Rev Up: Heart like a Wheel
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. There were several movies I watched growing up that have always stayed with me. I’m 31 years old, and to this day I use quotes from movies like The Blues Brothers, Smokey and the Bandit, and Star Wars. Another one of those movies that has remained steadfast in my memories was the 1983 biographical film, Heart Like a Wheel, about the life of Shirley Muldowney. Muldowney was the first female professional top-fuel dragster driver to win the NHRA National Championship. My parents were street drag racers in high school, so, of course, they loved the movie. We all watched it together as a family several times. It’s no wonder why I’m never too far away from a race...
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But that was just one cool part of what’s helped push the blood through my heart like a wheel.
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Fast forward to Sunday, June 15th. Father’s Day. The scene was the 32nd annual High Point National, and I was getting to view the facility from atop the announcing tower beside Jason Weigandt. David Bailey was out on the track doing the Legend’s Lap, and I was called on to talk a little during the Pre Show. It was just a few minutes of bench racing, but it was the coolest thing I had done since I could remember. Weege made fun of me because my arms were shredded into chicken skin when the Lites guys strolled out for their hot lap. But it was definitely all good. Last Sunday was just simply fantastic across the board.
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I always like to take a few moments to remember the events that I’ve been fortunate to witness. This morning, for reasons God only knows, I thought about the time I watched Shirley Muldowney explode down the fresh 1/4-mile stretch of asphalt at Heartland Park Topeka. I remembered how she had crashed in Heart Like a Wheel. The image of her engine flipping down the track was tattooed in my head and I was nervous. Shirley was the first top fuel car to hit the brand new drag strip. Her pink Dragster with “Cha-Cha” painted on the side burned it in just over five seconds.
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Thanks for reading, see you next week.