Peggy Maria Llewellyn [1] (born December 26, 1972, in San Antonio, Texas) is a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Motorcycle drag racer. She is of American, Mexican and Jamaican descent. Her father Gene Llewellyn was closely involved with bikes and bike racing and she began riding herself at age seven. [2] [3]
In 2001, Peggy Llewellyn raced six pro events. Without the sponsorship finance to continue, she left the sport and trained as a Real estate agent. It took five years to secure another sponsor and get back onto the circuit. [4]
In 2007, Peggy Llewellyn became the first woman of color to win a professional motorsports event, carrying off the title at the NHRA POWERade Dallas event. This earned her an appearance in the inaugural Countdown to 4 and Countdown to 1, giving her a finish in the POWERade top five in standings. She also posted her career-best time of 6.928 seconds and a speed of 193.24 mph. [5] [6]
In 2008, she ran an abbreviated season, advancing to the semi-finals in Denver and finishing the season qualifying for five out of six races. [5] Llewellyn made history once again in 2010 by becoming the first woman of color to own, operate and race for an NHRA professional drag racing team, 2 Wheel Woman Racing. [7]
Peggy Llewellyn was named 2009 Female Athlete of the Year by The Elements of a Champion Foundation. [8] In 2010 and 2011, Llewellyn was recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation at the 32nd and 33rd Annual Salute to Women in Sports Gala in New York. [9]
Llewellyn is involved with the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Go Girl Go! initiative and with independently promoting the sport of motorcycle racing, physical fitness education and young female athletes. [2] She also supports Divas For A Cure, a national non-profit organization of Black and Hispanic/Latino American women who ride motorcycles across country throughout the year and organise the fundraising Divas For A Cure Breast Cancer Motorcycle Run in order to raise awareness and funds to combat breast cancer. [10] [11] [12]
Shirley Muldowney, also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fuel dragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980, and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. She won a total of 18 NHRA national events.
Powerade is a sports drink created and sold by the Coca-Cola Company. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, owned by PepsiCo.
Ashley Corinne Force Hood is a former NHRA Funny Car drag racer for John Force Racing. She is the daughter of 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion John Force and Laurie Force. She is married to Daniel Hood, who works for John Force Racing. She was on hiatus from racing in 2011 as the couple expected their first child. Since their child's birth, Force Hood has announced her retirement from competitive racing.
Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing and drag racing facility near Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Kent Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1969. After the landowner regained control of the track in 2002, the name reverted to Pacific Raceways.
Angelle Sampey is an American drag racer, originally in Pro Stock Motorcycle but currently in Top Alcohol Dragster. She won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship three times (2000-2002). Since her debut in 1996, she has earned an all-time class record 45 top-qualifier awards and 46 event victories, the 2nd most wins for any female in both NHRA competition and professional motor sports as a whole. On June 23, 2007 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, she scored her 42nd career pole position and more importantly set the national Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time record with a 6.871 second run. Following her April 1, 2007 win in Houston, Texas, Sampey was just 5 wins away from setting the all-time Pro Stock Motorcycle wins record, currently held by Dave Schultz. Sampey also holds the active record of 182 consecutive races without a Did not qualify, dating back to her professional debut. She also holds the mark of 364 round wins in 506 competitive rounds, which calculates to a 71.9% win-per-round ratio.
Erica Lee Enders is an American drag racing driver. Enders has won six world championships in the Pro Stock class of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and she continues to drive full-time in that class. For the 2024 season, Enders will defend her 6 NHRA Pro Stock World Championships.
Right on Track is a 2003 American biographical sports drama film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie. It was produced by Don Schain, directed by Duwayne Dunham, and written by Sally Nemeth and Bruce Graham. The movie debuted on March 21, 2003 on Disney Channel in the United States.
Lee National Denim Day is a fundraiser created by Lee Jeans to support the women's cancer programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Every year, people are asked to donate the money they would spend on a pair of jeans to support breast cancer research and wellness programs. The beneficiary of the program is the American Cancer Society. It is celebrated on the first Friday of October.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. is an American motorsports driver, competing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Pro Stock Division. He is a six-time world champion, winning the Pro Stock title five times and the Super Gas championship. He currently drives the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Pro Stock Camaro for Elite Motorsports as a teammate to six-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders. He is the son of Jeg Coughlin Sr., the founder of Jegs High Performance.
Larry Dixon Jr. is an American professional drag racer in the NHRA. Larry is the son of Larry Dixon Sr., who won Top Fuel Eliminator at the 1970 NHRA Winternationals.
JEGS High Performance is the second largest mail order company of automotive equipment in the United States. It sells performance auto parts, aftermarket accessories, tools, and race apparel. JEGS was founded by Jeg Coughlin Sr. in 1960 as a small speed shop. Jeg's remained family owned and operated until 2022 when a majority stake of the company was purchased by Greenbriar Equity Group. Over 60 years, JEGS has expanded to include a 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) warehouse, two mail order locations, retail store & Team JEGS Race Team. The company has approximately 350 employees.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is a drag racing series organized by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). It is the top competition series of the NHRA, comprising competition in four classes, including Top Fuel Dragster, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Season was announced on August 29, 2013.
Alexis DeJoria is an American drag racer who competes in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car category. She previously drove a Toyota Camry for Kalitta Motorsports, sponsored by Patrón Spirits Company. She will return to competitive racing in 2020 with a new team led by crew chiefs Del Worsham and Nicky Boninfante. As of 2019, she was the third richest female athlete in the World, and as of 2022 the second richest with a net worth of $100 million.
Brittany Leighton Force is an American NHRA drag racer and 2-time NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel dragster champion. She is the daughter of drag racer John Force and the sister of fellow racers Courtney Force and Ashley Force Hood.
Melanie Troxel is a drag racer who has raced in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Modified. She is the only woman to have won races in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. She was named Individual Sportswoman of the Year 2006 by the Women's Sports Foundation after becoming the first drive to appear in five consecutive championship finals that year.
Roberta Maxine Leighton was an American drag racer. She was the first woman licensed by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to race competitively. She was also the first woman to win a national title, in the 1962 U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, in the J/S class. In 2002, shortly before her death, she received a lifetime achievement award at the World Finals at Pomona.
Carol Cox was a pioneering American woman drag racer. She was the first woman to win at a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national event.
The 2020 NHRA Drag Racing Series was announced on May 14, 2019.
Jasmine Monique Salinas is an American NHRA drag racer. She is the daughter of drag racer Mike Salinas and the sister of fellow racer Jianna Evaristo-Salinas.