Shirley-POTOMAC (14 Viewers)
- Thread starter Billy
- Start date
I hate to agree with you, but I have found her to be kind of bitter. Not sure why she is that way, but she always had that tough exterior, and she hasn't mellowed with age.
LasVegas87
Nitro Member
Not to pile on but the bitterness has been there for a while. I first saw it when Lori Johns popped up on the scene.
To be fair, Shirley did blaze a trail and it wasn't always pleasant for her, if at all. I believe it required very thick skin and a steely grit for her to survive, which in turn, made her an incredibly fierce and accomplished competitor.
However, after helping to diversify the sport, rather than enjoy the spoils of her efforts, she seems to not be fond of the easier path that she helped create for others behind her. I hold her in high regard as a competitor though and wish her the best.
To be fair, Shirley did blaze a trail and it wasn't always pleasant for her, if at all. I believe it required very thick skin and a steely grit for her to survive, which in turn, made her an incredibly fierce and accomplished competitor.
However, after helping to diversify the sport, rather than enjoy the spoils of her efforts, she seems to not be fond of the easier path that she helped create for others behind her. I hold her in high regard as a competitor though and wish her the best.
drag racer
Nitro Member
it was rough, but i was multi-tasking, but when she laid on about being in love with Freddie Mercury, they should have pulled the hook. she's always been bitter for as long as i can remember - kind of like everybody ought to be smooching her behind constantly.
LoPony
Nitro Member
Yeah, she was really cynical. She didn’t hold back either. I kinda like it.
What was more entertaining to me was listening to Courtney and Joe tripping over their tongues trying to placate her and announce the race and say something positive at the same time. That must’ve been a challenge.
What was more entertaining to me was listening to Courtney and Joe tripping over their tongues trying to placate her and announce the race and say something positive at the same time. That must’ve been a challenge.
Gone Dead Train
Nitro Member
Never new she was a Freddie Mercury (Queen) fan. I remember back in the early 80s she was a Styx fan.
Shirley with Styx member James Young. Paradise Theatre album painted on the AA/FD
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RebilasPhoto
Nitro Member
“What can I say, I’m in love with some gay guy who’s been dead for 30 years” -Shirley
Quote of the year
Quote of the year
T.Smith
Nitro Member
Chip my ass. More like petty bull sh*t. Tip your cap to the people who helped you along the way. Even in your darkest times. You didn't remotely do it by yourself. That lady can walk the plank as far as I'm concerned.
Indeed. She was a curiosity whom I supported 40-odd years ago but she wore the I'm-the-original-female-pioneer schtick out a long time ago. Her entry into professional drag racing wasn't a Jackie Robinson moment like she thinks it was. The public bitterness really ramped up back in the Hillary Will days with all the silver spoon talk; that's when I signed out and I've paid her no mind in the last 25 years. She did well in the day but so have a lot of others, like the team you work with. Just a passing ship in the night, is all she is today.
CS
Nitro Member
I first “met” Shirley as a fan in the late 1970’s at Da Grove (Union Grove, Wisconsin). I watched as she got into the front seat of the crew cab and slammed the door after losing round one of a three round match race. A few minutes later a small child went over and tapped on the door's window. The window came down and a terse “what the fu** do you want” was spoken by her. The Father quickly grabbed his child and pulled him away from the truck. Later I met her as a competitor when we started running T/F. She was always nice to us but on more than one occasion I watched as she ripped into racers and fans alike. One year at Columbus after we defeated BIG 3 out of 3 at a match race. NHRA was giving us crap about where we could park. She sent Rahn over to “Straighten them out”, and we ended up parked by Dick LaHaie. We were the first car after her during her return at Firebird following her accident. It was a giant hug and tear fest for everyone in the big end. She has become more bitter since John’s passing as she blames herself for his issues as a result of Rahn being named crew chief and her relationship with Rahn. John was born August 22, 1951 and Rahn was born September 27, 1954! As a side note I always enjoyed the times I had sharing music with John. We both had guitars with us. The post is getting long so I’ll stop here. I have a bunch of Shirley stories, some good, some bad. Regardless of what anyone thinks she paid her dues and broke ground for all the female pros that followed her.
I posted several months ago that I went by Shirley's booth at Epping last year. I don't know what she was hawking. I just wanted to tell her I had seen her and Don Garlits together on Tony Stewart's show. She was surprised by that. I then told her I enjoyed watching her and Big going back and forth. There was no bitterness on her part during the show.
She laughed, took my hand, and graciously said, "thank you."
She laughed, took my hand, and graciously said, "thank you."
Good post; shows a bit of both sides of Shirley's personality.
I don't dislike her; never met her although I did have some non-confrontational discussions with her son back when he was posting on CP. She kicked a lot of ass back then; can't argue with 3 championships. I DO have a problem with poor-me attitudes, especially in her case where there nothing to complain about after she proved herself to the racing world.
She has her place in history but no one ever taught her how to be humble. Guess we're all a little different. I'll say this - I could sit and listen to 94 year old Don Garlits tell stories for hours. I wouldn't care to listen to Shirley whine for 10 minutes. That's the difference.
She is an ICON and QUOTE MACHINE. I still live for her. There are no drivers around today that get me as excited to see as I did for her, especially in her final few years. "I don't tune it, I just DRIVE IT."
And my favorite when she came back from the accident, being asked why did you want to come back, "Because I'm good at it." She will stay in my heart forever.
And my favorite when she came back from the accident, being asked why did you want to come back, "Because I'm good at it." She will stay in my heart forever.
