On This Day

Thursday 7th November 1963

56 years ago

"Miss STP" Paula Murphy, became the first woman to pilot an Indycar around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when she drove 5 laps in a Novi during a tyre testing session. Murphy claims to always have had an interest in driving, first learning how as a teen when she “kinda stole my mother’s car- and off I went,”1 but her first exposure to auto racing occurred after her move to California. Coworker Jean Calvin, an automotive journalist and driver, invited Murphy to attend the 1956 Santa Barbara Memorial Day Race. Although Murphy assumed any woman competing in auto racing couldn’t be feminine, she joined the Women’s Sports Car Club, an organization that encouraged women to participate in administrative tasks associated with racing. After becoming well-versed with the less-glamorous side of racing, Murphy purchased her first car, a 1954 MG-TF, in 1956 and began competing in ladies’ races. In 1963, Murphy decided to devote herself entirely to racing and quit her desk job. This was also the year she decided to compete in men’s races, as ladies’ races were being increasingly phased out of competitions. Other Racing Accomplishments: • Set border-to-border records in 1963 cross-country drive. Murphy and 2 co-drivers set the east-west record, driving from Los Angeles to New York in 49 hours, 37 minutes. After a few days of rest, the team drove to Mexico and broke the north-south record while driving a Tijuana-Vancouver-Tijuana course. • Part of a crew sponsored by Studebaker that set 370 new speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats during one week of Oct. 1963. This included the women’s land speed record with an internal combustible engine. Murphy averaged 161.29 mph. • In November 1964, she became first woman to drive a jet-powered car, The Avenger, (10,000 horse power J-46). Murphy was able to reset her own land speed record at Bonneville with a two-way average of 226.37 mph and reaching a top speed of 243 mph. • First woman to obtain fuel Funny Car license from the UDRA and NHRA, when 1966after initially being turned down by both organizations. • Set records in Formula 4 and Formula 6 class of NHRA in 1966 while competing against men. • Twice set NASCAR women speed record. • Participated in a “drive around the world” to celebrate America’s bicentennial in 1976, completing the trip in 104 days.