Muldowney blown out

Monday, Oct. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Muldowney blown out

Unseasonably cold and windy weather hampered Shirley Muldowney's attempt to set a new track speed record at Saturday night's Willden's Pride Dodge Top Fuel Classic, the last drag race in Las Vegas Speedway Park history. Wind gusts of 40 mph forced cancellation of the event after Muldowney beat Butch Blair in the first of two scheduled match races. Muldowney's E.T. was 6.67 at just over 240 mph, but she was forced to back off the throttle due to the conditions. So her record of 5.18@280.23 mph, set in 1995, stands. The LVSP drag strip is closing, to make room for a new NHRA facility at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "Safety is a major concern and the conditions were too bad to attempt to run at speeds our dragsters are capable of," said Muldowney, the former three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion.

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