Drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney has always lived life in the fast lane. During her career she has driven cars at speeds exceeding 250 miles per hour (MPH). Three times Muldowney captured the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel world championship--the most by any driver, male or female--and won 17 NHRA races, the second-most in history. The most successful female driver in motor sports history, she returned to drag racing in 1996 and hopes to continue to be competitive in the sport she loves.

Growing up

Daddy's little girl

Shirley Muldowney was born as Shirley Roque on June 19, 1940, in Burlington, Vermont. She grew up in Schenectady, New York, with her father, Belgium, a taxicab driver and professional boxer, and mother, Mae, who worked in a laundry. Muldowney's childhood was uneventful. "I remember very little about my young years," Muldowney admitted in Sports Illustrated.

Belgium Roque--who fought under the name Tex...