What 1983 biopic dramatized Shirley Muldowney's life and drag racing career?

The 1983 biopic about Shirley Muldowney’s life and drag-racing career is Heart Like a Wheel.

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, the film stars Bonnie Bedelia as Muldowney and Beau Bridges as fellow drag racer Connie Kalitta. It follows her rise from street racing in Schenectady, New York, to professional competition in Funny Cars and Top Fuel dragsters.

The movie dramatizes major milestones, including Muldowney’s 1973 move into Top Fuel, her partnership with Kalitta, serious racing injuries, and her championship victories. It takes some dramatic liberties, so it should not be treated as a scene-by-scene biography.

Muldowney won NHRA Top Fuel championships in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Her career also made her a landmark figure in motorsport: she was the first woman licensed by the NHRA to drive a Top Fuel dragster. The title can be confused with similarly named songs, albums, and other works, but the film’s title is the unambiguous answer here.