Shirley! (3 Viewers)

[You!]

"I personally think she was one of the single most important people in the history of motor racing, period."

Unfortunately, so does she.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

While I don't discredit her for what she did for the sport, she's made her own bed with her attitude and has been rightfully laying in it for years.

To say she didn't help shape the sport is ridiculous. She did, like it or not. But someone mentioned a perceived arrogance of "competitors", and too much love between today's competitors. But the issue with Shirley is her countless confrontations with FANS. Some of which were kids. I know this because I was one of them back when I was a kid at Indy. Went off on several of us waiting for an autograph. From that point on she's been someone I would never consider rooting for. Does that matter to her? Of course not. Otherwise you wouldn't hear of the countless encounters similar to this over the years.

She's a legend of sorts, but unfortunately some of that is in her own mind. Her inability to remain in the sport while she was still very much in her prime says all that needs to be said. Sponsors were still plentiful for several years after she left, and she struggled to make anything happen when it still should've been relatively easy. She had a legitimate axe to grind early on, but she continued to grind that thing down to the handle long after she got over the hump and she paid for it. You don't have to be a descendent of Pythagoras to put that formula together.

Sean D

 

[Reese]

If it wasn't for social media and the internet, she would still be a legend to most of us. Because not many of us would have heard these stories and changed our opinion of her.

 

[none]

So..............is that a good thing, or bad

 

[mike]

I was another fan she unloaded on; back in the early 80's I had the temerity to wish her good luck in a match race against Garlits (in his sidewinder) and she blew up at me.

 

[HEMI6point1]

Me and pops were one of those people that Shirley kinda snapped at, back in 2003 at E-town.

But back to the main OP, if this charity does well and gives 100% to the kids that's all that matters.

 

[sammi]

Many of us respect and hold in awe guys who beat up others in the pits (or hotels), and yet we can't deal with a woman who is just as hard edged. Not every woman can be your sweet dear mommy. Until any of us have traveled late into the night in a pickup towing a racecar that happens to be the way you support yourself, we shouldn't judge one who did and changed the world while she was at it.

 

[Toejam]

If it wasn't for social media and the internet, she would still be a legend to most of us. Because not many of us would have heard these stories and changed our opinion of her.

That could be said about almost every topic on here..

 

[DrRocket]

Many of us respect and hold in awe guys who beat up others in the pits (or hotels), and yet we can't deal with a woman who is just as hard edged. Not every woman can be your sweet dear mommy.

Exactly! If Buster Couch had been a woman, people probably would have been calling "her" "That fat, overbearing *w*itch.

 

[Muddy]

Not to her/his face.

 

[megadeth]

Some of the stories are very true, I have witness a few myself, the only thing that saved Shirley from getting knock on her butt was the fact that she was a woman.
She hasn't done as much for the sport as much as she advanced women in the sport.
That's her legacy. She seems to have mellowed with age but claiming her competative spirit for her harsh and very rude behavior doesn't fly with me.
It's one thing to be competative but to be rude and talk like a punk to fans doesn't hold water.

 

[Dennis]

To put it in context, I'm 40 years old so I became a fan in the mid 80's. From that point on, I have never seen a side of Shirley mentioned above. When I was a kid and an autograph seeker, I was always impressed with the amount of time she spent with each fan while she impeccably signed "Shirley Muldowney" as opposed to many other drivers who scribbled something to move on to the next autograph seeker quickly.

So I wasn't there in her heyday when all of the stuff went down, but I do enjoy reading the stories. I have no negative feelings towards Shirley, especially when on boards like this a bad ass like The Ace is propped up because he doesn't back down, but when Shirley does it people seem to get their panties in a wad.

Drag racing today is so boring without the personalities of The Ace, Shirley and even Bazemore and Hoffman.

 

[None]

To put it in context, I'm 40 years old so I became a fan in the mid 80's. From that point on, I have never seen a side of Shirley mentioned above. When I was a kid and an autograph seeker, I was always impressed with the amount of time she spent with each fan while she impeccably signed "Shirley Muldowney" as opposed to many other drivers who scribbled something to move on to the next autograph seeker quickly.

So I wasn't there in her heyday when all of the stuff went down, but I do enjoy reading the stories. I have no negative feelings towards Shirley, especially when on boards like this a bad ass like The Ace is propped up because he doesn't back down, but when Shirley does it people seem to get their panties in a wad.

Drag racing today is so boring without the personalities of The Ace, Shirley and even Bazemore and Hoffman.

It was after the year 2000 when she cussed out two ten year old girls for asking her to sign a tee shirt that they had between them. It was not a "Shirley" shirt that set her off. Also saw her throw a table into a group of fans at the head of a two block long line. Yelling at them "I'm tired of signing this $hit".

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

It was after the year 2000 when she cussed out two ten year old girls for asking her to sign a tee shirt that they had between them. It was not a "Shirley" shirt that set her off. Also saw her throw a table into a group of fans at the head of a two block long line. Yelling at them "I'm tired of signing this $hit".

Yep, these stories are everywhere. And I'm from basically the same era, Dennis, and it happened to us in the early to mid '80's at Indy.

To reiterate, so many of these stories center around her treatment of fans. Yeah, guys like Ace have been glorified over the years for being bada$$es that don't take any sh!t off of anybody, but those stories usually center around fellow competitors, and at the very least, adult fans that have provoked a confrontation. Not little kids.......

Sean D

 

[megadeth]

To put it in context, I'm 40 years old so I became a fan in the mid 80's. From that point on, I have never seen a side of Shirley mentioned above. When I was a kid and an autograph seeker, I was always impressed with the amount of time she spent with each fan while she impeccably signed "Shirley Muldowney" as opposed to many other drivers who scribbled something to move on to the next autograph seeker quickly.

So I wasn't there in her heyday when all of the stuff went down, but I do enjoy reading the stories. I have no negative feelings towards Shirley, especially when on boards like this a bad ass like The Ace is propped up because he doesn't back down, but when Shirley does it people seem to get their panties in a wad.

Drag racing today is so boring without the personalities of The Ace, Shirley and even Bazemore and Hoffman.

Trust me she was rude to a LOT of fans that's well documented!
Ace's moments you were referring to were more towards the other competitors not the fans!
Shirley can be out right nasty to the fans some of the stuff I witnessed she should have been suspended she wasn't promoting the sport very well I promise you that!

 

[rollingthunder]

What has she contributed to drag racing besides being a woman ? You are basically comparing her to Big Daddy,Dale Armstrong, Ken Veney, Etc.
These guys shaped drag racing from there innovation.
Her contribution is merely for who she was and being female. So she made drag racing what it is a far stretch.

 

[SAS]

One could mention the 10's of thousands times, she's signed items, for fans.
The current crop of female racers, live like Rock Star Royalty. With mega $ corporate multi trailer rigs.
She lived and slept in an old pickup truck, hauling the race car on a trailer.
And was not welcomed or treated well by the closed circles of the guys.
She didn't have a hair and make up
Trailer and a stylist prepping her for the cameras and fans between rounds.

So while it may be true about the pissy attitude, that reared its head.
She was also nice to countless fans

And was one hell of a good driver, who opened the door, for others to waltz right in

 

[None]

One could mention the 10's of thousands times, she's signed items, for fans.
The current crop of female racers, live like Rock Star Royalty. With mega $ corporate multi trailer rigs.
She lived and slept in an old pickup truck, hauling the race car on a trailer.
And was not welcomed or treated well by the closed circles of the guys.
She didn't have a hair and make up
Trailer and a stylist prepping her for the cameras and fans between rounds.

So while it may be true about the pissy attitude, that reared its head.
She was also nice to countless fans

And was one hell of a good driver, who opened the door, for others to waltz right in

It was not only some of the fans she treated bad. She went through sponsors like Doug Herbert and Cruz Pedregon went through crew chiefs.

 

[Rajunz]

What has she contributed to drag racing besides being a woman ? You are basically comparing her to Big Daddy,Dale Armstrong, Ken Veney, Etc.
These guys shaped drag racing from there innovation.
Her contribution is merely for who she was and being female. So she made drag racing what it is a far stretch.

How about the first major motion picture of the sport? How about the first female to win a (multiple ) Championship in a male dominant sport? These two things alone brought the NHRA into millions of homes that would have never thought twice about drag racing.

 

[megadeth]

One could mention the 10's of thousands times, she's signed items, for fans.
The current crop of female racers, live like Rock Star Royalty. With mega $ corporate multi trailer rigs.
She lived and slept in an old pickup truck, hauling the race car on a trailer.
And was not welcomed or treated well by the closed circles of the guys.
She didn't have a hair and make up
Trailer and a stylist prepping her for the cameras and fans between rounds.

So while it may be true about the pissy attitude, that reared its head.
She was also nice to countless fans

And was one hell of a good driver, who opened the door, for others to waltz right in

I'm sorry but the women today just don't waltz in they do earn their way.
What Shirley seems to forget she had a lot of help along the way Connie Kallita comes to mine!
All of the women don't live like rock stars all of them are hired drivers owned by wealthy team owners. There isn't a single woman in all of motor sports that owns the operation they drive for! Not a single one.
Brittney (Father owns), Lea Pritchett (The Don), Courtney( Dad again), Alexis DeJoria (Father owns) starting to get the idea?
With the exception of the Forces and DeJoria which basically just leaves Lea who had to really work to get were she is currently. Shirley paved the way but with the help of wealthy individuals that happen to be men.