Judy Lilly - Golden, CO Judy Lilly, and her eventual "boss wrench", Dennis Maurer, were the Queen and King of the NHRA Super Stocks at Colorado drag strips in the 1960's driving their Hemi-powered Plymouths. If Judy Lilly was in attendance in the Super/Stock pits at a Colorado drag strip, "SHE" was the favorite to win, since she rarely lost a race. Judy Lilly raced at local Colorado events, at NHRA Division-5 points meets, the CDR High Altitude Nationals, the Bandimere Mile High Nationals, and at NHRA National events around the country. Over the years, she was the Division-5 Super Stock champion many times, and also won numerous NHRA national events, including the Winternationals and Summernationals. I've no doubt ommitted lots of other accomplishments. In 2005, Judy Lilly was inducted into the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame. Very fitting. Now, let's have look at some of the cars that Judy Lilly drove over the years. Here we go.....

Photo from: Rodder & Super Stock Magazine 03/71, Photo by: u

Photo from Drag Racing Magazine 09/73, Photo by: unknown

Photo from 06-15-69 CDR Track Program, Photo by Lou Klamm

(ABOVE) An early photo of Judy & Lou Lilly's Corvette racing at CDR in the mid 1960's.

Photo from: Speed & Supercar Magazine 02/68, Photo by: unknown

(ABOVE & BELOW) Judy, who was a hairdresser by profession, began her racing career with her husband, Lo Lilly, in the 1960's by driving the 1961 (I think) fuelie Corvette pictured that raced in various NHRA Sports Car classes, such as the D/SPorts class shown here. She won her sports car class at the 1965 (E/SP) and 1966 (D/S NHRA Winternationals, and the (E/SP) in the 1966 NHRA Indy Nationals. Notice that Judy's Vette is rolling on Keystone Classic wheels in the above 1966 photograph, and on steel wheels in the below 1966 photograph. Ju Lilly's race cars rolled on Keystone wheels for years, and her HEMI Belvedere was even even in one of Keysto magazine advertisements in 1967...kinda kool at the time, since most Colorado drivers didn't get much nationa recognition at all. In the photo below-right, is Judy in her 'Vette at the 1966 NHRA Winternationals....sans the Keystone Mags, but still with the small front tires. Notice the Hurst shifter decal on the Vette's quarter panel..ol'George probably thru in a shifter to the project in exchange.

Photo from: Rod & Custom 05/66, Photo by: Darryl Norenberg

Photo from KEYSTONE Wheel Advertisement, SS&DI Magazine 10/68, Photo by unknown

(ABOVE) In 1967, Judy Lilly teamed with Dennis Maurer to field a light-yellow 1967 Plymouth Hemi-Belvedere c in NHRA Super/Stock (SS/B). By the way, the '67 Hemi Belvedere Coupe was unbelievably rare, since Plymouth made a couple of them. If you'll recall, Plymouth installed the Hemi engine mostly in the 2-door hardtop GTX b style and a few R023 factory race package Belvederes. The Lilly Belvedere was an odd car in that it was a 2-do sedan body style, and yet it seemed to have all of the equipment of the 1967 RO23 factory Hemi race-package including the hood scoop from the R023 package....look at the photo. I never did quite understand the pedigree this car. Why NHRA let the car race in this configuration in the SS/B class is also one of those unanswerable questions. NHRA always had a unique point-of-view on what constituted "stock" or "legal". But, make no mistake, watching Judy pound the gears in this 4-speed Mayflower was unforgettable. Wow, this lady made this car sound like it had an automatic in it...well, other than the explosive sound a crash-box tranny makes during a gear change! As an aside, the Belvedere was also memorable because it was sponsored at on point by Denver used car dealer, "Pappy Fry". Pappy advertised like crazy on top-40 radio station 95-KIMn, and always had a bunch of kool rides sitting on his south Broadway lot. This car won the 1967 CDR High Altitude Nationals Super/Stock Eliminator.

Photo from: Drag Racing Magazine 02/68, Photo by: Bill Sievers

NEWS FLASH!!!!!....... The current owner of Judy's old 1967 Belvedere (body only) emails to tell us that car is a 1967 HEMI Belvedere post-coupe, 4-speed...apparently, the only known such car built by Mother MoPa 1967. WOW, what a find! He also writes that upon recieving the body, it had the numbers matching tranny in th trunk, and a very poor gold paint-job. However, it was obvious the car was originally a light yellow with a tan interior. And, it still had the 1960's Keystone Classic wheels and vintage tires on it. He suspected the car was Judy's and began lightly sanding on the roof sail-panel. And, "Judy Lilly", in script lettering came through! Amazing! The car was originally built as a "RL21J7" car, with radio and heater delete, no body seam filler or undercoating, and a flat hood. Dennis Maurer, now living in Arizona, confirmed that HE installed the Super/Sto hood on the car in 1967. The current owner has found a correct engine for the car, but can't decide wheather to restore it to "as delivered" or "as raced" condition. What would YOU do with this car if you owned it? What a wonderful dilemma to have! Thanks for sharing the story with us, Jim. Good luck with your fabuous car!

Photo from: Rodder & Super Stock Magazine 01/69, Photo by: Gene & Jan Karst

(ABOVE) In 1968, Judy Lilly and Dennis Maurer really hit the Super/Stock big-time when the pair acquired one Chrysler's Hurst-built Hemi-Cuda's. This car had an automatic transmission. This photograph, taken at Contine Divide Raceway in the summer of 1968, shows the 1968 paint job, with the Denver Area Plymouth Dealers Association sponsorship. The SS/BA Cuda was dark blue (B5-blue, maybe), with white trim. Notice the Cuda is rolling on Keystone Classic wheels, which were really good looking, but had to "weigh a ton" by today's stand Notice that "PLYMOUTH" (Denver Plymouth Dealers Association) is prominently featured on the side of the ca while "Judy Lilly" is lettered very modestly on the rear quarter panel. Wonder how it got decided who got top b (a few $$$, ya think?). This car won the 1968 CDR High Altitude Nationals Super/Stock Eliminator.

Photo from: Rodder & Super Stock Magazine 03/69, Photo by: Gene & Jan Karst

(ABOVE) Judy Lilly at the 1968 NHRA World Finals in Tulsa.

Photo from: Hot Rod Magazine 04/70, Photo by: Bud Lang

(ABOVE) This is a photograph of Judy Lilly's Cuda that appeared in a April/1970 magazine article. This was the paint job, and might have been the early-1970 paint job, too. I just can't remember exactly. It seems like everyt saw this car, it was painted a bit differently. This paint-job was just a frosty metallic blue fogged over the top h the plain white (and then silvery) bottom half of the car. Sorta like a "fish" appearing paint-job. Looked pretty s for the times, and the Cuda ran like "jack the bear" ! If I recall correctly, this car had Judy's name lettered on th side in gold-leaf or silver-leaf. One of Judy's biggest assets as a driver, other than her quick reactions, was no doubt her light weight (100-lbs, maybe less). It was amazing to see this tiny woman getting out of this monster car loaded with Dennis Maurer-built HEMI horsepower. I still don't know how she was able to reach the pedals

Photo Courtesy of The Al Booton Collection, Photo by Al Booton

(ABOVE) Here is Judy Lilly's SS/BA Hemicuda in color, must be from 1969-ish. Ms. Lilly is walking by the car in front.

Photo from: Hi-Performance Cars 02/71, Photo by: Jeff Tinsley

(ABOVE & BELOW) This is a photograph of Judy Lilly's Cuda that appeared in a February/1971 magazine artic This was the late-1970 paint job, and was almost certainly the 1971 paint job. Fabulous paintwork, it was fogge misty-blue and purple, over a pearl silver base, and then psychadelically striped. Really classy, must've cost a fortune in 1970-ish dollars, and taken a long time to paint. Anyway, Judy Lilly is pictured here, "dressed-to-thenines", beside her "evil, wicked, mean, and nasty" running Cuda. I don't recognize where this photograph mig have been taken, but it's presumably somewhere in the western Denver suburbs. Notice Judy's name has gott bigger on the side of the car, while the "Plymouth" letttering has gotten smaller. The tail panel reads "And on t 7th day, God created the Hemi". True. So very, very true.

Photo from: Hi-Performance Cars 02/71, Photo by: Jeff Tinsley

Photo from 8/16/70 CDR Track Program, Photo by Don Nordstrom

(LEFT) This is Judy Lilly racing at Continental Divid Raceway in 1970. Notice the (above) paint job.

Photo from: Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 05/72, Photo by: Don Varian

(ABOVE) This is the 1972 version of the Judy Lilly Cuda in the nationally famous "flower paint job", which feat a giant lilly (what else?) artworked down the side of the blue and white painted Bakkaruda. The Cuda is shown racing at the 1972 NHRA Winternationals...which she won. The car carried this paintwork for the 1972 racing season. Judy Lilly seemed to have the quickest reaction time of about any driver I ever saw drag race. No kidd just amazing! This MoPar would just "flat get after it", and I rarely ever saw Judy Lilly lose a Super/Stock elimi drag race. In the early-days of NHRA Pro/Stock racing, Judy Lilly would show-up at local Colorado match race spank the field with her automatic Super/Stocker....quite an acomplishment. Notice the Keystone Classic whee

have been replaced at this point by Cragar Centerline spun aluminum racing wheels. Not as pretty. But, no dou much, much lighter. I wonder if these wheels made any "real" performance difference?

Photo from: Speed & Supercar Magazine 02/73, Photo by: unknown

(ABOVE) This is a photograph of Judy Lilly's Cuda that appeared in a February/1973 magazine article. This car carried the "MISS MIGHTY MoPAR" livery for the 1973 racing season. In the previous 1972 racing season, Judy began to get a national reputation with the wicked "flower" Bakkaruda, after winning a number of NHRA nation events. And, as a result, she eventually received factory sponsorship in the form of the "MISS MIGHT MoPAR" Judy got so nationally prominent in this timeframe that there was even a MPC 1/25th scale model car made of Cuda....kind of a collectors item today, and fairly pricey to acquire. Notice how much larger the tires had gotten Judy's Cuda over the course of 4 or 5 years compared to the first year she ran the car in 1968. This was the las paintjob of Judy Lilly's Cuda. Lilly/Maurer parked or sold this car in about 1974-ish. By the way, does anyone o there know what ever happened to Judy Lilly's 1968 HemiCuda? If so, please e-mail with the details. Let's hope safe and sound in somebody's car collection. Probably been thrashed into an unrecognizable condition by now even exists in one piece. One can only hope.

Photo from Car Craft Magazine 05/73, Photo by Bob McClurg

(ABOVE) This is Judy Lilly at the 1973 NHRA Winternationals, where she lost in the S/S finals.

Photo from Super Stock & Drag Illustrated Magazine 01/75, Photo by Neil Britt

(ABOVE) In about 1974-ish, Judy Lilly and Dennis Maurer parked the 1968 Hurst Hemi-Cuda, much to the disappointment of all of their fans I might add, and began racing a 1974 NHRA SS/LA or SS/MA (not sure what difference was) 1974 Plymouth 360-Wedge Duster. Wonder what the "51" means on the side glass? Yeah, right wonder if this car, or the Cuda, won the number? Anyway, presumably, Chrysler wanted the pair to be racing a more current body style if they were going to carry the factory sponsorship. Just a guess. It was odd seeing J Lilly get a "headstart" on Super/Stock competitors, instead of chasing them down in her 'Cuda. No surprise, though, Judy continued to have national success in the Super Stock eliminator with the new car. The Duster continued to fly the "MISS MIGHTY MoPAR" sponsorship.

Photo from: Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 12/75, Photo by Neil Britt

(ABOVE) This photograph was from December/1975 magazine article, and the car carried this paint-scheme in and 1975. Judy Lilly won the 1975 NHRA Gatornationals and the 1975 NHRA Fallnationals with this car.

Photo from: Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 07/76 Photo by: Neil Britt

(ABOVE) This is the 1976 paint-job version of the Judy Lilly Duster. Notice that the Duster now had "JUDY" prominently lettered down the side, with a "reduced size" "MISS MIGHTY MoPAR" relocated to the rear quartepanel. I always wondered if this was a sign that the relationship with Chrysler was, shall we say, "goin' thru so changes". Dunno. As far as I've been able to determine, the Duster wasn't a special "factory tweeked" car like Hurst-built '68 Cuda. Although, would anyone really be surprised to find out that the little Duster's body spent time in an acid dipping tank at one point? The engine/body combo apparently just happened to hit an NHRA cl break just right. However, to be honest with ya, even though Judy Lilly was still successful with the car, it just wasn't the same as watching her drive a storming Hemi-powered MoPar. I suspect that the MoPar folks wanted

factory drivers to be racing one of the products they had available on the showroom floor. However, I got the impression from reading interviews that Judy gave that she wasn't too happy about driving a slower-car...who would be?

Photo from: Car Craft 05/76, Photo by: Jon Asher

Photo from Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 05/78, Photograph by "J K" Kelly & Jim Joyce

(ABOVE) This is Judy Lilly "showin' a little daylight" under the front tires on the starting line during the debut new "JUDY" Volare Roadrunner SS/LA Super/Stocker at the 1978 NHRA Winternationals. Smile, kid, ya never l better! This "may" have been the only Volare on the planet worthy of respect.

Photo from Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 12/78, Photograph by Jim Kelly

(ABOVE) Here is Judy Lilly, uh, lets just say "vigorously preparing" the rear racing tires for an upcoming spee contest, at the 1978 NHRA Indy Nat's. Betcha never thought a Volare could do this. Judy's could!

Photo from: Popular Hot Rodding Magazine 02/79, Photo by: Mike Parris

(ABOVE & BELOW) In 1978, the last sponsored-car that Judy Lilly drove was a 1977 Plymouth Volare (Roadrun again powered by a 360-wedge engine. This car ran in the NHRA SS/LA class...her slowest car to-date. Notice t MISS MIGHTY MoPAR sponsorship was still on the car at the time these photographs were taken in 1979. By 1

ish, Judy Lilly was still drag racing NHRA Super/Stocks. But, you could just tell the end was near. NHRA re-fac the 360 Volare up into a tough-class. And, Dennis Maurer was racing his own B/SM Plymouth Duster to Divisio wins and didn't seem to be at the strip with Judy's Volare lotsa times. I did see Judy Lilly driving an unlettered Plymouth A-990 Hemi SS/CA one day at a NHRA points meet at Bandimere Speedway in this time-period for re that were never fully understood. Perhaps, the two had sold the Volare by then, or were trying to get some extr points with a new car (???). Dunno. But, apparently, the NHRA Super/Stock "thing" was apparently just about for the two Colorado Drag Racing Legends.

Photo from: Popular Hot Rodding Magazine 02/79, Photo by: Mike Parris

Mike Spenner snapped this photograph Judy's SS/LA Volare parked in the stagin lanes at Bandimere Speedway at an NHR Division-V points meet in 1979 or 1980. Wonder if the reason Judy is sitting on t left fender is to keep the super-light "dip front end of the Volare from blowing awa case a gust of wind should flash-up? Jus kidding. Then again, maybe not! Notice Judy's Volare has the Roadrunner spoile package and quarter-window slats instal Maybe the car was required to carry all o these add-on's in order for the Volare to the SS/LA class, or perhaps MoPar want them installed. Notice the upper-level pa lot at Bandimere Speedway in this era, w became the pits when the track was completely reconfigured in the 1990's. T a kool photo of the "first lady" of Colorad

Super/Stock racing having a casual moment at the race track, probably before winning the Super/Stock elimin

Photo Used With Permission © 1979 Mike Spenner, AutoGraph Productions

Thanks, Mike!

Photo Used With Permission © 1982 Mike Spenner, AutoGraph Productions

(ABOVE) Mike Spenner snapped this fabulous photograph of Judy's last race car, a HEMI-powered Plymouth Horizon PRO/Stocker. Not sure who owned car. Mike took this photograph at Bandimere Speedway in 1982 or Notice the complete lack of sponsorship on the car, only Judy's name is lettered "very modestly" on the side window. This was a first-class and pretty race car, and was probably the "fastest-ride" Judy Lilly ever drove. B their infinite wisdom, NHRA was in the process of factoring the Chrysler-HEMI engine completely out of PRO/S racing in this era. So, even with the tuning expertise of Dennis Maurer, Judy's Horizon just couldn't seem to ru with National PRO/Stock competition. It was an odd, odd sight for Colorado racing fans to witness Judy Lilly n dominate her class. Even though it is fun to see a photo of this car again. It is also somewhat bittersweet, too, because this was the last car we saw Judy Lilly race. And, more often than not, it failed to qualify for big meets actually "lost" match-races. Thanks for sharing the photograph with us, Mike. Beautiful photo.

Photo from Super Stock & Drag Illustrated 05/84, Photo by Tim Marshall

(ABOVE) This is Judy Lilly "pullin' the Lenco Handles" in the MUSSO RACING Dodge Omni Charger at the 198 AHRA Winternationals. Notice the "508" number on the car. Again, not sure who owned car. Mike Musso, perh Shortly after this, in the early-to-mid 1980's, Judy Lilly retired from driving. Apparently, Judy wanted to devote time to her hobby of raising horses. Too bad. We certainly wish her well. The last time I heard, Dennis Maurer w building engines down in the Phoenix area, Mesa, I think....no doubt, still making lots of horsepower with the "greatest of ease". Anyway, Judy and Dennis, thanks for the great memories of your hard running MoPars. We never forgot you k

Photo Courtesy of The Patrick Glenn Collection, Photo by Patrick Glenn

(ABOVE) Patrick Glenn took this photograph at Bandimere Speedway, during the recently held 2005 NHRA Mil High Nationals. Here, legendary Colorado drag racer, Judy Lilly, is being inducted into the Colorado Motorspo Hall of Fame. Judy Lilly couldn't be more deserving of this honor. Presenting the award to Judy, is C-M-H-O-F President, Jerry Van Dyke. http://web.archive.org/web/20051103041656/www.coloradoracingmemories.com/crm_lilly_judy/crmlilly.htm