there and going from Point A to Point B. Shelly Anderson, for example, doesn't think drag racing exists past the NHRA. She lives in such a small world over there. There's a lot of drag racing aside from the NHRA. But, that's the only world that she knows.

CP   Do you ever regret having a "tell-it-like-it-is" attitude?

SM   No, absolutely not. It's better than wasting a lot of time and speaking out of both sides of your mouth.

CP   For the longest time, there was a feud between Shirley and the IHRA, what ended that?

SM   It wasn't really a feud. I just didn't agree with Larry Carrier and the way he ran things and his style, as did a lot of competitors. You could talk to Don Prudhomme and Gary Beck; I could name half a dozen off of the top of my head. But, I chose not to run the IHRA because of Larry Carrier.

CP   Some say that IHRA Top Fuel is in trouble, what's your take on that.

SM   I don't know if it's in trouble. I think that most of the competitors are bona fide competitors. They field good equipment and there are certainly some good drivers out there, only because of the conditions they have had to run with as opposed to the tracks that the NHRA offers. They are not all super speedways although there are some good tracks. The IHRA track owners are trying to make the tracks as good as they possibly can. I will be in Cordova this weekend, and I look forward to going there. They've done a masterful job of improving that track. It's not only ideal for the fans, but the drivers as well.

CP   What's Shirley's game plan for affordable Top Fuel racing?

SM   There's a lot of directions that you can go with that. Let me give you one example. They henned and hobbed and tried every possible thing for the Bristol race. They insisted on the handicap system. That totally put the Top Fuel guys at a disadvantage. They went in there and got screwed big time. Okay, but it's their fault, they stood for it. The handicap...there's nothing wrong with that...I'm told the Funny Car guys sandbagged in qualifying to get even more of a spot on race day. All they had to do was shorten one half of the race track. Easy, they could have left together and they wouldn't have been hampered with the other car leaving and disrupting your concentration. Do you understand where I am going? That's all they had to do, one side of the track shortened...problem solved. But, then I hear, let's change the compression, which is idiotic. That will cost a lot money and change combinations. I don't agree with the gear rule that the NHRA enforces. I don't agree with that at all. That's basically it. Other than that, I think drag racing is going to grow and grow and continue to prosper. I really believe that. I think the NHRA is making a lot of right moves now. I hear that they have some good people in there now. Certainly, the IHRA is making some right moves. They definitely have good people. There's enough for everybody, actually. There's enough to go around. The sponsor thing sighs, that's a different story.

CP   Do you ever feel like you're beating a dead horse by racing without a sponsor?

SM   No, because I do it on my own terms. It's not easy, but we don't have the money to run the NHRA program. Nor, would I want to run 24 races a year. I did that for 20 years and didn't get much thanks for doing it. That's the way it is in business anyway. People move on and new people come in. The people that are there for years eventually move on or retire. It just depends on how you choose to run it. We are able to do this because of the way we do it. It's kind of funny because a lot of the teams out there make this big circle...everybody works for everybody and they make the big circumference. They come back around and they do it all over again. It doesn't seem that anyone over there can hold a job over there. That isn't the way it is, that's just the way it looks. People that help me are past employees or friends I've had for 20 years. They come in and they have jobs during the week. They come in on the weekends, smell some nitro and get to work on a good car. We enjoy races and we have fun. We laugh and we eat together every meal. It's kind of like an outing and we're testing all the while. One of my crewmembers is Mike Kopchick, who owns Rage Racing Engines. He has fuel pumps on eight of the top ten of the NHRA. We get a chance to test a lot of product, even though we leave the starting line with every intention of trying our best to run the quickest and fastest we've ever run. That's the whole idea. I get a chance to do it on my own terms. I am one of, if not the only one, non-sponsored fuel racer that does this for a living, that's non-sponsored and makes a go of it. If you could name one person out there, I'd be surprised.

CP   Since you don't race as much, what have you done to replace that off-time?

SM   Off-time? I have no off-time. If you think about 12 races...we'll say 12 races...personal appearances, plus displays, shows, for one man to set up for, to build engines, constructions, maintenance, travel, this man also drives the rig, there's not a spare moment to have around here...and have a life of our own and enjoy our time at home. We try to come home and work out of our garage between races. We don't schedule a race every single week. It couldn't be done. We physically couldn't do it. My husband has me during the week. I do all of the jobbers. When I tell my fans to please not stand on the backdoor. That's where I receive the fans for autographs and merchandise. When they ask me why, I tell them not to ask me, they wouldn't believe it. I get to wash the floor of that trailer. That gives you an idea that I get down on my hands and my knees and don't sit around all day talking on the phone.

CP   A lot of stick and ball sports has been accused of not taking care of their legends. Is drag racing the same way?

SM   Absolutely. That's a bona fide question. I couldn't answer a more appropriate question. That's a good comparison. New people coming into the sport...they don't know the history...I'll give you an example. When John Force ran the quickest time ever in his funny car at Englishtown, the press people that had been there forever went into the press trailer so excited, it was a wonderful thing that happened...in terms of numbers...it didn't stand long...it was history. The people at the NHRA are sitting behind their typewriters are oblivious to what just happened. The press people at Englishtown could not believe that there was no excitement among these people. Why? because they are in a fog...that's why. They don't understand the sport. That's what we need out there, people that work closely with the sport...that know the sport...not these marketing gurus and pr people and publicists, that really don't know the sport. So, they don't appreciate that. That's somewhat of a drawback. Most of the good people that worked with the NHRA are gone. The people like Dave Densmore, Steve Earwood...people that you simply cannot replace. I want to see these people more in tune with the sport and what it's all about. I don't like the WWF; you can take that and throw it right in the garbage can. We don't need that. Our sport stands on its own. It doesn't need these guys coming in to try and enhance our sport. All they are trying to do is build themselves, not drag racing. Drag racing is on a higher level and you can print that.

CP   So this sport hasn't taken care of the "old school" because of all the new people?

SM   Myself...Gary Beck...Don Garlits...any young racer that doesn't have the utmost respect for Garlits doesn't know what they are talking about and probably shouldn't be out there. They are not respectful. I'll tell you...the most respectable drivers out there are Doug Herbert and Larry Dixon. You will not find any more of a class act in any sport than these two guys.