SPECIAL TO THE PVT Vera Murphy was one of the female pioneers at Pahrump Valley Speedway. Advertisement

Before NASCAR instituted its "driver-diversity program," racing was predominantly a males-only sport. Not long ago, women were actually prohibited from entering the pits and were relegated to the status of "trophy girls" or ran in novelty races called "powder puffs." Several females broke through that barrier in the late 1940s, most prominent among them Sara Christian, Louise Smith and Ethel Mobley. Christian remains the only woman to capture a top-five finish in NASCAR's premiere series. NASCAR founder Bill France used Smith's lead foot as a gimmick to attract race fans to the Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. Mobley was the youngest daughter of one of NASCAR's founding families, the Flocks. Ethel, Bob, Fonty and Tim Flock became the first four siblings to compete against each other in a NASCAR race, the 1949 Daytona race.

Janet Guthrie is credited with being a "modern day pioneer" for women to compete against their male counterparts. Guthrie competed in the Indy 500, as well as NASCAR's Winston Cup series. Often overlooked, Lynn St. James also ran in the Indy 500 but never ventured into the Cup series. Erin Crocker, Deborah Renshaw, and Kelly Sutton are well on their way to writing another chapter to NASCAR's colorful history.

Pahrump Valley Speedway had its own "pioneer," and when I contacted her she said, "Nobody wants to read about an old lady like me, and I don't want to use up newspaper space." I assured her that there are many race fans that would find this step back into history quite refreshing, and that one of her dear friends, J.M. Nixon, thought enough of her racing exploits to contact me about writing an article about her.

This pioneer is Vera Murphy, and she competed in only one race at the local track, but it turned out to be a memorable one. Vera's brother, Ray Wulfenstein, invited the Craig Road racetrack regulars to come on out to Pahrump Oct. 26, 1986. Vera got out of Vegas late and missed any opportunity to get some laps under her belt before the race.

The then Bob Ruud Memorial Speedway still hadn't taken steps to allow female racers to compete against their male counterparts, so Murphy competed in the Novice 1 class (a powder puff race). She had to start at the back of a 15-20 car field because she arrived late. It took Vera until the white flag lap to work her way to the front, passing "a lady from Pahrump who won every race held here in Pahrump. I just passed everybody and when I saw that white flag, I knew I had to pass that lady ahead of me."

Vera held on for the victory and was awarded a trophy, which she proudly displayed. She was also proud of the fact that she "never wrecked her car."

Murphy, mother of local contractor Ron Murphy, also has trophies from her races at the old Craig Road facility (trophy dash wins in the B Division), including "Best Appearing Car" in 1973 with her 1960 Ford Starliner.

That track was the first track in the state of Nevada to officially sanction competition between men and women. At the time, Vera was operating an assisted living facility and raced on weekends. When asked if her parents were involved in racing, she said, "No," but her brother Ray and Elroy raced. Elroy competed in various off-road races and captured several trophies competing in a jeep.

Murphy had three other siblings, Beulah, Wilfred, and Leon, but they weren't involved in any type of motor sports.

Health concerns have interfered with her ability to see her nephew's son, "Flyin' Bryan" Wulfenstein, race. Nixon had concluded his note to me with the following observation: "She is a very wonderful person and a real competitor."

While her need for speed has waned over the years, Vera is content to satisfy her competitive nature against the wily trout that inhabit the streams and lakes of Idaho. She is an avid angler and before I left proudly showed me a picture documenting her fishing prowess. When she's not tending to a rottweiler, a chihuahua and her three cats, that are a source of back talk and constant entertainment, she speculates in the real estate market.

Her racing exploits take a back seat when she discusses the Murphy clan, which consists of 14 families, adding up to a bunch of trophies of another kind grandchildren and great-grandchildren and there might have been some great-great-grandchildren in that family picture.

Part two of this "Roots of Racing series" will focus on Murphy's brother and local entrepreneur, Ray Wulfenstein.

Murphy attended the race on Saturday evening, the first time she has seen "Flyin' Bryan" compete. Vera's eyes lit up when the Bombers appeared on the track, and I saw her perusing the parking lot for a car she could enter in the class.