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NHRA Awards Banquet 2019

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Drivers and crew of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series gathered to celebrate their 2019 season ending at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. Drivers traded their fire suits for formal attire for the NHRA Awards Banquet 2019 event. Check out these photos from the Mello Yello carpet!

Erica Enders – Pro Stock

Erica Enders at the 2019 NHRA Banquet with sister Courtney.

Erica Enders (on right) took home the 2019 Pro Stock World Championship, making her a “thrEEtime” champion.

Leah Pritchett – Top Fuel

Leah Pritchett (right) finished the season in the fourth position in points for Top Fuel.

Angie Smith – Pro Stock Motorcycle

Angie Smith and her Elite Motorsports Denso Auto Parts EBR finished the Pro Stock Motorcycle 2019 season eighth in points.

Angelle Sampey – Pro Stock Motorcycle

Angelle Sampey finished the season seventh in points for Pro Stock Motorcycle on her Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

Karen Stoffer – Pro Stock Motorcycle

Karen Stoffer finished the 2019 Pro Stock Motorcycle season fourth in her White Alligator Racing Suzuki.

Megan Meyer – Top Alcohol Dragster

Megan Meyer celebrated winning the 2019 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster championship.

Erica Enders wins Pro Stock World Championship

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The stakes were high coming into the closing race of the NHRA season. It was down to the wire for Pro Stock driver, Erica Enders, battling to claim her third NHRA Pro Stock World Championship.

Gossip and drama in Qualifying

The suspense and drama began in qualifying. Enders, who has claimed three No. 1 qualifying spots in the countdown, and has qualified second at the last two races, would again earn the No. 2 position entering eliminations.

That’s where things get complicated. In what many viewed as a calculated move, rival Greg Anderson strategically placed himself at the bottom of the qualifying ladder in the No. 15 position, in hopes to send Enders home first round and give his Summit Racing teammates a chance at the Championship.

Not at all intimidated, Enders spoke at the top end following qualifying that she and Anderson have a long history of controversial encounters.

“That guy has hated losing to a girl since the day I first set foot out here and I plan to keep it that way,”

Erica Enders, via NHRA.com

Critical Round wins in Eliminations

Everyone was talking about the epic first round match up of the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

The tension could be felt throughout the crowd as the two foes pulled to the starting line. Both had previously won in Pomona, Enders in 2014 and Anderson six times previously.

They left the line with nearly identical reaction times – Erica with a 0.017 and Anderson a 0.016. Both thundered down the track side-by-side, but Enders would come up with the win light by a mere 16 inches.

In a career-defining round win, Erica defeated Greg Anderson with a 6.570 ET at 210.41 mph, to his losing 6.575 at 210.31 mph. The crowd and her team on the starting line went wild in celebration.

“It was the race of the year for me, so I couldn’t be more proud. I found it bit interesting (the qualifying games), but it is what it is. I’ve said it before that I would rather race someone like him first round. We went out there and they gave us all they had, and today it ended in our favor. It was a great drag race.”

Erica Enders

Securing the championship

With that monumental win behind her, she just had one more round win to clinch a third championship: the quarterfinal match up against Chris McGaha. McGaha is another rival of Enders, with an equally colorful history of past encounters as well.

But Enders got the last laugh, as she proved deadly on the tree enroute to a holeshot win. Her reaction time of 0.019 over McGaha’s 0.050 was enough to keep her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in front with a 6.597 at 209.69 mph to a losing 6.593 at 210.08 mph.

“Going against Chris in the second round, it’s two of my favorite guys to beat in the same day (in Anderson and McGaha), so I was just thrilled for our entire organization. What an honor.”

Erica Enders

After turning on the win light that made the championship official, Enders coasted around and lingered inside the car gathering herself for the ensuing celebration.

“This one means a lot because of the valleys we’ve been through. It was a challenge for us and I’m thrilled. It’s just an awesome feeling to be back on top, and it’s the reason why you never give up.”

Erica Enders

“Today ended up being a great day with us locking up our third championship and my teammate, Jeg Coughlin, winning the race and solidifying the second position. For everyone at Elite Motorsports to take home the top two positions in NHRA Pro Stock, it’s a huge thrill for us. We take a lot of pride in what we do and it paid off this year. I’m just really proud.”

Erica Enders “thrEEtime” Pro Stock Champion

It’s been the perfect storm of a championship chase for the Elite team led by crew chiefs Rick Jones and Mark Ingersoll. They entered the chase in fifth place, and really turned it up during the Countdown . Hoisting the championship cup was the culmination of all that immense amount of work. Enders becomes the lowest-seeded driver to win a championship in Pro Stock history.

Enders proved she is fire under pressure, winning St. Louis and Las Vegas during the playoffs, qualifying at the top of the field throughout and putting together a string of consistent performances.

The 2019 championship marks her third career NHRA Pro Stock title. She’s already adopted the new hashtag “thrEEtime champ” – a play on her initials. She previously won championships in 2014 and 2015. Enders joins Angelle Sampey and Shirley Muldowney as the only females in NHRA history to win three world titles.

She ends the year with her two countdown wins and five final round appearances, a total of 25 career victories. The Vegas win was the 150th overall wins for females in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series history – and 51 final round appearances.

“To give your whole life to something, it’s been a really long road and it hasn’t been easy at all,” Enders said. “You persevere and you just never give up.

Erica Enders

Brittany Force earns Vegas win

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NHRA driver Brittany Force and her Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster team came home with the jackpot at the Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Record Setting Qualifying

Her winning weekend began in qualifying Friday night, when Force and her Advance Auto Parts team set the Top Fuel national speed record after running 338.17 mph in the second session. She now owns both ends (ET and MPH) of the national record in Top Fuel.

Force’s Friday qualifying pass reset the Vegas track record for ET at 3.659, positioning her as the provisional No. 1 position. She also earned bonus qualifying points as the quickest ET of session Q2, and 2nd quickest in sessions Q1 & Q4.

However, her provisional pole would not stand, as Leah Pritchett would reset the track record again in the final session, just five-thousandths of a second quicker with a 3.654. Brittany Force would enter eliminations in the No. 2 position.

Winning Vegas Eliminations

Beginning eliminations, Brittany Force opened race day with a commanding win against Pat Dakin, who lost traction early for only a 7.786-second pass against Force’s 3.689-second pass at 333.16 mph.

This would pair her against No. 10 qualified teammate Austin Prock for Round 2 eliminations. He held a 3-0 record against her in prior meetings. Prock would take the advantage at the starting line, but Force would reel him back in with a 3.709-second pass at 330.72 mph to his 3.732 at 331.69. The race was a close one, with the margin of victory at the finish just 13 inches or 0.0022 seconds.

The semifinals would prove to be the most pivotal overall in championship standings. All of the top 4 contenders remained – so the outcome of the semi final match ups would have big point implications. Brittany would watch Doug Kalitta, who sat ahead of her in the No. 2 points position, fall to the current points leader Steve Torrence.

She would then take lane choice against Steve’s dad Billy Torrence, the No. 4 in points. Brittany knew that a loss here could allow the father and son pair to take the top points positions entering the final race of the countdown.

With the pressure on, Force needed the Vegas win to move her ahead in the standings. Leaving the tree first, she stayed out front to beat Billy Torrence on a holeshot thanks to her .063-second reaction time on the tree and a 3.714-second pass at 329.99 mph. Torrence would run 3.710 at 332.10 with a .087 reaction time.

This meant Brittany was facing off with the reigning world champion and points leader, Steve Torrence, in the final round. Force and the Advance Auto Parts team would reclaim the Vegas track ET record, laying down the quickest pass of the event at 3.652-seconds, 334.73 mph to defeat Torrence’s 3.719 at 330.63.

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase Auto Imagery

“Las Vegas is a home track for me. I grew up out here racing super comp and A-fuel. I’ve always wanted to win here. This weekend has just been incredible for this Advance Auto Parts team. We have the record with mph, a 338. It’s incredible to hold that with the Advance Auto Parts boys. And we set the ET this year too. We’ve accomplished a lot but really what we’re going after is a championship together.”

Brittany Force

The win would mark the 10th career victory for Brittany Force, her first at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (she finished as runner up in 2017) and the second victory of the season.

Valuable Points win in Vegas

Winning Vegas moves the Advance Auto Parts team up to the No. 2 spot in the Mello Yello points standings. With just one race remaining in the countdown, Force trails leader Steve Torrence by just sixteen points.

“It’s a Vegas win, it’s a win in the Countdown which is huge and it moved this Advance Auto Parts team that much closer to the No. 1 spot so, this is a big win for our team. Like I said, it’s been since Houston since we’ve won so we’ve been out of the game for a little while but we’re turning a corner at the right time,” Force said. “We have Vegas and then we go right to Pomona. There’s one left and our minds are in the right place now.”

Brittany Force

Female Double up Win in Vegas

Brittany shared the podium this weekend with Pro Stock’s Erica Enders as well. Just moments before Force crossed the finish line, Enders took the Pro Stock win in Vegas, making her the 150th female win in the history of the sport. Brittany Force’s Vegas win made the 151st win for women in the NHRA.

“I always cheer the ladies on. There’s only a few of us out here and you know, Erica Enders, what she’s done for this sport, with two championships, I’ve always looked up to her. She’s incredible. She started in Jr. Dragsters. I remember watching her movie when it came out on Disney. Courtney and I would watch that thing over and over to get us pumped up before we’d go race in Super Comp, so to share the winner’s circle with her this weekend is pretty awesome. She’s a great friend, she’s an incredible driver and pretty cool that we did 150 and 151 today.”

Brittany Force

Melling Performance joins Erica Enders

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melling performance Melling Performance, a longtime associate sponsor of Elite Motorsports and two-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, signed on to become title sponsor of the 22-time national event winner for five national events, beginning with the 20th annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago and continuing through the 63rd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indy.

Everyone at Melling Performance is excited about our association with Erica and Elite Motorsports,” Melling Performance CEO Mark Melling said. “After being at the races, I thought it would be great to see the Melling Performance Decal on the doors of Erica’s RED #9 racecar. It reminds me of the Bill Elliott days in NASCAR.   Melling has been launching a ton of new performance engine parts, and we are pumped to see our logo on the side of her RED Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro!”

The Melling Performance brand and logo will adorn the doors of Erica Enders’ racecar at the upcoming NHRA national events in Chicago, Denver, Sonoma, Seattle and Indianapolis.

“Looking over the landscape of Pro Stock, it’s really quite an accomplishment to bring a company the size and caliber of Melling into a title sponsorship role,” team owner Richard Freeman said. “It reflects well on the entire class, the NHRA and our friends at FOX as well. Exposure for our sport and more importantly our sponsors is growing and that’s important to the long-term economic vitality of our race team.”

melling performance

Enders has established herself as one of the top female racers in history.  Only Erica Enders, Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey have won world championships in any of the top forms of motorsports and her two championships, 22 national event wins, 18 No. 1 qualifiers and admirable 242-161 race day record mark her career in elite company.

I’m so excited to have Melling Performance step up like this,” Enders said. “We recently toured their facility and I was completely blown away. They aren’t state-of-the-art, they are way beyond that. It is like something out of the future. I was so impressed with everything they showed us.  We’ve become friends with everyone at Melling and they have definitely become part of the Elite family over the past few years. I can’t wait to drive this Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro into the winner’s circle this weekend.”

Melling Performance is a leading manufacturer of oil pumps and other power train components. Serving the global automotive original equipment and aftermarket industries, Melling is noted for its strong engineering, product development and distribution capabilities. Melling Performance operates 10 facilities in North America.

Female Professional of the Year 2016

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The Female Professional of the Year 2016 category was the most hotly contested race in this year’s award program.   The category received 34 nominations and 209 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.      This year, two automotive industry professionals battled it out for the top spot, and a late rally determined your Professional of the Year for 2016.

Professional of the Year 2016 – Courtney Lambert

Courtney LambertHorsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the Female Professional of the Year 2016 – motorcycle industry staple, Courtney Lambert!

An always smiling, familiar face in the motorcycle industry, Courtney Lambert stays entrenched in all things two-wheels.   Whether you find her traveling the roads avoiding mayhem with Allstate, behind the counter at Kory Souza Originals, or over the airwaves on her very own radio show, she knows only one pace in life, Wide Open.   Her busy schedule takes her across the country, to bike weeks and rallies as a Allstate Insurance spokesperson doing stage shows and emceeing national events.   

Courtney began hosting her own talk radio show about motorcycles called Wide Open Radio in 2010, and regularly features motorcycle industry talent and icons to the show.     Courtney also manages the frontend of Kory Souza Originals, taking care of all the phone calls, billing, foot traffic, marketing, events, product releases and some of the sales for her other half – custom builder, Kory Souza.   

Professional of the Year 2016 Runner Up –  Jessica Kennedy

Shotgun Shocks Go-To Girl, Jessica Kennedy, is your Professional of the Year 2016 Runner-up for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.

Professional of the Year 2016 Nominees

  • 2016 Horsepower & Heels Women of the YearErica Enders
  • Janette Thornley
  • Sarah Burgess
  • Leah Pritchett
  • Heather Carter
  • Elaine Larsen
  • Courtney Force
  • Kayli Barker
  • Alexis DeJoria
  • Shannon Giust
  • Alex Rogeo
  • Terri Chandler
  • Dina Parise
  • Sarah Edwards
  • Angelle Sampey
  • Melanie Salemi
  • Sara Price
  • Danica Patrick
  • Ellen Eschenbacher
  • Mia Tedesco
  • Lizzy Musi
  • Christy Miller
  • Megan Meyer
  • Valerie Clemens
  • Aileen Collins-Love
  • Elisa Coon
  • Cheryl Hyrn
  • Ashley Force-Hood
  • Annie Whiteley
  • Brittany Force
  • Annette Bauer

Most Influential Woman of the Year 2016

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The Most Influential Woman of the Year 2016 category received 28 nominations and 85 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.    These are women who not only excel in their fields, but also serve as ambassadors and help encourage and influence women in automotive and motorsports.   This was one of the tightest races in the history of the awards, and at the end, it was a deadlocked decision.

Shirley MuldowneyMost Influential Woman of the Year 2016 – Shirley Muldowney/Erica Enders

Erica Enders-Stevens hoists WallyA dead even finish resulted in the first two-way tie for the Most Influential Woman of the Year 2016 category winner.   Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the 2016 Women of the Year Most Influential category winners – Shirley Muldowney and Erica Enders!

Both of these NHRA Drag Racing ladies have made considerable contributions to the sport.   Shirley Muldowney was one of the ground breaking women that helped to usher in female participation to the sport, winning countless races and championships in her time at the highest level of Top Fuel.      Erica Enders is the modern day champion, a two-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion, and one of the most prolific winning women in racing today.  

Courtney Lambert and Kory SouzaMost Influential Woman of the Year 2016 Runner Up –  Jessica Kennedy/Courtney Lambert

Jessica KennedyWhere the women of drag racing dead-locked for the top spot, the women of the motorcycle world tied up the runner-up position.    Shotgun Shock owner and go-to gal Jessica Kennedy, and Kory Souza Originals and Allstate Motorcycle spokesperson Courtney Lambert tied for the 2016 Horsepower & Heels Most Influential Woman of the Year 2016 Runner Up positions.

2016 Horsepower & Heels Women of the YearMost Influential Woman of the Year 2016 Nominees

  • Kayli Barker
  • Elaine Larsen
  • Janette Thornley
  • Cheryl Hryn
  • Terri Chandler
  • Sarah Burgess
  • Leah Pritchett
  • Courtney Force
  • Sarah Boyce
  • Alexis DeJoria
  • Kate Gundlach
  • Brittany Force
  • Shannon Giust
  • Aileen Collins-Love
  • Annamarie Strawhand
  • Sara Price
  • Marina Anderson
  • Megan Meyer
  • Ellen Eschenbacher
  • Karen Sullivan
  • Susan Roush
  • Ariel Biggs

Female Racer of the Year 2016

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Female Racer of the Year category received 41 nominations and 112 votes for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.    This category had an early front-runner, with a few solid challengers through out, but was able to hold strong until the close.

 

Female Racer of the Year 2016 – Janette Thornley

Horsepower & Heels is proud to announce the winner of the Female Racer of the Year 2016 category – Harley Pro Fuel racer, Janette Thornley. janette thornley

Last year, she finished in the runner up position, but this year, her fans shot her up to the number one spot.   Congratulations to Janette! 

Female Racer of the Year 2016 Runner Up –  Aileen Collins-Love

Sprint Car racer Aileen Collins-Love was your Female Racer of the Year 2016 Runner-Up for the Horsepower & Heels Women of the Year Awards.  

Female Racer of the Year 2016 Nominees

  • 2016 Horsepower & Heels Women of the YearErica Enders
  • Melanie Salemi
  • Kayli Barker
  • Heather Carter
  • Leah Pritchett
  • Elaine Larsen
  • Nina Gusler
  • Lilian Cacioppo
  • Shannon Giust
  • Alexis DeJoria
  • Cheryl Hryn
  • Angelle Sampey
  • Jessi Combs
  • Jackie Fricke
  • Pippa Mann
  • Courtney Force
  • Amber Balcaen
  • Sarah Burgess
  • Vonnie Mills
  • Donna Gerstel
  • Jody Perewitz
  • Shanna Snyder
  • Michelle Furr
  • Mia Tedesco
  • Sarah Edwards
  • McKenna Haase
  • Brittany Force
  • Danica Patrick
  • Journee Richardson
  • Afton Swanson
  • Sondra Leslie
  • Sarah Boyce
  • Yvonne Lucas
  • Lexi Fruggiero
  • Laura Landry
  • Megan Meyer
  • Lilian Cacioppo
  • Mali Greenfield

 

 

 

Holeshot win for Erica Enders in Seattle

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Holeshot win for Erica Enders in SeattleWhen the pressure is on, champions rise to the occasion.  A key holeshot win for Erica Enders in Seattle this weekend helped push the reigning NHRA Pro Stock World Champion into Countdown contention.

When Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team needed to have a good performance in the opening round of the 29th annual Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at Pacific Raceways, they got the job done.

Enders ripped off a .009-second reaction time against Alex Laughlin, winning a crucial round despite a slower elapsed time. And in beating Laughlin, who came into the race 10th in the points standings, Enders took over 10th, the final spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
“I said in my interview at the top end that it reminded me of the U.S. Nationals last year, racing Greg Anderson in the semifinals, where the winner of that round got to go into the Countdown in the No. 1 position,” Enders said. “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Under pressure, we are awesome together.”
Enders’ pass was 6.581 seconds at 209.39 mph, but her .048-second advantage on the starting line was enough to hold off Laughlin’s 6.569 at 210.90 mph.
 “My guys gave me a good race car,” Enders said. “It wasn’t a great run. We feel like we could have definitely gone a .56 out there first round, and it was important to put a little bit of a spread on Alex. It’s not a big spread, but we will take what we can get at this point.”
Enders now unofficially leads Laughlin by nine points with two races before the Countdown.
Enders had another excellent reaction time in the second round, .031, and was in front of No. 14 qualifier Aaron Strong before she had engine issues. Strong had beaten No. 3 qualifier Greg Anderson in the first round.
“We got a break with Greg going out first round,” Enders said. “Performance-wise, we had him covered a little bit and shoulda, coulda, woulda gone to the semifinals at least today. Jeggie (Coughlin Jr.) and I had a chance to meet up in the semifinals. He had Bo (Butner) covered three-hundredths on the Tree, I had Aaron covered five and a half and everything went away.”

Improved performance for Erica Enders in Denver

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Improved performance for Erica Enders in DenverIt has been a difficult season thus far for the reigning NHRA Pro Stock World Champion.   But this weekend saw improved performance for Erica Enders in Denver that keeps the Elite driver optimistic for a turn around.  Qualifying second for the event is proof that her Dodge Dart is now a contender, despite a second round loss due to parts failure.

Enders earned the No. 2 qualified position for the 37th Annual NHRA Mopar Mile High Nationals with a  6.933 second pass at 198.03 mph.   Though it was a less than ideal run, with Enders out of the groove for parts of the run, it was her best qualifying effort to date this season.  The Elite team has struggled with their switch to Mopar this season, also contending with rule changes in the Pro Stock class and the drastic move to Fuel Induction.

“We’re certainly pleased with our performance gains this weekend,” Enders said. “It shows that our hard work is paying off. Having said that, we still have a long way to go.”
She beat Alan Prusiensky with one of the best passes in the first round, 6.970 seconds at 197.42 mph. That gave her lane choice against Allen Johnson for the second round, but Johnson’s good fortune in Denver continued.
The two friends and rivals got off the line almost identically, but Johnson sped to the win with a pass of 7.000 seconds at 196.53 mph while Enders lost elapsed time from her first pass and ended up with a run of 7.026 seconds at 195.62 mph.
“We had a parts failure that round,” Enders said. “We should have been able to go out there and run a .98 absolutely no problem because we took where the failure in the run happened and did a run completer from there. We were actually on a better run than Greg (Anderson) in that round and he went a .99.
Though she lost in the second round after an unfortunate parts failure slowed her pass, the improved performance for Erica Enders in Denver means her Dodge Dart is now a contender.
“I think we would have been a solid to low .98. Should have, would have, could have, but it would definitely have been enough to beat AJ. This is just his lucky track.”
Johnson ended up racing to his 10th consecutive final round here, beating Vincent Nobile in the final.   Enders, meanwhile, looks forward to continuing the Western Swing next weekend in Sonoma, Calif.
“We’ll load up and go to Sonoma definitely with our heads held high because of the gains made here,” Enders said. “I’m looking forward to racing at sea level again, or closer to sea level, and kicking ass in Sonoma.”

Enders partners with Dutch Boy Paints

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Enders partners with Dutch Boy PaintsNHRA Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders partners with Dutch Boy Paints and Menards for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event this weekend at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.

Enders will drive the Elite Motorsports prepared Dutch Boy/Menards Dodge Dart at the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
“I’m honored to drive the Dodge Dart this weekend with such a recognizable brand on the door and the hood of our car,” Enders said. “I’m glad they’re giving us an opportunity to show them what we can do for them.”
To help kick off the partnership, Enders made an appearance at the Menards store in Sandusky, Ohio, on Wednesday. Menards has more than 280 home-improvement stores throughout the Midwest and is known as the low-price leader. The company has backed motorsports for many years, in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, and ARCA.
Dutch Boy Paints, available at Menards stores, continues to be an industry leader in delivering innovative and high-quality products and packaging solutions.
Enders became the first woman to win the Pro Stock championship in 2014, earning the title in the final round of the final race. She repeated in 2015, winning nine times and setting NHRA records along the way. She is the only driver in NHRA history to win three consecutive final rounds on holeshots.
Enders and her Elite team partnered with Dodge to field the new Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart for the 2016 season.