Customer Reviews

Shirley Muldowney's Tales from the Track

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

fun book. shirley does a great job of telling it like it was. you won't be disappointed.

Looks like the people envolved with making this book made a concerted effort to not polish and "clean up" Shirley point of view. It gives you a real insight when you read between the lines about why Shirley was running around match racing while the rest of the NHRA superstars were racing in front of thousands and making tons of money. The whole book was about who she had problems with and why. Looks like she had a real inability to look at things from any one elses view point and realize that people are motivated by their own situation. Just because that may put them at odds with you doesn't mean they are bad people or as she puts it "need to change"

Raced her 6 times in 1965 at Fonda dragstrip; won 3, lost 3. Great driver and amazingly courageous to get back into racing after a terrible car explosion but a thoroughly unpleasant personality.
Some nice pics in the book. Book format is easy reading.