Paula Murphy

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
  1. "The Shoe and Miss STP are Back!". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  3. Pash, Phil (April 13, 1975). "Only Woman Who Drove There Prefers Back Seat at Indianapolis". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  5. "Paula Murphy". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. "Paula Murphy". Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  7. What's My Line? - Colonel Sanders; Alan King; Martin Gabel [panel] (Dec 1, 1963), retrieved May 28, 2023


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