Many said they could see it coming when Shirley Muldowney made her presence known in Top Fuel in 1975, scoring two impressive runner-ups, and the following year, where she won twice: There definitely was an NHRA Winston Championship in her future.
That future turned out to be 1977, when the Mount Clemens, Mich., driving ace overcame a slow start to winthree national events in a row -- the Springnationals, the Summernationals, and the Molson Grandnational -- and ran the sport's fastest speed, 253 mph, to claim the Top Fuel title and become the first woman to win an NHRA Professional-class season championship.
