Faith, $80K Cash and SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY in the Don Garlits Museum Story

October 30, 2026

• SHIRLEY MULDOWNEY looms large in this story — Garlits was rattled hearing the name “Shirley” because MULDOWNEY had just beaten him at an AHRA World Championship event before he called about the land.
• PAT GARLITS was the financial architect of the museum project, setting the strict $80,000 cash-only budget and immediately visualizing the museum layout the moment she saw the Belleview property.
• PAT GARLITS co-led the prayerful decision-making in that Brooksville hotel room — her partnership with Don was central to every step that led to the museum’s founding.
• The unnamed “gruff” property owner, Shirley, priced her land at exactly $80,000 cash — the precise figure PAT GARLITS had calculated they could spend without touching the racing account.

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