Which driver won NHRA Top Fuel titles in 1977, 1980, and 1982?

Shirley Muldowney won NHRA Top Fuel titles in 1977, 1980 and 1982.

Known as “Cha Cha” and the “First Lady of Drag Racing,” Muldowney was a pioneering American driver who broke into the sport when women faced strong resistance in professional motorsport. She became the first woman licensed by the NHRA to drive a Top Fuel dragster, receiving her license in 1973 after support from established racers including Don Garlits, Tommy Ivo and Connie Kalitta.

Her first NHRA Top Fuel championship came in 1977, making her the first woman to win a major drag-racing world championship. She added titles in 1980 and 1982, becoming the first driver to win two and then three Top Fuel championships. Her career included 18 NHRA national-event victories and a serious 1984 crash that caused extensive injuries to her hands, pelvis and legs.

Muldowney continued racing after a long recovery and remained a landmark figure even after retiring from full-time competition in 2003. Brittany Force is another prominent female Top Fuel champion, but her titles came decades later, not in the three years named here.