Beau Bridges replaced Charles Haid in the role of Connie Kalitta. He had filmed for several days but was allegedly fired for being difficult.
A sports biopic about woman drag car racer Shirley Muldowney, who also served as a creative consultant to the production, once said she had mixed feelings about the film itself. She commented in an interview with 'Hot Rod' magazine: "No, the movie did not capture my life very well at all, but more importantly, I thought the movie was very, very good for the sport."
Actresses Candy Clark, Kathryn Harrold, Susan Lucci and Jamie Lee Curtis were all considered for the lead female role of Shirley Muldowney which in the end was cast with actress Bonnie Bedelia.
Shirley Muldowney's personal choice to play was Jamie Lee Curtis but the part eventually went to Bonnie Bedelia. Muldowney has ''never been shy about expressing her dislike for Bedelia'' according to an article published in 'Sports Illustrated' on 7th July 2005. Muldowney said: "[Bedelia] was a snot. When she was promoting the movie on TV shows, she would tell interviewers she didn't even like racing. She got out of a race car like she was getting up from the dinner table."
Shirley Muldowney was the first woman drag race driver to win the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championship title in 1977 and she then regained the title in 1980.
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