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Heart Like a Wheel
Directed by	Jonathan Kaplan
Produced by	Lamar Card Marty Katz Charles Roven Arne Schmidt
Written by	Ken Friedman David E. Peckinpah
Starring	Bonnie Bedelia Beau Bridges Leo Rossi Hoyt Axton Bill McKinney Anthony Edwards
Music by	Laurence Rosenthal
Cinematography	Tak Fujimoto
Editing by	O. Nicholas Brown
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	April 1, 1983
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Heart Like a Wheel is a 1983 biographical film based on the life of drag racing driver Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges.

The film garnered two award nominations: Bedelia was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, and William Theiss was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

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 gives her the idea to look for sponsorship from one of the major car manufacturers, despite her husband's 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.

In 1966, she is ready. She still needs to get three signatures before she can get her National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) license, nearly impossible in the macho racing world. Finally, Garlits (seeing an opportunity to broaden the popularity of the sport) signs, followed by funny car driver Connie Kalitta, who has his own reasons; Connie talks a reluctant third driver into going along. In her first attempt to qualify for a race, she sets a track record. Later, during a dinner with their respective spouses, Connie makes a pass at her and is slapped in the face.

Shirley becomes successful, racing on weekends, but when Connie decides to move up to Top Fuel dragsters, she wants to buy his funny car and compete year round. This is the last straw for her husband, who just wants his wife back, and they separate.

Connie and Shirley become involved, despite his continual philandering. In a 1973 race, her funny car is destroyed and she herself is seriously burned. When Connie is suspended indefinitely by the NHRA for fighting on her behalf, she tells him that she is going to Top Fuel. He becomes her crew chief. She wins her first NHRA national event in 1976, then the World Championship in 1977. Finally, tired of Connie's womanizing, she drops him from her team. Angry, he gets himself reinstated by the NHRA.

Shirley, with little sponsorship and an inexperienced crew, has two lean years, but rebounds in 1980. She races against Kalitta in that year's NHRA championship final. The film ends with her victory and their reconciliation, and her ex-husband (who had watched the victory on TV) giving her a private cheer.

• Heart Like a Wheel at the Internet Movie Database

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