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recorded her as a "crowd favorite", with a winning pass of 13.06 seconds at 107.65 mph (173.25 km/h), but says nothing about it being a first for a woman, dismissively calling her a "'powder puff' handler". Some racers believe a class win is more difficult to achieve than a handicap
67:"Women had been competing at local tracks for years -– often in a “Powder Puff" class", but never in a national event. At the time, of course, single women were denied credit cards, and all women were banned from jury duty.
188:) and Thompson, as well as fellow racers Shahan and Leighton, Cox was the first woman allowed to race at an NHRA national event. Cox drove the 1961 Ventura (which was not trailered) to Pomona for the
192:. Cox won the title in S/SA (Super Stock, automatic transmission), making her the first woman ever to take a win at an NHRA national event; the 9 March 1962 issue of
216:(owned by Thompson), on their hauler and drove again to Indianapolis. Cox won S/SA again, at the Nationals, NHRA's most prestigious event. Lloyd also won, in A/FX.
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for the new season. The car was powered by a 389 cu in (6,370 cc) 348-horsepower
Pontiac V-8 engine with Tri-Power, outfitted with
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Cox was married to Lloyd, and has a daughter, Karen, who did race for a while, a son, Steve, who has also been a successful racer, driving a '68
103:, he had to take night classes. In time, his skill at tuning them reached the point he opened his own shop, which helped finance Carol's racing.
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At the time, NHRA banned women from national events. Cox disagreed, as did a number of other women racers, notably
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ran at the time, earned Lloyd a job working for him. Early in 1961, Lloyd bought a
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in front. They spend months tuning the handling of the car before driving to
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capable of 10-second passes. Her granddaughter, Crista, also once raced in
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editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at
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editor. "Carol Cox: NHRA's first class winner", written 4 May 2018, at
184:. In 1962, under additional pressure from Peggy Hart (wife of track owner
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In subsequent competition, Cox was frequently accused of cheating.
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Cox followed her husband, Lloyd, an engineer who also raced
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In August, 2022, at age 95, Carol Cox passed in
Minnesota
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Several months later, the family loaded the
Ventura, and a
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in 1958, Lloyd had so many problems with the factory
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202:The win attracted a lot of local media attention.
126:(later famous for building headers), and mounted
345:(retrieved 16 September 2018): text and photo.
241:In 2018, at age 90, Cox was suffering dementia.
165:Mustang FC.). Lloyd drove the Ventura, instead.
81:in Whitier), into racing, encouraged by racer
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349:(retrieved 20 September 2018) credits
314:"Mustang Funny Cars through the years"
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48:. She was the first woman to win at a
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168:Cox responded by contacting the
44:was a pioneering American woman
380:American female racing drivers
353:with the Stock Eliminator win.
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303:(retrieved 16 September 2018)
77:(and got sponsorship from a
50:National Hot Rod Association
390:21st-century American women
171:Los Angeles Herald Examiner
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375:Female dragster drivers
52:(NHRA) national event.
101:automatic transmission
85:after they met at the
347:Ultimateracinghistory
122:from Lloyd's friend,
62:Whittier, California
92:After switching to
16:American drag racer
199:(eliminator) win.
339:National Dragster
297:National Dragster
195:National Dragster
177:Los Angeles Times
60:Cox was based in
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370:Dragster drivers
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151:Roberta Leighton
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295:Burgess, Phil,
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214:Pontiac Tempest
207:Hayden Proffitt
161:(driver of the
132:shock absorbers
112:Mickey Thompson
108:Lions Dragstrip
87:Santa Ana Drags
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323:19 September
321:. Retrieved
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236:Jr. Dragster
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223:Private life
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186:"Pappy" Hart
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159:Paula Murphy
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136:Indianapolis
124:Doug Thorley
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182:congressman
35:Super Stock
27:Nationality
364:Categories
190:Winternats
180:, and her
130:prototype
98:Hydramatic
83:Peggy Hart
72:Oldsmobile
46:drag racer
42:Carol Cox
22:Carol Cox
343:NHRA.com
301:NHRA.com
163:Miss STP
128:Lakewood
110:, which
75:stockers
30:American
209:-built
120:headers
116:Ventura
94:Pontiac
56:History
229:Camaro
157:, and
248:Notes
325:2018
318:NHRA
211:A/FX
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256:^
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327:.
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