Drag Racing’s “First Lady”, Linda Vaughn To Appear At 2006 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Weekend, Oct 20-22, Henderson, NC 

By Jim Hill

Henderson, NC – Drag racing’s undisputed “First Lady”, legendary Linda Vaughn, will be on hand to greet her legions of fans at the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion Weekend, October 20-22, 2006, in Henderson, North Carolina.  Linda’s appearance will be spiced by her own induction into the exclusive rolls of the 2006 edition of the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that Linda Vaughn was able to make room in her busy schedule to attend our event and be a part of the induction ceremonies for this year’s drag racing East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame.  Linda has been an overwhelming presence in drag racing since the 60’s, and she’s easily one of the most well known and recognizable personalities in all of motorsports.  Being that Linda Vaughn is known on an international basis, we’re especially proud to have her on hand when she‘s inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame group”, noted Nancy Wilson, Executive Director of Vance County (NC) Tourism Department and the Hall of Fame.

“The fact that Linda is also an “East Coast” native and favorite daughter of her home state of Georgia makes it even more special that she will be with us this year”, added Ms. Wilson.

While Linda Vaughn has been associated with many different forms of motorsports and several major automotive product brands, she’s best known for her lengthy association with Hurst-Campbell Corporation, and for her role as “Miss Hurst Golden Shifter” beginning in 1966.  In that role she served as spokesperson and good will ambassador not only for Hurst’s products, but for all forms of motor racing, and especially drag racing.  Her curvy figure, striking blonde hair, vivacious personality and down-home, soft Southern speech earned her thousands of instant fans wherever she traveled.

Linda’s rise to fame as an international celebrity has not been lost on her hometown of Dalton, Georgia, a small North Georgia hamlet known for its carpet manufacturing industry.  She has since become known as Dalton’s most famous citizen. Linda’s first “title role” came as Miss Atlanta Raceway 1961.  As Miss Atlanta Raceway Linda graced winner’s circles and parade laps at the legendary Hampton, Georgia track built by L.G. DeWitt and famed as NASCAR®’s next fastest track, second only to Daytona International Speedway.  It was at AIR that Linda first came to the attention of the fans, media and racing industry figures, winning their hearts with her beauty and wit.

General Motors’ Pontiac Division noticed the beautiful and personable Miss Vaughn during one of the events run at the Atlanta track and offered Linda the opportunity to advance her career.  She accepted and served as Miss Pontiac in 1962. What is now known as Unocal® and its 76® gasoline product was in those days known as Pure Oil, a brand name found mostly in the South and Midwest.  Executives of Pure Oil were involved from the earliest days of NASCAR, and their FireBird gasoline and oil were staples of its early races.  When Pure Oil’s brass saw the impact Linda made on the fans they signed her to become Miss Pure FireBird.  Linda carried that title and its duties from 1963 to 1966, representing Pure at nearly all the NASCAR races as well as many others. 

It was in 1966 that the late George Hurst, President of Hurst-Campbell, saw Linda and recognized the potential she carried as an icon for his then fledgling shifter company.  Not only was George Hurst a visionary manufacturing mogul, he was a marketing and promotional genius and he saw immense potential in the perky blonde Miss Vaughn.  Hurst lured Linda away from Pure Oil and Linda’s alter-ego, “Miss Hurst Golden Shifter” was born. 

During those years Linda averaged over 100 appearances per year, at race tracks, auto shows, dealerships and any possible event where Miss Hurst made an impression on the public.  And what an impression she made!  Clad in one of her numerous Hurst costumes, Linda wowed the fans and earned her status as the “First Lady” of all of motorsports.  Hurst’s promotions manager Jack Duffy made the arrangements and booked the appearances, and Linda delivered the charm whenever and wherever her presence was needed to make a positive impression on the fans.  She did gigs at NHRA, AHRA, and IHRA drag races, NASCAR, USAC and the Indy 500 as well as thousands of appearances at smaller tracks across the U.S., Canada and Europe. 

Linda’s travels have taken her far and wide, and she’s made many visits to U.S. military installations, bringing fond memories of the good ‘ol USA to thousands of homesick American troops.  Her image has graced scores of posters and promotional photo hand-out’s, and she starred in a multiple-page feature story that ran in Sports Illustrated Magazine.  She has even had roles in motion pictures, among them Stroker Ace, Burnout and Gumball Rally. 

During her lengthy career Linda has amassed a huge trophy case full of awards and honors.  Among those is a Lifetime Achievement Award from SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Marketer’s Association, and the leading trade association of the entire performance automotive industry.  She also received the Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, in Detroit, in 2005.  Linda can now add another accolade to her already impressive career with her induction into the 2006 East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame.

Make plans now to join Lovely Linda Vaughn in Henderson, North Carolina, October 20-22, 2006, for the fifth annual East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame & Reunion and its weekend-long festivities.  For more information call 1-866-438-4565 or check out this web site at.