Paula Murphy
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Paula Murphy (born 1928) is a retired[1] American automobile driver who has been first and/or fastest at many accomplishments.
Murphy was born in Ohio in 1928 and moved to California in 1956.[2]
As of 1975, Murphy was "the only woman to have been allowed to drive an Indy car at speed on the track. That had been in 1963"[3] in a Studebaker car with a Novi engine.[4]
Murphy was also "the first woman to drive a jet-engined car on the Salt Flats".[1]
Murphy was also the "first woman licensed to drive a nitromethane-fueled car":[5] the first woman to have a fuel funny car license from the National Hot Rod Association.[2]
In the 1960s and 1970s she set numerous speed records, including a Mexico to Canada route, a New York to Los Angeles route, the women's land speed record, and the NASCAR women's speed record.[2] She became part of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2017.[6]
Murphy appeared as a guest on the December 1st, 1963, episode of What's My Line?, introduced as "test car driver".[7]
References
- ^ a b "The Shoe and Miss STP are Back!". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ Pash, Phil (April 13, 1975). "Only Woman Who Drove There Prefers Back Seat at Indianapolis". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Paula Murphy". Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ What's My Line? - Colonel Sanders; Alan King; Martin Gabel [panel] (Dec 1, 1963), retrieved May 28, 2023
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