Drag racing is associated with high adrenaline which makes many think it is a male sport. However, there are a number of women who have made history not just for winning races but championships too. But why do some women succeed in this male-dominated field? It could be the combination of petrol power, turbo power, and girl power. Here is a list of ten of the best women on the drag-way:
Brittany Force
After going four wins in the main season events, Brittany Force proved her mettle when she won the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on November 12, 2017. During the season she also had two runner-up finishes and two number one qualifying positions during the year. Talk about consistency. She is the daughter of 16-time Funny Car world champion John Force. She made history by becoming the second woman to win a Top Fuel world championship by beating Richie Crampton in the quarterfinals. Best Classic Drag Racing Cars
Shirley Muldowney
This is a drag racing legend. In 1975, she was voted the first female member of the All-American auto racing 10-member team. That was followed by her recognition by Drag News as the Top Fuel Driver of the Year in 1976. She also made it to the All-American team for the second time. The following year, Shirley won the NHRA world points championships to become the first woman to claim the most prestigious title in drag racing. She won the championship for a second time in 1980 only to follow it up with a work championship title in 1981. A true pioneer, Shirley claimed the NHRA Winston point’s championship, the first person to do so three times.
There is something about the Force family that makes them champions. Courtney is a sister to Brittany Force. At only 21 years old, Courtney won her first race in the Top Alcohol Dragster category in 2009. That was no mean feat for a woman who was hardly out of teenage.
Alexis DeJoria
Winning in any NHRA event is no mean feat for anyone, whether an experienced driver or not. Alexis stormed to three NHRA Funny Car victories in 2014, a feat that made her appearance in the headlines. During that year, she also won at the U.S. Nationals.
Erica Enders-Stevens
In 2014, Erica won the NHRA Pro Stock championships, the first woman to do so. In 2015, she won 9 NHRA events in total, which was the highest by a woman in any Pro Stock class. She also had four final-round appearances in the six-race Countdown. By the end of 2015, she had a total of 21 career wins which made some people call her the best female driver ever.
Leah Pritchett
In 2017, Leah Pritchett won the opening two rounds of the 2017 NHRA Top-Fuel season from the number-one qualifying spot. At the Brainerd International Speedway in Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals qualifying, she took the number-one spot with 3.64 seconds. In the process, she broke her own Top-Fuel record of 3.658 set in Arizona in February 2017.
It looks like some women are just unbeatable when it comes to NHRA drag racing.
