Della Woods (born 1940) is an AA/FC, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) professional dragster driver. She was the first female driver in the five-second bracket in the

funny car Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appea ...

class, and the first female driver to go to the semifinals at an NHRA national event. She held the latter record for almost 22 years.

Early racing career

Della Woods and her brother Bernie Woods were from

Lake Orion, Michigan Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of wh ...

. They campaigned match races during the 1960s and early 1970s, with Bernie as crew chief and Della as driver. Woods qualified for an NHRA AA/FC license in 1968 signed by Rodger Lindamood,

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field o ...

and

Don Kohler Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

, only to have the association revoke the license, saying it was too dangerous for a woman to run in that class. Losing the license caused the brother-sister team to lose several match racing engagements, provoking Woods to call the NHRA and inform them that if they took her license they would have to take the all female drivers' licenses as well.

Career restart

Della and Bernie were forced to quit due to finances in 1972. Della married De Nichols in 1976. In 1982 Della Woods and De Nichols bought the famed Fighting Irish car, the only non-

Mopar Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar bran ...

car she drove, from Dick Rosberg and his partners Novak and McDaniel. Della licensed in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

then started entering national events. They finished 20th in the final standings after qualifying at only eight NHRA events. In 1986 she was in a serious crash at Firebird Raceway in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. In 1996 the couple purchased the first 4-second car from Chuck Etchells. They tested at Milan Dragway then had to trailer the car due to other commitments.

Awards

Della Woods was inducted into the

Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame is a non-profit hall of fame for Michigan auto racers. It was founded in 1982 by Dick Lee and was incorporated April 19, 1982, as a non-profit 501(c) (3) non-stock Michigan corporation. The Michigan Motor S ...

in 1999, and the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2016, she was inducted into the Mopar Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Della Female dragster drivers Living people American female racing drivers 1940 births People from Lake Orion, Michigan 21st-century American women