Oh, Thank Goodness : A Crash, Recovery and Race to the Finish Line

In 1989, the Earth trembled, skies poured, killer winds howled, tankers spilled and revolutions swept the globe. In Los Angeles, gang violence claimed yet more victims and traffic seemed to grow ever worse. Still, amid the tide of oft-tragic happenings, small rays of hope keep shining through. Here are a few of many stories worth sharing on a day of feasting, family and friends. They’re enough to remind that it’s still worth saying: “Oh, Thank Goodness.”

For Shirley Muldowney, a national drag racing champion, winning another race might not seem such a significant matter.

But her mid-October victory in the Fallnationals competition in Phoenix, her first race win in three years, was special for Muldowney, who survived a devastating car crash on a Canadian track in June, 1984.

The 250-m.p.h. wreck was so bad she was unsure that she would ever walk again, let alone get on a track in her pink top-fuel dragster.

Muldowney, 49, underwent five major operations to rebuild her left foot and repair her legs, pelvis, fingers and an almost-severed thumb; she endured more than a year’s worth of physical therapy before returning to racing in January, 1986.

“The win at Phoenix was worth it all,” says Muldowney, who lives in Northridge with her husband and crew chief, Rohn Tobler. “I’m thankful that I hung in there, that we all did.”

Reflecting on her remarkable comeback, she remarks: “I was hurt real bad, and I knew it was going to be a long, long road. It was a lot of hard work and so painful. . . . I really needed a light at the end of the tunnel and racing was it.”

Muldowney--who shares the distinction with Don (Big Daddy) Garlits for winning three National Hot Rod Assn. top-fuel championships--was national champion in 1977, 1980 and 1982. She is searching for a new racing sponsor but is looking forward to seeking a fourth national championship next year.

“We were very excited at Phoenix,” she says. “The last win I had was in ‘83, but I didn’t compete for 1 1/2 seasons. We were excited by the fact that we found the winning combination we looked for for so long. . . . We had a tremendous amount of bad breaks and bad luck. So this was a great win.”