Shirley Shahan
When Shirley Shahan won the Stock Eliminator title at the 1966 Winternationals, she became the first woman to ever win a NHRA National event. This pioneering effort made it possible for her to become the first professional drag racer. She had married HL Shahan at seventeen and accompanied him to race his ’58 Chevy. She learned to handle stick shift well enough in her street racing days that she won the Super Stock class at the first Bakersfield US Fuel and Gas Championships in 1959. In 1963 “H” bought a Z-11 aluminum bodied 427 Chevy and Shirley became the regular driver. In 1965, with some backing from Chrysler, they bought the Plymouth Super Stocker which “H” maintained along with Butch Leal’s altered wheelbase machine. Sam Petock, the Plymouth Public Relations Director, came up with the “Drag-On-Lady” title that stuck throughout her career. They did well enough racing the Plymouth that Shirley was able to quit her job and tour the country for four years, running in Super Stock. In 1969 she was offered a factory AMC Super Stock deal and eventually a Pro Stocker when that class was created. In late 1972, then husband, HL, put together a circle track program that was more profitable than the AMC deal, effectively ending Shirley’s driving career.