Drag Racing Icon Carol “Bunny” Burkett Passes Away

via NHRA

Female Drag Racing legend Carol “Bunny” Burkett, passed away over the weekend due to natural causes; she was 74 years old.

Burkett, who was once a hostess at the Playboy club in Baltimore, hence the nickname, began racing in the ’60’s with her brand new ’64-1/2 Mustang. She later upgraded to a ’67 that she raced in the Sportsman ranks. In the early ’70s, Burkett kept it Ford with her Lil Cotton Bunny Pinto racing in Pro Stock and eventually Top Alcohol towards the late 70s.

Her outgoing persona along with her entertaining reading style led her to be a fan favorite at almost every race. One of her biggest wins was her Top Alcohol Funny Car victory at the NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Dragway in 1986, which at that time, made her the first and only woman ever to win a NHRA national event Funny Car title, an accomplishment that stood for two decades.

Burkett won many awards for her 55 years of drag racing competition and was most recently named as a Lifetime Achievement recipient for the 2020 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion, where she will be honored posthumously.

 

 

 

 

 

8 Comments on Drag Racing Icon Carol “Bunny” Burkett Passes Away

  1. A Great Lady who accomplished everything that she wished for in our sport has left her mark. R.I.P. May God Bless her.

  2. I spoke to her at length last year in the pits at MIR. What a life and career! Started off as a young girl racing her street car and went on to become a funny car driver. As of last year (2019), she was in a wheel chair, but supporting her children in the sport and as spicy as ever. RIP Mrs. Hot Rod.

    See her Dodge Daytona funny car any time you want at MIR – it’s on top of their food stand!

  3. She was truly an icon and loved by all,I had the pleasure of meeting her in the pits at Md. International years ago and she was a pleasure to talk to and always took the time to talk with all.
    GODSPEED BUNNY!!
    See you on the other side!!

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