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22 economist suntribune wheels thursday may 9 2002 8 york region wheels by jason stein for wheelbase communications she rode the stereotype of parade queen all the way to her personal victory lane and spun the inequalities of the day into an iconoclastic status but in the end linda vaughn the buxom beauty queen of the racing scene the one who could turn more heads at a race track than a 1 0car pileup was simply linda to her fans she was the sweetheart of stock car racing and every other form of horsepower that involved a heavy right foot to her friends she was a shy girl from dalton ga who enjoyed southern cooking water skiing the rolling stones and hard work with a golden jump suit sixinch heels and an ability to work a track like it was her living room vaughn was to racing what junior johnson beer and tshirts were to summer saturday afternoons she was irony draped in a checkered flag making a name for herself as miss hurst golden shifter then using her name as a platform to speak out on issues she held dear a trophy queen but so much more my first love affair was with american cars and still is if you spent the winter in a drafty garage youd need a checkup too spring maintenance package lfl95 plus tax lube oil and filter 15 point inspection including coolant tires wipers hoses belts tire rotation brake inspection top up fluids set tire pressure includes electronic battery test 03 and weve got your tires too our price includes installation balancing valve stem lifetime inspection 10000 km rotations and applicable road hazard protection and treadwear warranties tejb a uniroyal tiger paw asc p18575r14 95 67 fits most 909b sunbirds and cavaliers uniroyal tiger paw asc p21575r15 95 80 plus tax fits most 9v01 safaris and astros mm uniroyal tiger paw asc p20570r15 95 plus tax fits most 9100 grand prixs and lesabres uniroyal tiger paw asc p23575r15 95 89 plus tax fits most 9699 immvs and blazers i bunmoyfllb f goodjfrcah bfgoodricti w mm wmmmmm our computerized aljgnment service will restore th g feel and help your tires last i n ight tin tiirie at your gm dealership goodyyrenclignjcanailacom vhoogmdrive vaughn once said so im glad i grew up in the 60s with musclecars and rock n roll and im glad i am who i am four decades later the allure hasnt faded for years she was the most recognizable figure in a maledominated sport a queen among kings for racing she was the icing on the cake twentyfive years ago author jerry bledsoe described it best when he wrote that an appearance by vaughn at a local track made grimy mechanics stand in awe made them punch one another in the ribs and giggle like little boys wherever vaughns trail would turn crowds would gath er grown men would turn into teenage boys and teenage boys would wonder how they ever watched victory lane without her when she walked into a room said jon lundberg a longtime friend and writer for draglistcom you could feel the earth move she had a presence that made her very special and she knew it from the start after an unsuccessful career as a dental technician out of high school vaughn quickly discovered she was better in front of the spotlight than pointing one at others at 1 8 fol lowing the encouragement of some friends she won miss atlanta raceway in just her second pageant displaying her anatomical charm while seated in pace cars around the south a year later she was named miss pontiac at the 1 962 daytona 500 then miss firebird in 1 963 then ultimately miss hurst golden shifter after responding and winning an open audition for the position in hot rod magazine among 200 entries her association with the hurst company a diehard race outfit known for its aftermarket performance shifters would last for decades and her popularity would roar out of control from her standing perch on the back of a hurst oldsmobile convertible fitted with the likeness of a replica threemetretall hurst stick shift she was a fixture in major motorsports and automotive events along with drag racer don garlits and stockcar king richard petty vaughn quick ly became a prominent figure in the racing world she toured military bases in vietnam made dragrace strips a regular stop and became the talk of the racing world hurstettes were hired an additional set of blonde beauties who filled in for vaughn when demand became too much then tv contracts were signed and movies followed and either way vaughn always got what she wanted from the mid1 960s to the early 1 980s she was the first lady of drag racing formula one nascar and indy out of her trophyqueen image vaughn the sports car club of america scca driver competed in races while driving home her personal goals she bought two of her favourite cars a red ferrari dino and a black cadillac el dorado and she sold her causes after retiring from the automotive scene in the mid- 1 980s vaughn used her success to promote the growth of women in motorsports to encourage the work of trade organizations for producers and marketers of specialty equip ment a 1 5biilion industry and to commit herself to other charitable work she became a catalyst for the international motorsports hall of fame was elected to the drag racing hall of fame but eventually she would return to her first love teaming up with mr gasket performance group a conglomerate of automotive companies that acquired hurst industries where she was promoted to vice president in charge of public relations today youll find vaughn making the rounds at car shows and automotive races the racequeen label traded for the role as guest of honor and she still turns heads at every tour stop she still has her fans web sites still sell autographed prints and she is still proud of the career that took her from humble beginnings in a small georgia town to the sweetheart of stockcar racing my goal has always been to live long enough to write my book about living a healthy life in racing and the auto industry vaughn said in a 1 999 interview and im almost there what a ride jason stein is a feature writer and the editor of wheelbase communications speedweek racing page he can be reached at jsteinwheelbasecomcom wheelbase communications supplies automotive news and features to newspapers across north america 1 r i tljkjjk rsivr- wtf tf j yt vfc v