1960s
Women Drag Racers of the Second Decade
Bonnie Anderson, from Oak Park, Illinois, was a Midwest match racer who drove two early-style funny car cars in 1966--the "Tension II" '65 Chevy II and the "That Girl" '65 Chevelle. Bonnie raced her cars in 1966 and 1967. She showed that she could run low-nines in both cars while match racing mainly in the Illinois area. Bonnie stopped drag racing altogether at the end of the 1967 season. Newspaper ads promoted her as the "fiery redhead." She grew up with a father who was a mechanic. "Instead of going out on a Sunday picnic I used to hang around the garage watching him put cars back together, and I thought this was what every girl did when she was growing up." She began going with Jim Anderson, helping him in the garage with his race car. "Mostly, he'd just say go get me a cup of coffee or hand me that wrench over there. Then one day he let me put in the spark plugs, and it was the sweetest thing a boy ever said to me." She learned about cars from the ground up. Then when military demands intruded on his racing, Jim turned over the keys to Bonnie. The Chevy II was destroyed in a devastating accident when an errant TF dragster crashed into her while she was waiting at the top end to get towed back to the pits at Union Grove in 1966. Bonnie suffered broken bones and was badly burned, sidelining her for over four months.
Bonnie Anderson
Lucy Below
1934-
Lucy, from West Covina, California, and her husband, Bob, were members of a Mustang-owners club. "We started going to rallies and slaloms," Lucy recalled. "Our car [a Mustang Mach I] was running good and one of the fellows in the club suggested we take it out to the drag races at Irwindale." Her first time there, she forgot to apply the brakes and ended up in the sand trap. But after half a dozen races, she began winning consistently. They were helped out by Foulger Ford in Monrovia in 1968-70. She was moderately successful racing a 428 Cobra Jet '69 Mustang, that Bob gave her on Easter Sunday in 1970. She raced it in both SS/HA and SS/IA, setting two NHRA class records with it. In 1971 she became a grandmother for the first time, essentially becoming the fastest grandmother in the nation as she continued in what would be her last year of racing. They moved to Texas to be near their son and grandchildren.
Bunny Burkett
1945-2020
Carol "Bunny" Burkett, from West Virginia, began drag racing in 1965. At age 15, her boyfriend let her drive his '55 Mercury at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia. She picked up her racing nickname due to the fact that in 1967, she worked as a hostess at a Playboy Club in Baltimore. She got her own race car, a '67 Mustang that she dubbed "Cotton Pony," when she was 19 years old. By age 20, she was winning races on a regular basis. Moving into funny cars, she garnered the IHRA alcohol funny car championship in 1986. She survived a horrible crash in a dragster that nearly took her life in 1995. Click here to see 2010 TV interview with Bunny Burkett.
Carol Cox
1928-2022
It wasn't until 1962 that NHRA allowed women to compete at national events. Carol Cox was the first woman to take a class win at an NHRA national event when she won S/SA at the 1962 Winternationals. A Whittier, California, homemaker and mother, she and her husband raced in the 1950s and early 1960s at Santa Ana and Lions. Carol and Lloyd took their new '61 Pontiac Ventura back to Indianapolis, where they hoped Carol would be permitted to race it at the Nationals. NHRA wouldn't budge on their ironclad rule about women racing in national events, so Lloyd competed. Disappointed but not deterred, Carol and other women drag racers pressured NHRA and they relented in 1962. Later that year, Carol repeated her S/SA class win at the Indy Nationals. She was no fluke. Lloyd won the A/FX class driving a Hayden Proffitt-built A/FX Tempest. That marked the first time a husband and wife won their classes at an NHRA national event. Unfortunately racing for Carol ended then as Carol had the flu at the 1963 Winternationals. Lloyd drove the car instead, winning the class and setting a national record. But a week later, they sold the car and Carol's racing ended.
Dorothy Davis
Dorothy and her husband, Harold Davis, were competitive drag racers in the Northwest, especially in their home state of Oregon in the 1960s. In an online note to their son, Alan, Marty Strode recalled his memories of Dorothy: "I can still see your mom driving their black '62 Dodge 413 convertible, making mince meat out of all comers, that were all men at that time." Alan Davis recalled the circumstances surrounding his mother, Dorothy, driving the factory lightweight 426 Hemi '64 Dodge called "Wild Wild West"--"Sonny Wells owned the Wild Wild West. He ran in the 13's with it and asked my Dad to tune it for him. My Dad tuned it and Mom demonstrated the car could run in the low 11's. Sonny didn't want to drive it anymore. The deal was if we campaigned the car successfully, we would be half owners. Sonny would show up to watch it race . . . . Mom did very well for 3 years until the Hemi Darts and Cudas debuted in the same class SS/BA. It was very difficult to compete with them, after a year the writing was on the wall. Sonny came and picked the car up and we never saw it again." Click here to see video footage of Dorothy racing the '64 Dodge Hemi at Madras Dragway in the 1960s.
Bernice Eckerman
1927-2020
Bernice Eckerman, a bookkeeper from San Antonio, began drag racing in Powder Puff races in 1963 at San Antonio Drag Raceway. She drove her son, Arlen's '60 Plymouth. After a couple of very successful years racing against the ladies, she switched to class racing in about 1967. She was turning consistently better times than her son, so he turned over the driving duties in his '65 Belvedere to her completely. "She can run quicker than I can any time she sets her mind to it," said Arlen.
Dorothy Fisher
Dorothy Fisher started drag racing in 1959, continuing racing off and on through the mid-60s. Her husband, Lyle Fisher, was the manager of Tucson Dragway and co-owner of the famed Speed Sport roadster. She traveled throughout the country on her husband's barnstorming tour with the Speed Sport roadster. Along the way, she helped out with the race car, gaining experience and knowledge. Over several years, Dorothy raced a Chrysler 300, a '29 roadster, '59 Vette, and an A/S Dodge Charger. She served as secretary for Tucson Dragway, taking care of the books, personnel, entries, trophies, pit passes, and concessions. Dorothy and Lyle later divorced and Dorothy remarried (Trimble).
Mary Ann Foss-Jackson
ca. 1938-
Mary Ann's father, Peter Frech, Sr., began racing at old airport drag strips in Ohio in the 1950s. He encouraged Mary Ann to try racing. She entered a Powder Puff race at Dragway 42 in Norwalk, Ohio, and the spark was lit. At the time, she was a housewife and mother of four sons, in Bellville, Ohio. They became her most ardent rooters. In 1963, she began racing her father's '58 Pontiac D/SA "Black Magic" racer--and winning consistently. In her first year, she won her class at the Indy Nationals. Chrysler took note of her success in 1963-64 and awarded her a brand-new 1965 Hemi Super Stock A990 Dodge for 1965, which she named "Go Hummer." And during the 1965 through 1967 seasons, Mary Ann Foss practically owned Super Stock in the middle of the United States. She and Bill Jackson struck up quite a good relationship during this time, and in 1968, Mary Ann became the recipient of one of the precious few 1968 Hemi Super Stock Darts, which became "Go Hummer II" and she continued her winning ways. After her marriage to Jim Foss unraveled, she married Bill Jackson in 1970. She and Bill continued in the drag racing sport with a good measure of success. She was inducted into the Mopar Hall of Fame in 2017.
Rose Marie Gennuso
ca. 1942-
"Wild Rose" began drag racing while living in Rochester, New York. She was a frequent drag race winner at Spencer Speedway. She set an X/A strip record at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in 1960 in her red '60 Corvette. She moved to California after 1961. As the story goes, she met Tom McMullen at Bonneville and married him in 1965. Tom's iconic roadster, driven by Rose, competed in the 1965 Winternationals. It was a gorgeous car, and took a win in the AA/SR class. The McMullens started Street Rodder magazine in 1972, but the couple divorced in 1974.
Nellie Louise Goins
1940-
Nellie Goins, a black drag racer from Gary, Indiana, established a racing partnership with her husband, Otis Goins. They scrimped and saved until they were able to buy an injected, alcohol-fueled '68 Barracuda. Unable to pass the driver's physical because of diabetes, Otis relinquished the driving duties to Nellie. "Drag racing was not my first passion, but I did it for my husband and my family," Nellie admitted. "I always believed that if a woman kept her husband happy, everything would be beautiful." Nellie admitted that she started racing with little knowledge of the power of the race car. "We took the car to an abandoned airstrip near where we lived, and since neither of us had ever driven one of these cars, we didn't know a whole lot about what to do. I was so nonchalant and relaxed that when I stood on the gas, a half-second later my head snapped back and I realized this wasn't your grandma's car." They always had as a goal to field a AA/FC, and did so in 1971 with a '71 Mustang Mach I. They ran the car for a few years until an accident at Bristol Dragway damaged the chassis and body. Without funds to repair it and Otis's health in decline, they stopped racing. Unfortunately, they were never able to attract sponsors. "We never were able to get a sponsor of any kind," Nellie lamented. "I think the most we ever got was spark plugs." Otis passed away in 2001. Nellie was inducted into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in 2014.
Barb Hamilton
1941-2020
Barb Hamilton, a Cleveland secretary, was the first woman in drag racing to receive an NHRA license for driving supercharged cars. She won the 1966 NHRA Springnationals and was runner-up at the 1968 Indy Nationals. She campaigned her 1937 Willys C/GS coupe from 1964 through 1971. She was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1992. "My boy friend had a dragster, and I drove it and got hooked," Barb said. "I decided to build my own car and race it, and I love it." She married Dick Advey in 1974. Click here to see interview with Barb at the York Show in 2008; go to 3:56 mark to view it.
Bettie Hendren
ca. 1946-
Bettie Hendren, of Santa Cruz, California, principally raced at Fremont Drag Strip in the mid-1960s. In 1965 she was a frequent class winner in AA/S with her Dodge. In 1967 she drove a Plymouth in the 1-SS class. Her husband, Bill, owned a machine shop. Steve Hendren, Bettie and Bill's son, wrote: "Very few people know that when you went to 4-mile on the coast outside of Santa Cruz to race for cash, you'd get completely screwed over by my dad betting people that his girlfriend/wife could beat them. So, together my parents made the perfect team. My dad could make you wanna race, and my mom would kick your ass! You honestly didn't have a chance!" Bettie and Bill founded Hendren Racing Engines in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, in 1976.
JoJo Hepker
1934-2019
Johanna "JoJo" Hepker, a Cedar Rapids mother of two, received a new motorcycle as a Mother's Day gift from her husband, Verlin, in 1963. Both JoJo and Verlin started drag racing at strips in the Midwest. JoJo competed very successfully against the men, even her husband, through the 1960s. Her racing bike and helmet are on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.
Patty Hutson
1930-2016
Patty Hutson, from West Allis, Wisconsin, had enjoyed accompanying her husband, Charlie, to the drags for awhile. In 1962, they bought a 102" Joe Schubeck-built dragster from the team of Westerdale & Knapp. Most of the time Charlie did the driving, except for one month in fall 1963 when Charlie turned over the driving to Patty--just to prove to his pals that she was capable of handling the Olds-powered C/FD. In fact, she even did most of the work on the engine. Patty drove back in a time when competition licensing was not required.
Jo Ann Inglett
ca. 1936-
Jo Ann, a housewife and mother of three from Lincoln Park, Michigan, got tired of traipsing around to drag strips with her husband, Preston, just watching him race. "I got tired of standing around watching," Jo Ann said. "So I decided to try my luck. The first time I was so scared I kept my foot on the brake the whole way." Nonetheless, she won the race. She competed with some success in the mid-1960s in the Detroit area with a blown and injected race car named "Hoss." Her one complaint: "That crash helmet ruins your hair." She and Preston divorced in 1990.
Joyce Keene
ca. 1935-
The owner of an advertising agency, Joyce took up drag racing as a favor for one of her clients. Although done as a lark, she really liked it. She started racing a Super Stock '62 Chrysler in 1962, prepped by Skipper Brooks and Buckshot Morris. A native of Johnson's Corner, Georgia, she experienced a measure of winning success. "Naturally, the boys don't like to lose to me," she said.
Lorrita Kordalis
1936-2003
Lorrita was married to Don Kordalis, a winning oval track and drag racer from Springfield, Missouri. In July 1963, Lorrita started racing at Springfield-Ozark Dragway, amassing a string of class and eliminator victories for weeks on end. She first raced a '63 Chevy in E/SA, then in late August, began racing in a new class C/XA. Lorrita's marriage to Don unraveled and she remarried in 1967 (Jon Smith).
Sharon Lee Kornyei
1943-1969
Sharon was the first woman to participate in organized drag races in Hawaii. She started drag racing in 1967. In the 1969 winter season, she raced her Yamaha 180 to second place in the South Pacific Championships. She was killed on her way to race at Hawaii Raceway Park when her motorcycle rammed a pickup before the summer drag racing season began in Hawaii.
Donna Kottler
1936-
Donna and her husband, Ramon, from San Antonio, Texas, married in 1953. Ramon and his brother, Kent, began building race cars in about 1961. After readying a '63 Dodge for racing, they convinced Donna to drive it in a Powder Puff event. She was hooked from that first race and kept on racing--and winning. In 1970, she did well with a '70 426 Dodge Challenger in Super Stock, winning events on strips in Texas and being booked for match races. Ramon and Donna divorced in 1972, but Donna's racing ended in 1970.
Roberta Leighton
1932-2002
Roberta Leighton began drag racing in 1952. Roberta and her husband, Gus, were members of the Dust Devils car club that ran Inyokern Dragstrip in Southern California's high desert. Gus was an SCTA official and Roberta's sister was married to Bernie Partridge. So Roberta was deeply involved in drag racing. At the 1963 NHRA U.S. Nationals, Roberta won her class, J/S, in a '60 El Camino. After she won Indy, she converted the El Camino to an injected gasser, running on alcohol. In 1963, Leighton became the first female licensed to drive in NHRA's Gas classes. After suffering burns in a house fire in late 1963, her racing career was put on hold. After her return in 1965, Leighton competed in NHRA class competition through 1978, then bracket raced for 12 years, served as a track official at many national, divisional, and local races, and played a major role in the operation of Inyokern Drag Strip.
Judy Lilly
1942-2022
Lilly is best known for the string of Super Stock wins she notched in various Chrysler-powered cars from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, including four Super Stock Eliminator wins in a row at the NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Colorado. "Miss Mighty Mopar," as she was known, won five Division Five championships and was voted Car Craft magazine's Super Stock Driver of the Year in 1972, 1976 and 1977. She began drag racing in 1961, her husband, Lou, having gotten her interested in the sport. She balanced being a housewife and mother of two children--and a professional hairdresser. She divorced Lou in 1968. She married Dennis Maurer shortly after and he took over the wrench duties. Judy and Dennis divorced in 1979. Just before retiring from racing in about 1984, she married Mark Gunson. They were married for 39 years until she passed away. She was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in 1988. Click here to view interview with Judy in 1978.
Ruth Milford
1929-2014
After following her husband, George, around the drag strip pits for fifteen years, Ruth began racing in about 1964--and kept at it for a number of years. Ruth, a housewife and mother from Las Vegas, mostly raced at Stardust International Raceway, competing with fair success against men. "At first my women friends thought I was crazy," said Ruth, "but now they know I'm serious."
Barbara Mudra
ca. 1943-
Barbara Mudra, of Villa Park, Illinois, had been drag racing since about 1960. She was regarded as one of the top women drivers in the Midwest. In April 1966, she was the first woman ever to be booked for a match race at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove in a Super Stock car called "Vengeance."
Shirley Muldowney
1940-
Muldowney got her NHRA license in 1965 and subsequently became the first woman to compete in the supercharged gasoline dragster category. When NHRA did away with the category, Muldowney raced funny cars for a short while. Her success with funny cars led her to compete in the Top Fuel and in August 1975, she became the first woman to break the five-second barrier in Martin, Michigan at the Popular Hot Rodding Championships. In 1982, Muldowney became the first woman to receive three national championships from NHRA, making her the first female Top Fuel driver to ever receive this distinction. In 1984 Muldowney nearly lost her life after one of the front tires of her dragster blew out while going over 250 mph. The horrific crash sent Muldowney to the hospital with many injuries including two broken legs that were so messed up that there was a distinct possibility that she might never walk again, never mind get behind the wheel of a race car. But she returned in 1986 to race again. In 1989 she became the first woman to join the Cragar Four-Second Club by clocking 284 MPH in 4.974 seconds. Muldowney would continue to race throughout the '90s until she retired in 2003.
Paula Murphy
1928-2023
The first fuel funny car driver is a matter of dispute, but the first female funny car driver is not in question. In 1966, Paula Murphy, AKA "Mrs. STP," became that female star. She had shown she could drive NASCAR Grand National cars, Indy Cars, and finally a blown fuel funny car. The first "Mrs. STP" 66 Mustang was a scary sight to behold, much less drive. The car was tuned by "Fat Jack" Bynum as were the rest of her funny cars. Paula drove funny cars from 1966 to 1972, a stint that ended after a tour of England in her Duster. She sold the Duster to the British Hounddog team, but not before running a best time of 6.67, 218. Paula was never a major national event threat, but was a very popular match race attraction. She broke her back in a rocket car accident in 1973. Paula returned to drag race in a Z/Stock Eliminator in 1974. Her tour of the world with Johnny Parsons also cemented her fame in the minds of the non-drag racing community.
Sherry Musia
1945-
Sherry Musia, from Ramona, California, raced a Chevy in A/MP, principally at Carlsbad Raceway in the mid-1960s. Her husband, Mike, drove a fast A/A roadster. In 1966, Sherry drove a C dragster.
Shay Nichols
1945-
Sharon "Shay" Nichols, of Huntsville, Texas, set AHRA national records in her '67 Dodge Charger in F/SA in 1968. In 1969 she started writing a weekly drag racing column that was printed by seven newspapers in Texas. "I can never remember not being interested in drag racing," said Shay. Her husband, Phil Nichols, gave Shay her first chance to race in 1964 in a GTO. She did so well, so quickly, that Phil took over the mechanic duties and left the driving to Shay. Phil and Shay divorced in 1979.
Arlene Oualline
1938-
Arlene began drag racing in about 1965, and for at least the next two years, was reportedly the only woman motorcycle drag racer in Texas. Arlene got interested in motorcycles when her husband, Jack, purchased one for her so that they could both ride together. Jack maintained her motorcycle and cheered her from the rooting section. Living in San Antonio, Arlene was an accomplished artist, and a mother of three. Her marriage to Jack lasted until 1978, when they divorced. In 1994, she remarried (George A. Cole).
Lynda Pleva
ca. 1947-
Lynda Pleva, from Toronto, Canada, was a competitive drag racer with her B/SA 1967 Ford 426. She started racing in Powder Puff competition in about 1965. She did so well that a Toronto Ford dealer offered her a full sponsorship for the 1967 season. She won her stock eliminator class at the Canadian National Championships at Winnipeg.
Helen Reynolds
ca. 1938-
Helen Reynolds, a housewife and mother of five from Rockford, Illinois, raced at drag strips in Iowa and Illinois from 1959 through at least 1964. She raced her '56 Pontiac in F/SA, G/SA, and H/SA. In 1963, she won the H/SA class at the World Series of Drag Racing event at Cordova. Her husband, Jim, was also a very competitive drag racer.
Mamie Reynolds
1942-2014
Mamie Reynolds, a wealthy heiress from Asheville, North Carolina, was the daughter of former U.S. Senator Bob Reynolds. She competed in her first drag race in spring 1961 at Asheville-Henderson Raceway in a Ford Falcon station wagon. She raced at drag strips in North and South Carolina and Florida in 1961-62. She won more than 65 trophies with her '61 Corvette B/SP, '62 Ford convertible, and '62 MG. Dave Rickman drove her C/MSP Vette to wins at the Daytona Beach Winter Championship Drag Races in 1962. "I guess what I am most proud of are the prizes I have won racing. In most races I personally drove in and won, I could have had a trophy or a five-dollar bill, and sometimes I took the money." In 1947, she (and other grandchildren) inherited the Hope Diamond when her grandmother, Evalyn Walsh McLean, passed away. Mamie had played with the famous diamond in her sandbox when she was a little girl. The grandchildren sold the diamond to Harry Winston, a New York jeweler, in 1949. She got involved in NASCAR racing when she sponsored a Holman and Moody '62 Ford driven by Darel Dieringer. She also became the first woman to qualify for the Daytona 500. In 1963, Mamie married Italian race car driver, Luigi Chinetti, Jr. They divorced in 1965. That same year, she married Joseph Gregory and in 1967, purchased the ABA Kentucky Colonels pro basketball franchise. She was an accomplished breeder of show dogs.
Geneva Schroeder
1938-
In 1967, Geneva Schroeder began racing her husband's (Bob) '67 Mustang in Powder Puff races at El Dorado Raceway in Sacramento, California. She won consistently. In 1968, she began racing a Dick Wareing-sponsored Cobra Jet 428 Mustang Fastback, one of only 13 running in the nation. She continued racing up through the early 1970s. She and Bob divorced in 1972.
Shirley Shahan
1938-
Shirley got into drag racing by default. She married her high school boyfriend, H. L. Shahan, in 1955. According to Shirley, H. L., who was a drag racer and expert mechanic, "forced" her into drag racing--unless she wanted to stay home alone. A housewife and mother of three, she took to racing like she was born to it. "H. L. was always on the go, drag racing somewhere," she said. "It was either sit home or go with him. So I went with him and soon became interested in the sport and learned to drive." She started racing in 1958, competing in about 50 races that year in the S/S class. That rookie year was a portent of things to come as she was undefeated. Click here to see video footage of Shirley Shahan winning Top Stock Eliminator at the 1966 Winternationals.
Gladys Shields
1935-2019
Gladys Shields, from Mesquite, Texas, began drag racing in the early 1960s. A mother of four, she was the wife of racer/builder Raefel Shields. They married in 1952, but divorced twenty years later. Raefel Shields was the crew chief of "The Funny Car" '66 Plymouth Savoy owned by Tom McCroan. Gladys drove it in 1966.
Kathy Steinmetz
1944-
Kathy worked in the timing tower at the Pocatello Drag Strip in 1967. That is where she met Al Steinmetz. "He had the fastest car out there, but he kept missing third gear so when he came to the tower to get his ET slip I told him if he missed another gear I would take away his keys," Kathy said. "He did and brought me the keys and we won over thirty trophies that year and then we got married." Her second car, a '70 Olds 442, she dubbed "Love Machine." "Race tracks can be romantic places," she contended. She really had a knack for winning races, most of the time in F/S, in Al's '67 Olds 442. In 1976, she won the D/S class at the Winternationals. During the course of her drag racing career from 1967-95, she set five NHRA national records.
Ginger Watson
1925-2015
Virginia "Ginger" Watson, from St. Louis, Missouri, began drag racing in the early 1960s. It was an uphill battle for her to drive a dragster. She first competed disguised as a man, with a girdle strapped around her chest, so that race officials wouldn't know she was a woman. She fought the NHRA tooth and nail to permit her to drive a dragster. A single mother of four, she reportedly held the fastest speed for a woman in her blown Chevy-engined "Wynn's Storm" A/FD in 1967 at 179.34 mph. In late 1967, she broke that mark with a run of 180.90 mph in 8.09 seconds at Rockford Dragway in her Harry Hovis-built dragster. Newspapers billed her as the "world's fastest woman drag racer." She parlayed that recognition into a number of match races in various states and stopped racing in about 1969. Her life is worthy of a book or movie. She was a Marine in World War II, had a pilot's license, and was in rodeo for years. She owned a bar in Puerto Rico during the time of the revolts in the 1950s, a dangerous time for Anglos from the U.S. At times, she hired a bodyguard for her safety. She later moved to the Virgin Islands.
Alice White
Alice White of Hammond, Indiana, raced a '64 Plymouth wedge-head Super Stocker in 1964.
Della Woods
1940-
Della Woods could be called the grand matriarch of female funny car drivers because she was the only one to drive in four decades: 1960s thru early 1990s. Della started out in a converted Chrysler Super Stock Polara with her brother Bernie Woods to form the "Bernellla" team. A new Charger was built to replace the siblings' Polara in 1968. The new car became Della's most famous funny car. The full size Charger, dubbed "The Funny Honey," was a match racing sensation. Della was successful at match racing throughout the early seventies, and then she retired from drag racing the first time. She married and came back to racing in 1981. Della took a couple of years to get her feet wet in the old "Fighting Irish" Trans Am, the only non-Mopar of her career, and in an '82 Charger. Della became a success on the national event level when she ran 5.80s in 1986. She suffered a serious wreck at the end of the year, however. A new car was built and became her final AA/FC. Della made infrequent appearances until the early nineties in the beautiful Dodge Daytona, running a 5.79 best.
Carol Wray
ca. 1944-
Carol Wray, a housewife and mother of two, of Monrovia, California, competed in drag races with her Hemi Dodge in the late 1960s. I've won many times in my class and I've been runner-up in the eliminator," she said, "but I've never won it." In 1969, she won the SS/DA class at the Hot Rod Magazine drag races at Riverside.
Carol Yenter
ca. 1941-
Carol Yenter mainly raced with her husband, Art, in the northwest. They lived in Tigard, Oregon, and Olympia, Washington. She began drag racing in about 1960. The first funny car Carol drove was a converted AA/MSP '62 Corvette. The team raced with a little fuel added in 1966. The beautiful car was a little too stock to be a success in funny car racing. A new car had to be built in order for Carol to stay competitive with the changing times in funny car racing. A new Mustang was built in 1967. It was an all fiberglass beauty complete with a 426 Chrysler for power. The Yenters lost interest in racing and they retired in 1969 before the car could be broken in. They sold the car to Kenney Goodell, who became a '70s funny car hero.
Patti Young
Patti Young, a housewife and mother from York, Pennsylvania, began winning Powder Puff drag races at York U.S. 30 Dragway as early as 1965. By the late 1960s, she was one of five professional women Super Stock drivers in the country--and the only one on the East Coast. Her husband, Ray, was her mechanic and the announcer at York. She attracted sponsorships from local Ford dealers. She ran at least through the early 1970s, appearing with other women racers connected with the Miss Universe of Drag Racing program.
