In what Vermont city was Shirley Muldowney born?

Shirley Muldowney was born in Burlington, Vermont, on June 19, 1940.

Her birth name was Shirley Ann Roque. Although she was born in Vermont, her racing identity was shaped largely in Schenectady, New York, where she became interested in hot rods and began street racing during the 1950s.

Muldowney entered organized drag racing in 1958 at Fonda Speedway. She later became the first woman licensed by the NHRA to drive a Top Fuel dragster and built a career that included three NHRA Top Fuel championships, in 1977, 1980, and 1982.

Burlington is Vermont’s largest city and sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. It is sometimes confused with Montpelier, which is Vermont’s capital, or with Schenectady, the New York city more closely associated with Muldowney’s early racing years. Her birthplace and her formative racing home were therefore different places.