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1977

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1977 TOP FUEL WORLD CHAMPION SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY

  • Scored first of three world championships
  • Became NHRA’s first female world champ
  • Lost in first round at first three races
  • Went 11-0 in three-race summer winning streak
  • Was profiled in People magazine

Top Fuel world champion
Shirley Muldowney

Funny Car world champion
Don Prudhomme

Pro Stock world champion
Don Nicholson

Pro Comp world champion
Dave Settles

Comp eliminator world champion
Dennis Ferrara

Modified world champion
Buddy Ingersoll

Super Stock world champion
Dave Boertman

Stock eliminator world champion
Stan Mizell

1977

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

‘SNAKE’ WINS INDY AGAIN

In the midst of a third straight Funny Car championship season, Don Prudhomme won the NHRA U.S. Nationals for the third time in five years, part of a streak of six straight Indy final-round appearances.

FAREWELL, ‘JUNGLE JIM’

“Jungle Jim” Liberman, one of the era’s most popular Funny Car racers and showmen, was killed Sept. 8 in an early morning traffic accident near his West Chester, Pa., home. He was just 31.

ALL-CHEVY TOP FUEL FINAL

For the first time in NHRA national event history, two Chevy-powered entries decided Top Fuel honors as Stan Shiroma defeated Rance McDaniel in the final round of the 3rd annual NHRA Fallnationals in Seattle.

BIG RIGS AT THE DIGS

Just before the NHRA Winternationals, Funny Car racer Billy Meyer ushered in the 18-wheeler era when he unveiled his new SMI Motivator entry, which was hauled to the races in a fully customized tractor-trailer.

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