Hillary Will’s Definitive Win

While there may be hundreds of images of bleached blonde, busty woman splashed across the pages of auto magazines and calendars, there are not many women who actually drive at major auto racing events. It would seem that times are changing, however, with a handful of brilliant female drivers carving up local circuits and even leaving male counterparts choking on their exhaust fumes.

While there may be hundreds of images of bleached blonde, busty woman splashed across the pages of auto magazines and calendars, there are not many women who actually drive at major auto racing events. It would seem that times are changing, however, with a handful of brilliant female drivers carving up local circuits and even leaving male counterparts choking on their exhaust fumes.

Sunday saw another landmark victory in the battle of the sexes at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. Hillary Will became the 11th woman in NHRA history to take first place at a national event. Will whizzed around the circuit to take first place in Top Fuel at the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals. The sensational win was the first in Will’s career and had her grinning, laughing and shaking hands. Hillary Will managed to beat the No. 1 qualifier Larry Dixon when she drove her dragster to a 4.744-second run at a top speed of 304.53 mph. In doing so she not only took first place, but she became the third female to win in the past four NHRA races. It would definitely seem that ladies are making headway in this predominantly male-dominated domain and you can be sure that the men are having a lot to say about it.

This was only Hillary Will’s 55th professional start and it was the first Top Fuel win for team owner Ken Black. It would seem that the win comes as a result of Will’s decision to simply enjoy her job instead of worrying about winning or loosing. Will admitted that she’s let the pressure get to her previously, but she had finally told herself that she was incredibly lucky to have the job she had. She also felt incredibly proud to have the support of her team who have never doubted her in the two and a half years she has been working with them, regardless of how much she may have doubted herself in that time. She considered herself to be the luckiest driver in the world and dedicated the win to her team. This was definitely a proud moment for both Will and her remarkable and supportive team.