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Force and Enders share Seattle podium

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Wow!  What a weekend for the ladies in NHRA!

Enders and Force share the podium
Erica Enders and Courtney Force hoist their Wallys in the air after both scoring wins in Seattle.

Courtney Force landed her first NHRA Funny Car victory, a feat after climbing back from the #14 position at the bottom of the ladder.   This all coming in her rookie Funny Car season, in just her 15th start.   She’s definitely proving to be quite a Force to be dealt with (pun cheesily intended).

Force and Enders share Seattle podium

But for the first time in history, she would be joined by another gal on the PRO podium, with Erica Enders also landing her second career win in Pro Stock.   Erica’s win came just 3 races after her elusive first win in Chicago, but what makes it even more poetic to me, is that this win comes just one week after the crazy controversy between her and Greg Anderson in Sonoma.

The internet has been on FIRE with the backlash against Greg after he publicly declared Erica Enders “unprofessional” on his ESPN2 interview following the round in Sonoma.    Not only was he asked by his sponsor Summit Racing to apologize to Enders and her crew, the ill-karma he wished upon her came back to bite him.   In what can only be the most fitting form of proper karma dispatch, it was Enders who put Anderson on the trailer early in the race en route to her second career win.

Enders was quite the gracious winner.    The rest of us however, had a field day with that one.

Apparently, it didn’t stop with the fans either.   Matt Hagan made a remark during his final round interview that he didn’t mind losing to a woman.    John Force also was quoted saying how capable and talent the women of our sport are, with a special mention to daughter Courtney, Erica and Shirley Muldowney.

Its sad that there are people out there who still view women as inferior competitors.  Motorsports being the great equalizer- the cars don’t know gender- its really disappointing to know the amount of sexism that still lingers.

Kudos to the ladies for such a great weekend of racing!

 

Photo:  NHRA

 

 

Getting started in racing

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There are a lot of different stories out there about how each of us find our way to the world of motorsports.

John Force's Racing family resulted in a future generation of racers
John Force’s racing family lifestyle resulted in a future generation of racers with daughters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney.

Some of us are born into the lifestyle, with parents who are already actively involved in the sport and bring those playpens into the pits for race weekends.   For those lucky children, racing is just a part of who they are, it’s the life they’ve always known.    Ashley, Brittany, and Courtney Force grew up with their famous NHRA Funny Car father, traveling the country one race weekend at a time.  When each came of age, it was no surprise that they would all follow in their father’s footsteps with racing careers of their own.

Racing families such as the Forces are common in motorsports.   The lifestyle continues on for generation after generation of racers, crew members and team owners.

For others, they come across it later in life.   Maybe its a friend, or another relative.   Some discovered racing because of mainstream tv or movies.   Still others come across it on their own terms.

Getting Started in Racing | What now?

Erica Ortiz's first car
My first car, a 1990 Ford Mustang GT

Me personally, I had no family that was into racing.   My parents’ idea of automotive enthusiasm was being religious about their oil changes and keeping it cleaned every Sunday.   They had no idea where their little girl picked up an interest in all things fast and shiny.   While most girls liked dolls and makeup, I was fascinated by RC cars and Matchbox cars.

When I turned 18 and it was time for a car of my own, I purchased my first Mustang.  It was a 1990 GT, and along with some newly discovered gear head friends, I started pouring into magazines and the internet trying to find out how to make it faster.   I joined message boards and would ask questions, and just submerged myself into learning.

On those message boards and through even more recently acquired gear-head friends, I learned that the local track had what was called an open Test & Tune night.   Anyone could pay $20, sign a waiver, and take a trip down the 1/4 mile.     My group and I decided to go, and after asking people a million questions and watching a few hours worth, I decided to pull up and give it a try.

That first pass (which if I looked around, I have that first timeslip saved somewhere) was a break-neck 15.4 @93 mph.    But it was enough to get me hooked.

Once I started upgrading the GT with some mods, I became a regular at a local speedshop called Lugo Performance.   I befriended the owner, and would travel to watch their class races around the South.   There, I learned the behind-the-scenes of a racing team, and took lots of notes until I ended up working there for several years myself and launching my own career.

Regardless of how it starts, most of us agree that once we’ve discovered it and began our own journey, its hard to imagine life without it.

LADIES TELL US YOUR STORY!    When did you know that you wanted to race and how did you get started?

Enders/Anderson controversy

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So, I’ve made the commitment to myself to get back on the wagon of writing in this blog more often.   Racecar ready or not, I enjoyed blogging all about different things related to NHRA, drag racing or women racing in general, and a lot of that stopped when I started writing my Women In Motorsports column for Examiner.com.

There probably isn’t a good segway into getting back into it beside just jumping in with both feet, so I guess there is no better place to start than a little Pro Stock controversy.

Enders' infamous shot in front of Greg Anderson's trailer.
The infamous and controversial shot of Erica Enders in front of Greg Anderson’s trailer after her Chicago win.

Now, I’m naturally a strong women in motorsports advocate, so this comes with obvious bias, but I’ll present the facts and let you make your own determination.

This weekend at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, after an apparent little staging battle during Round 2 eliminations between Greg Anderson and Erica Enders, Greg Anderson voiced his displeasure with Erica during his ESPN2 top-end interview, calling her unprofessional and accusing her of being unsportsmanlike in actions following her first NHRA Pro Stock win 5 weeks earlier, where she defeated him.

Apparently, the ill-comments stemmed from a photo taken of Enders hoisting her Wally after the win in front of Greg Anderson’s trailer.   (seen at left)

Now, the background story behind this photo, at least for us with a sense of humor, is that Greg made multiple comments to the press over the past few years that he didn’t want to be “that guy” who lost to Enders for her elusive first win.  To me, that was a repeated jab against Enders, who took it in stride and never made much ado about what could have also been viewed as a rather childish comment to be made repeatedly about a competitor.

Nearly 5 weeks after that incident, Greg took to the ESPN2 airwaves to comment on the situation regarding the staging battle and her post-race win behavior.

“Sorry for her luck. It’s always good when you race her and I’ve said it all along … she kicked my butt in Chicago. I really didn’t appreciate some of the things she did after that race … it was, in my mind, a little unprofessional. I think the karma train got her a little bit there. She’s a great racer but you have to be professional.” — Greg Anderson

My personal thought is that the photo was good-natured jesting by Enders, who celebrating her victory also was able to point out the irony in the fact that despite his many comments to the contrary, he was in fact “that guy” who lost to her in her first win.

What I did find a bit childish was the staging battle.    Sure, its legal, but its awful immature to resort to treating her like that on the track.  It worked to his favor, as she red-lit in this round handing him the win, but sure doesn’t paint him as the most sportsmanlike competitor.

What do YOU think of the controversy?  Do you think Erica Enders was unprofessional in taking that photo or was Greg Anderson the first low blow with his comments about being “that guy” to lose to Enders?

Win a Car Cover for your ride!

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We had a great turnout from our last giveaway, and Empire Covers has been nice enough to throw down another deal for Horsepower & Heels readers again!

EmpireCovers.com specializes in both affordable high quality Empire covers and truck covers, we love our Titan Car Cover on our 2008 Mustang Bullit.

The best part, Empire Covers wants to give all of you a chance to win $150 for a cover of your own!

Empire Covers

Here’s what you can do to boost your chances to win:

  1. Let’s be Facebook friends.
    Like Empire Covers on Facebook!   [+2] And while you’re there, be sure to Like Horsepower & Heels too! [+1]
  2. Tweet That.
    Follow @Empire_Covers [+2] and @HorsepowerHeels [+1]
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  3. Blog this contest.
    Talk about this contest to readers on your own blog with a link back to this post!  [+5]
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  5. Comment here.
    Comment below with your name, vehicle (year/make/model)  and which cover you like from the Empire Cover Website.
Contest will end at 11:59PM on July 31.   Winner will be chosen at random from entries.

Helping Dan Parker

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Dan ParkerThis post is one that comes with great sadness.

I regularly post different causes that I support, asking for help for things that are important to me, but none have ever hit quite so close to home as this one.

Dan Parker, a wonderful friend and mentor to me for over 10 years now, was seriously injured in a pro modified wreck on March 31, 2012  at Alabama International Raceway in Steele, AL.  Though his limbs and other physical injuries will heal with therapy, he has suffered a life-altering irreversible loss of his eye sight in both eyes.

This is heartbreaking news, as Dan is one of the most talented chassis builders/fabricators and tuners around.  Dan was the person who taught and helped me to cross over into the pro modified world, and I owe so much of my racing experience to him.   He is a great and generous man who has helped countless people.   Words cannot express how saddened I am that this happened.

I’m asking as a personal favor… Dan is going to need some help to get adjusted to all of this.   In addition to your continued thoughts and prayers, he’s really going to need some assistance at home with expenses, as he’ll be unable to return to the work he’s known his entire life.

I’ve been working on some new Horsepower & Heels merch, and I plan to donate some of the proceeds from that to him directly.   But in the mean time, here’s some other ways to help out below.   I’m sure him and his family would greatly appreciate it.

How to Help Dan Parker

Donations are being accepted via paypal at jduck72@live.com.   Any amount is appreciated.   Or, you can mail gift cards and other donations directly to  10692 Lee Rd 179  Salem, AL 36874

Golf Cart Raffle

His close friends and several businesses that he’s be associated with over the years have put together a special raffle for a custom EZ-GO golf cart worth over $4,000 complete with custom wheels/tires, custom lights, flip rear seat, and a body color of their choice.   Tickets for the raffle are $100, and all money goes directly to Dan to offset expenses in his time of need.   The raffle winner will be drawn July 2nd at Silver Dollar Raceway following the NWO race, right around Dan’s birthday.

How to Enter

You must send $100 entry as a donation/gift via paypal to jduck76@live.com (Josh Mack, Parker Chassis price checker).  Please include name, address, and phone number(s).     As each donation is received, a ticket number will be issued.

Promo Shoot: Huntsville Times 4/12/12

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Horsepower & Heels driver Erica Ortiz’s second hobby is also a fast-paced adrenaline feeding sport.

These series of photos were featured in  GO Magazine on 4/12/12, by Huntsville Times photographer Eric Schultz.

As eRacer X for the Dixie Derby Girls Flat Track Roller Derby team in Huntsville, AL, Erica is able to mix her two favorite passions.

While the Pro Mod was down for the rebuild, Erica needed another outlet to keep her active.   Roller derby was just the answer!  Follow some of her roller derby adventures on her blog, eRacer X Files.

 

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Horsepower & Heels partners with Race4Girls

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Horsepower & Heels Racing has partnered with Race4Girls, a special organization designed to assist and promote women in motorsports.

Selected as one of the 20 Race4Girls drivers in 2012,  Erica Ortiz will help assist with the mission of bringing awareness and support to women involved in a wide variety of motorsports.

“Supporting Women in Motorsports has been a passion of mine for years, which is why I was so happy to find Race4Girls, an organization that gives great support, resources, encouragement and camaraderie to women out there competing on the track at a wide variety of levels.” — Horsepower & Heels driver, Erica Ortiz

Race4Girls provides support to female drivers by raising fan donations and awarding grants to drivers for much needed equipment and other expenses toward their racing endeavors.

Contributions can be made at www.race4girls.com. The organization requests a minimum five dollar donation. The contributions go in to a general fund from which drivers can request a grant. Registered drivers are required to earn points and “qualify” for a grant and can receive multiple grants during the racing season.

 “If one half of one percent of the race fans in the U.S. make a five dollar contribution, we will be able to provide funding for better equipment for 150 races or more.”  –Tracey Passantino, founder of Race4Girls

Race4Girls.com is the first website which offers speed enthusiasts a common place to show their financial support for women racecar drivers. Many drivers have offered fans an opportunity to help support a “fan car” but no organization has attempted to raise funds from fans to support a larger group of female drivers.    More details about how Race4Girls works can be found at www.race4girls.com.

 

Setting the wheels back in motion

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Over the last few years of inactivity, my racing efforts have been spread across a few states.  The racecar resides in Orlando, the engine components have been sitting in Atlanta with Mr. Moody, and other stuff never left Alabama at the chassis shop.

As time has ticked on, its been difficult to remember where the car stands, but now that some renewed energy has come back for my racing program, I’ve started to regroup.

This means that Goal #1 is to get the racing program back in a position where I can manage and take inventory of what needs to be accomplished going forward.

This weekend, I was able to set the wheels back in motion with a quick trip to Atlanta to collect my engine components from Mr. Moody.  He’s be patient with me and always been supportive, even though I had to put my racing on the back burner for the last several years.

They may be just baby steps, but they’re steps closer to the larger goal.  One day at a time, and chip it away~!