Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track [Hardcover]

Shirley Muldowney (Author), Bill Stephens (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

In the 1970s, when the idea of a woman competing successfully with men in any form of motorsports was a radical notion, a young woman from Schenectady, New York, began her singular quest to change the chauvinistic mindset that prevailed in professional drag racing. Shirley Muldowney not only broke the gender barrier in the National Hot Rod Association, but also completely rewrote the record books in Top Fuel Eliminator, the sport’s quickest and fastest category. She was the first woman ever to receive a Top Fuel license from the NHRA, and none other than "Big Daddy" Don Garlits was one of the veteran drivers who signed off on it. Between 1977 and 1982, Muldowney won three NHRA Top Fuel championships—the first female ever to win a title in any professional motorsport—and added an AHRA Top Fuel championship to her resume, as well. She won the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1982 and, before her retirement at the end of the 2003 season, had become one of the most recognized and celebrated race car drivers in history, male or female.

She was recently inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Novi, Michigan, and has been the subject of countless features in newspapers, magazines, and network television from coast to coast. Shirley MuldowneyÂ’s Tales from the Track is an unabashed collection of stories, anecdotes, and opinions in her own unvarnished style of storytelling, laced with her straightforward, take-no-prisoners approach. She has spent her entire lifetime telling it like it is, standing up to the establishment, and refusing to do anything other than in her own way. Politically correct? Hardly. Readers are encouraged to strap themselves in when she shares her many tales. ItÂ’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth according to the legendary Shirley Muldowney.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Stephens spent 25 years as a major-market morning disc jockey before becoming involved in automotive television in 1989, hosting, writing, and producing such award-winning series as Wild About Wheels for the Discovery Channel and Wheels for PBS. He has appeared as a motorsports host and reporter on a variety of automotive programs seen on such networks as CBS, ABC, ESPN, TNN, and Speed. He is currently a member of the ESPN telecasting crew, which covers NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, and is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN Magazine, Autoweek, and Drag Racer Magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582611076
• ISBN-13: 978-1582611075
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #207,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 100-percent Shirley, March 19, 2005

By 

Greg Zyla "VALLCO Drag Racing Game" (Sayre, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for any drag racing fan interested in knowing the TRUE stories that come from one of the world's best ever drag racing champions. For those who know Shirley's background, you know she's a straight shooter and tells it the way she feels it is..most times right, sometimes not. She skillfully tells her story of what really happened in her career, from her struggles to gain entrance into a male dominated fuel racing society to becoming an NHRA champion.
All of the early days, from street racing to her first passes in real race cars, are cronicled in an easy to read format that does not allow putting the book down. Some of the best reading is when she "reviews" many, many personalities in the sport and tells how she felt about them, past and present. I've been priviledged to be a very small part of the drag racing scene, from announcing duties at Numidia Dragway in the Seventies to competing on the track with a low buck operation, and enjoyed many events where Shirley match raced at Numidia. Much of what she says is gospel, and when you decide to buy this book, buckle in your easy chair as Shirley takes you from start to finish in blazing style. She doens't cut any corners (of course not, she's a drag racer) and her feelings about how things were, how they are now, and how she encountered many drag racing "stars" will leave you feeling she's sitting right next to you telling you the way it is. If you wronged her, you get nailed in this book. If you treated her right, she also gives you credit. It's one of the best books we've read lately. You'll read about her TV appearance on Johnny Carson, years with Connie Kalitta, match race days, (much, much more) to her years of mending from her near fatal crash in Canada. Again, a must buy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best drag racing books of all time, October 30, 2009

By 

David P. Hapgood - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track (Hardcover)

It took some audacity to publish this book of Shirley Muldowney's recollections, in her own words. I can't think of another drag racing document quite like it. If you have any interest in drag racing history and want to spend a few hours inside the mind of one of the greatest drag racers of all time, this book is a must. It hits like a tornado, and never lets up.

5.0 out of 5 stars Shirley Muldowney's tales from the track, January 5, 2011

By 

Melinda Lamond (pa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track (Hardcover)

I got this for my husband for Christmas It was a great suprise! He enjoyed it, we had seen the movie but he liked the book better!! Easy to read.