Shirley Was Never a Drag on the Sport

Thanks for your excellent piece on Shirley Muldowney [Nov. 6]. I first became aware of her through the movie, “Heart Like a Wheel.� That follows her rise from upstate New York housewife to NHRA champion.

Long before feminism was fashionable, long before the concept of female empowerment got mixed up with being a boy toy, this working-class woman discovered her creativity, courage and power by driving the quarter-mile faster than anyone else. She is a true American hero.

Maria Fredriksson

Los Feliz