Heart Like a Wheel (film)
Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film directed by Jonathan Kaplan and based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia as Muldowney, and Beau Bridges as drag racing legend Connie Kalitta.
In 1956 Schenectady, New York, waitress Shirley Roque Bonnie Bedelia marries auto mechanic Jack Muldowney Leo Rossi over the mild objections of her singer father Tex Hoyt Axton, who wants her to be able to take care of herself, rather than having to rely on a husband. Jack buys a gas station, Shirley becomes a housewife, and they have a son.For fun, Jack races his sportscar against others on deserted stretches of road late at night. One time, Shirley talks him into letting her drive. She wins and continues winning. A chance encounter with professional driver Big Daddy Don Garlits Bill McKinney gives her the idea to look for sponsorship from one of the major car manufacturers, despite her husbands skepticism. This being the 1950s, a pretty housewife is not taken seriously, especially since there are no women pro drivers at all. But when she returns home, Jack tells her that he can build her a dragster. ........
Source: Wikipedia
