Patrick Foster

I just love these books that take me back to my childhood! I was an unabashed gearhead growing up in the sixties and seventies. Loved reading about anything racing related. Loved going to the Friday night stock car races in my hometown, and the Saturday night races in a nearby town. Devoured racing magazines, and watching drag races on the Wide World of Sports. Spent hours with my cousins building plastic models of our favorite racers.
And "The Drag-On Lady" was one of them! We were show more fascinated with the fact that a woman (oh my gosh!) would routinely beat the men.
This book covers the period extremely well. I learned so much from it. And the photographs....just wow! It's an incredible romp into my past.
Thank you to LibraryThing for providing me with a copy of this book. It's going into my permanent library for whenever I need a trip down memory land. show less

Meet drag racing legend and pioneer Shirley Shahan, the Drag-On Lady!

As the first woman to win an NHRA national event when she was named Top Stock Eliminator at the 1966 Winternationals, Shahan blazed a trail for women in drag racing. During the golden era of drag racing, it was rare to find diversity in the sport. Shahan is what’s commonly known as a living legend.

In a career that spanned the 1950s and into the early 1970s, Shahan drove 1956 and 1958 Chevys and was one of the lucky few show more who was able to purchase one of the rare 1963 Chevrolet RPO Z11 Super Stockers. Later, when she was driving for Plymouth and Dodge, Shahan made the name Drag-On Lady both famous and feared. She then moved to American Motors and raced very successfully with the new SS/AMX.

From 1958 to 1972, Shahan set records and won numerous awards. She was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, Super Stock Magazine Hall of Fame, and Mopar Hall of Fame, and she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Bakersfield racetrack. In addition, Shirley won the Top Stock category at the very first March Meet at the legendary Famoso Raceway track near Bakersfield, California, which made her the first person (male or female) to do so. In 1966, she was the named one of Hot Rod magazine’s Top 10 Drivers.

She raced against the best drivers during the golden age of drag racing and more often than not blew off the doors of her opponents. She had a fierce passion for winning, and in this book, you’ll feel what it was like to be behind the wheel as she steers you through her illustrious career. Fasten your seat belt; it’s going to be a wild ride. show less

Whether you love racing and want to delve into the history of one of its drivers, Shirley Shahan, or whether you want to dip your toe into the topic, this book is a wonderful place to start. The high quality pictures and conversational writing style drew me in. A quick read that gives you enough of Shirley Shahan's personal life, so she is a relatable and sympathetic character. It also covers extensively her professional career and development, but it's not portrayed in a way that is too show more technical. As someone who has no knowledge of racing or interest in cars, I started reading this book more out of a desire to learn something new than the topic. Although I expected not to like it, this book is engaging, and I would recommend it. show less

Author Foster explains how Shahan's upbringing helped build the skills necessary to become a Hall of Fame drag racer. She was a trend setting woman who broke through barriers in a field dominated by men. The book is well-designed, easy to read and follow Shahan's life from childhood through 2020. Great information on the cars she raced in and the mechanical ability of herself and her first husband, H.L. Shahan. The photographs and captions add greatly to the book.