Erica Enders on espnW IMPACT25

December 8, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

After a record breaking season, two-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion, Erica Enders was recently named to espnW’s IMPACT 25 list featuring athletes and influencers making big moves for women in sports.

Enders joined many other famous women in sports athletes such as World Cup champion Carli Lloyd, tennis star Serena Williams and UFC fighter Ronda Rousey. The list was selected by a panel of sports experts and former athletes, split into two categories: Athletes and Influencers. Honorees were captured in a special commemorative “Super” illustration by Marvel Comics. Erica’s capture depicted her as Racer XX – a tilt to her double X chromosomes.

Racer XX – Marvel’s Erica Enders Superhero

Racer XX Erica Enders — Marvel Comics “Racer XX” Erica Enders

“It’s a tremendous honor to be on this list of the best athletes in the world,” Enders said. “Thank you to ESPN and espnW for recognizing the contributions of women in sports, and thank you to the pioneers like Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey for helping to pave the way for other women like me in drag racing.”

Enders has a storied career in NHRA Drag Racing, with 2015 being her most impressive season to date. She took home nine event wins in 2015, had 11 final-round appearances, six No. 1 qualifying performances, and made history with three consecutive wins by holeshots, a first for the sport. Her 2015 dominant World Championship was her 2^nd career Pro Stock title. Her nine wins also eclipsed Angelle Sampey for the most wins by a female in a single season.

Erica Enders has 21 career victories, making her the 39^th driver on the NHRA All-Time win list. She trails Angelle Sampey for 2^nd most winningest female driver by 20 wins

Erica Enders MOPAR backed in 2016

December 8, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Erica Enders/Elite Motorsports Dodge Dart GT

Two-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion, Erica Enders announced today (via NHRA.com) that her Elite team will be carrying the MOPAR banner in 2016. Enders and her Elite Motorsports teammate, Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be leading the factory backed MOPAR team in the Pro Stock ranks, campaigning a new fuel-injected Elite Motorsports Hemi-powered Dodge Dart GT.

The Mopar brand is excited to announce that two proven champions, Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. will fly the Mopar colors in the NHRA Pro Stock class next season,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service for Mopar. “We couldn’t ask for greater competitors or brand ambassadors to represent us at the drag strip.”

Enders is fresh off a dominating season that saw nine event wins, 11 final-round appearances, and six No. 1 qualifying spots en route to her Back to Back Championship in 2015. She bested Angelle Sampey for the most wins by a female in one season with her nine victories. Erica last competed in a Dodge during her 2006-2007 season, and is excited to chase her third consecutive World Pro Stock title in 2016.

“We’re entering a new era of Pro Stock and it’s going to be awesome to take a new Mopar-powered Dodge Dart into 2016 and beyond,” said Enders. “We won the last two championships with carburetors and now the goal is to win the first one with fuel injection. The Dart Pro Stock cars look awesome and I’m already very familiar with Mopar because I’ve driven for them in the past. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent them moving forward.”

Ladies of NHRA Red Carpet 2015

November 17, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

It’s the end of the season, and that means the annual 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Awards Ceremony has arrived! All of our favorite stars of the NHRA series gathered Monday after the finals in Pomona to Hollywood’s Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Vineland for a year-end banquet and the crowning of the 2015 champions. This formal event is always a crowd favorite, because we get the rare chance to see our favorite personalities outside their fire suits and crew uniforms, dressed to the nine in formal attire.

For 2015, the ladies didn’t disappoint, hitting the NHRA Red Carpet all looking stunning. Check out their red carpet fashion below!

Ladies of NHRA Red Carpet 2015

Leah Pritchett and Angie Smith on NHRA Red Carpet — Top Fuel’s Leah Pritchett and Pro Stock Bike’s Angie Smith

Erica Enders on NHRA Red Carpet — Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders

Courtney Force and Graham Rahal on NHRA Red Carpet — Funny Car driver Courtney Force and fiance, open wheel driver Graham Rahal

Angie Smith Karen Stoffer on NHRA Red Carpet — Pro Stock Bike’s Karen Stoffer and Angie Smith

Brittany and Courtney Force on NHRA Red Carpet — Top Fuel driver Brittany Force with sister Courtney.

Alexis DeJoria Jesse James on NHRA Red Carpet — Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria, husband Jesse James, and sister.

Jenna Haddock at the NHRA Red Carpet year end banquet — Top Fuel driver Jenna Haddock and husband Terry

WHO WORE IT BEST? Ladies of NHRA Red Carpet – Vote in Comments below!

Video: Awards Ceremony | Last year’s Ladies of NHRA 2014 Red Carpet Album

Erica Enders clinches 2015 Pro Stock Championship

November 2, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

She’s had storybook season in 2015, and it seems her fairy tale just continues to re-write itself to an even happier ending.

NHRA Pro Stock racer Erica Enders entered Vegas with a sizable points lead, broke several track records while qualifying No. 1 for the event, clinched the 2015 Championship, and extended her 4 race Vegas streak with a perfect-reaction victory in the finals. It seems as though Erica Enders truly is the “Girl on Fire” in Pro Stock.

Enders clinches the 2015 Championship

All the mathematicians were watching the points tally for the NHRA Toyota Nationals closely, with calculations flying on when Enders would be able to snag that back-to-back championship title in Pro Stock. They knew she needed to leave the event with a 154 point lead to be out of reach from any of her competitors, but that metric could change by how closest competitors Greg Anderson, Chris McGaha, and Drew Skillman fared in relation to her own progress through the elimination rounds.

“We came into the weekend and everyone was talking about the championship — what we have to do, crunching points and all that. My crew chiefs (Rick and Rickie Jones, Mark Ingersoll, and Brian Self) and I decided we weren’t going to talk about that and just take things one round at a time. Our goal was to make it 22 (in a row). It’s an incredible thing to accomplish. The streak we have here is incredible. I’m excited to be part of such a great group like Elite Motorsports.”

In the second round of eliminations, Greg Anderson was eliminated by Elite teammate, Vincent Nobile. McGaha also fell to Butner, and that left just one more key round win for Erica to seal up the points tally in her favor.

“After watching my teammate Vincent beat Greg second round, I got excited, of course, because I knew what could happen,” Enders said. “Then I thought, ‘We have to win this round.’ I fire the car, pull into the waterbox, and all my guys are jumping around, clapping, and I’m just trying to get my composure and get my heart rate down.”

She proceeded to knock out Shane Gray with a round-low pass of 6.596 seconds at 209.39 mph, and finally locked it up. Erica Enders clinches 2015 Pro Stock Championship, her second consecutive championship in the class, one race before the close of the season. She became the 33rd driver in NHRA history to win multiple championships and the ninth in the Pro Stock class. She’s also the first back-to-back champion in NHRA since 2011-12, when Eddie Krawiec won the Pro Stock Motorcycle title, a sight not seen in Pro Stock since Jeg Coughlin Jr. accomplished the feat in 2007-08.

A perfect victory to extend Vegas streak

With the championship sealed up, Enders knew her day was far from over, as she set out to defend her winning streak at the Vegas facility. She defeated Skillman in the semifinals when he left .004-second too soon, setting up a final-round match with Butner. To the disbelief of all who watched, she proceeded to cut a perfect 0.000 reaction enroute to her 6.595 second at 208.97 mph victory over Butner, with a 6.610 second at 209.33 mph effort.

“I knew it was going to be a tough race against a drive like Bo, who I know is hungry for his first win,” Enders said. “To be able to cap the second championship off with another win in Vegas is just crazy. It’s just an incredible day, I’m kind of speechless. Vegas has always been really good to me, and it’s nice to keep our streak going with now 22 consecutive round-wins. It’s mind-boggling.”

Enders has won the last four national events and the last two K&N Horsepower Challenge races in Las Vegas, running her consecutive round-win streak at ‘The Strip’ to 22. The victory marked the ninth win of the season and 21st of her career. Enders has hit her stride, taking the victory in 15 of the last 45 races she’s entered with the Richard Freeman-owned Elite team.

“Finally I feel like I’m home with this group of guys,” Enders said. “I couldn’t have dreamed up a better crew. We truly get along, we have such great chemistry, and most importantly we have fun together. That’s why we’re so successful on the racetrack. Horsepower doesn’t hurt, but we don’t have the biggest budget. We get it done because of the people. It’s been a long road, but I’m glad to be where I’m at. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”

Though the championship is hers, Enders and the Elite team don’t intend on resting, and hope to defend their 2014 win at the Finals in Pomona.

Watch video as Erica Enders clinches the 2015 Pro Stock Championship

Erica Enders resets track record in Vegas

October 31, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Erica Enders reset both ends of the track record in the second qualifying session of the NHRA Toyota Nationals on Friday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, earning her the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot. Enders has the opportunity to clinch the championship in Pro Stock if she can leave Las Vegas with a 151-point lead. She began the race with a 154 point lead, padding that by three based on qualifying points from the first two sessions.

Her 6.559 seconds at 210.28 mph run set track records for elapsed time and speed at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it was the fastest corrected run in Pro Stock history — taking into account altitude and other factors — at 6.381 seconds at 216.65 mph.

“I’m glad we were able to accomplish it,” Enders said. “Having said that, we’ve got two more important runs tomorrow. We need to scoop up all the qualifying bonus points we possibly can and try to stay on the pole. We need to go into Sunday with our heads down and get to work. We’ve got a lot to accomplish still, and I want to win the race. I want to make it four in a row. I couldn’t be more proud to be their driver; they’re an awesome group of men.”

Las Vegas has been good to Enders, with dominant performances at The Strip over the past two years, sweeping both national events in 2014 and winning here in April. To go along with those two victories, Enders has won the special K&N Horsepower Challenge here the last two years.

“I think we have 18 consecutive round-wins here, and the goal is to get to 22,” Enders said. “Having said that, we go back to taking things one at a time. My guys performed really well here, and my crew chiefs seem to have a good handle on this track and the dry air. Our race car is working. We stumbled onto some stuff in Dallas that we had been working really hard to figure out. As most people watched, they could see our performance change a little bit on Sunday. We certainly translated that to here. I’m excited and cautiously optimistic to be in the position we’re in.”

Enders posted the quickest ET in both qualifying sessions this weekend, but her Q2 pass was the most impressive, netting her the track record in Vegas.

“We made a good run in the first session,” Enders said. “The weather (for Q2) was actually not as good as it was for the first session, so we really just stepped on it. I could not be more proud of my team. Our Elite Performance horsepower is really showing through right when we need it most. Pair that with our excellent teamwork, and my driving has been pretty decent lately. The sky is the limit for us.

Qualifying will continue today at 12:15PM and 3:45PM Pacific Time (UTC-08:00). Eliminations are scheduled to begin at noon on Sunday.

Eighth historic win for Enders

October 19, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Erica Enders shattered yet another record on Sunday, taking the victory at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, TX. She bested Angelle Sampey’s 2001 7-race record of the most wins for a female in one season, beating her nearest two rivals in the Mello Yello points to power to a massive 154-point advantage with just two races left. The eighth historic win for Enders marked an NHRA-leading feat for the season, and first victory of her career in Dallas.

“I am so glad we were able to get this eighth win here in my home state,” said Enders, who grew up in the Houston suburbs. “You know, I have been talking about a cowboy hat for months, just waiting to come here and win a cowboy hat, so I’m excited to be able to get that done in front of all of our friends and family. It’s just a huge blessing.”

A cowboy hat is the traditional winner’s gift at the Texas Motorplex, a complex owned by former Funny Car driver Billy Meyer. This year, the winner’s also got a belt buckle to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the event.

The stage was set early for a decisive race, as the top three contenders in the Pro Stock championship chase were paired early, ensuring a shake up in the standings. Though Enders carried a good cushion into round one, a win here would really help distance her from the competition. After qualifying 4th with a 6.480, Erica would face Vieri Gaines in Round 1, taking the win with a career-best 6.467 second E.T. at 214.25 mph. This feat tied as the 8th fastest pass in the history of Pro Stock.

This set up a big match up with bitter rival Chris McGaha, who is third in the points. McGaha had defeated second-ranked Greg Anderson in his opening race. Behind the scenes, this match-up was steeped in conflict and, for both teams, was personal.

“Those first two rounds were very significant,” Enders said. “First round, we watched (McGaha) beat Greg right in front of us and then we crushed his ET by .400s to earn lane choice in our race against him. We didn’t want to give him anything. There is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t know about and (McGaha’s) team has been running their mouths. I said from the beginning we’ll let the scoreboard do the talking.”

Enders was 12-2 in career meetings against McGaha entering the second round. With both teams on edge, the two began their burnouts and staging. McGaha entered the beams first, bypassing common courtesy staging and “double bulbing” Enders. But it didn’t seem to rattle the reigning Pro Stock World Champion, who cut an impressive 0.008 reaction at the tree, en route to a new career-quickest E.T of 6.467 seconds at 214.25 mph.

“There’s no need to argue with ignorant people, so when I went up there and he double-bulbed me, I said ‘bring it on, I don’t care,’ and I was able to drill him with a .008-second reaction time and then totally out-run him. I think we sent a big message. I definitely wanted to beat him, and my guys wanted to beat him even more so that was a nice deal for us.”

From there, Enders went on to take the wins against Drew Skillman and Jonathon Gray for the historic victory and the big edge in the NHRA Pro Stock points standings.

“We just have such great team chemistry and great horsepower so I’m a happy girl,” Enders said. “(ESPN top-end reporter) Gary Gerould said in our interview, that we have an eight-round lead with only eight rounds of racing left, and that’s really cool, but I don’t care. I want all the points that we can get. We go into every race wanting to win more than anything in the world and we do our best to step up to the plate. You know, I talk about my guys all of the time but I’ll put my money on them every single Sunday, every single round of qualifying, because they are the best. They bring it and I bring it and together I think the sky is the limit for us.”

Enders on Jay Leno’s Garage

October 7, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Erica Enders and Jay Leno — Story/Photos via NHRA.com

Look for reigning Mello Yello Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders and Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman on the premier episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Eastern on CNBC. Enders will be showing the talk-show host/comedian and car enthusiast the ropes on how to drive a drag racing car.

“It will be a great way to introduce the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series to a new audience,” Enders said. “That was a great experience and a neat opportunity. I grew up watching Jay Leno and always enjoyed him throughout my life, so it was cool to be able to work with him. He shares the same passion for automobiles that we do, and that was pretty evident.”

Leno has a well-known private collection of automobiles, and Enders and Freeman will get the tour of his prized collection when NHRA returns to California for the season-finale in November.

Jay Leno’s Garage began as a YouTube series about cars and motorcycles with a one-hour special airing on CNBC last year, but its popularity has spurned a primetime weekly show that begins this Wednesday.

Enders and Freeman joined Leno after her Bristol win to film the show at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, Calif. They used the Super Comp car of Division 7 racer Eddie Fischle, along with the support of Frank Hawley.

Enders and Leno cruised around in a new Chevrolet Camaro SS, and the two chatted about their respective careers to begin the show.

“It was fun to be able to drive him around in the Camaro,” Enders said. “We talked a little bit about his life and a little bit about my career. Then we spent the rest of the day teaching him to drive, so it was a neat deal.”

Enders is the perfect choice for driving coach, as she recently set an NHRA record by winning three consecutive final rounds on holeshots.

“It was a neat chance to be able to teach him how to drive a Super Comp car with Frank Hawley,” Enders said. “I ended up getting to make a pass in my buddy Eddie Fischle’s car, and he supplied us the cars for us to teach Jay to drive.”

Leno wanted to make more passes in the car at the end of the day, clearly enjoying his lessons behind the wheel.

“That goes to show how much he enjoyed it,” Enders said.

How do you think Jay will fair behind the wheel of a Super Comp car? Comment below!

Enders just misses 4th consecutive victory

September 28, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Elite Motorsports driver and current NHRA Pro Stock points leader Erica Enders just misses 4th consecutive victory with a runner-up finish at the 4th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sunday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

After qualifying in the No. 3 spot, Enders continues to prove unstoppable at the tree, with another stellar driving display in St. Louis. Last week, she became the first driver in NHRA history to win three consecutive finals on holeshots when she won in Charlotte, and looked to be on track to extend that historic marker this weekend, leaving first on all her opponents, including reaction times of .002, .002, and .003 in her last three rounds.

“I’m super comfortable in the car,” Enders said. “I know what I’m capable of, I know what my guys are capable of, and that gives me peace of mind. I’m able to go out there and do my job. We’re going to leave with our heads held high, go to Reading, and try to continue to spread the points on those KB boys.”

Enders began her day by blitzing Alex Laughlin with a pass of 6.586 seconds at 210.87 mph, to his losing 6.819 second at 200.23 mph run. Crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones and Mark Ingersoll made improvements on her Transportation Impact Camaro for her second round matchup against Elite teammate Vincent Nobile. Enders left with a .002 light advantage and made a pass of 6.620 seconds at 211.66 mph to get the win over Nobile, who ran a 6.561 second at 210.31 mph E.T.

Another incredible .002 light gave Enders a holeshot on semifinal opponent Bo Butner, who made the quicker pass, a 6.520 at 212.43 mph, but Enders’ 6.524-second pass at 212.06 mph was enough to hold him off and put her in the final round.

Enders just misses 4th consecutive victory

In the final, Enders again had an unbelieveable .003 light, but her car went into uncharacteristic tire shake. All she could do was abort the run and watch teammate Drew Skillman get his first career victory with a pass of 6.529 at 211.63 mph.

“Of course we want to win, but today was Drew’s day,” Enders said. “It was just meant to be for him. If I have to lose, I’m glad it’s to my teammate, so we’re still able to share the winner’s circle under the Elite Motorsports banner.”

By racing to the final round, Enders extended her points lead to 113 over KB Racing driver Greg Anderson, who lost in the second round.

“It was a great points day,” Enders said. “The competitor side of us allows us to be frustrated when we don’t win, but we’ll go back and go through our notes, and one of us will stay and test tomorrow. It’s a great day. A.J. helped us a lot by beating Greg second round, and I was able to put another 40-point spread on him. That’s all that matters. We’ve got to keep pace. I really wanted to win four in a row and have eight for the season and have those records, but God has a bigger plan, and I’m OK with that. We’ve got our eye on the big prize.”

Erica Enders lands new long-term sponsor

September 22, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

Enders signs sponsorship with Transportation Impact

She kicked off the Countdown to the Championship with a convincing victory at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, but reigning Pro Stock world champion and points leader Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports race team weren’t done working. They continued their good fortune into weekday meetings, where they have just announced a major associate sponsorship deal with Transportation Impact.

The privately-held logistics company specializes in helping some of the largest companies in the world drastically reduce their shipping costs. Transportation Impact, an Inc. 5000 company based in North Carolina, was founded in 2008 by Keith Byrd and Travis Burt and has quickly earned a reputation as one of the top small-package negotiation and parcel-auditing firms in the shipping industry.

“We are excited to team up with Erica and the Elite Motorsports team,” Transportation Impact Co-Founder Travis Burt said. “Both our team and theirs have a championship mentality. We both work hard each day to be better than we were yesterday, and we at Transportation Impact have little doubt that this partnership will help both sides reach new heights.”

Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman, who spearheaded Enders’ ascension to becoming the first female champion in Pro Stock history, is thrilled to sign a long-term deal with Transportation Impact that he believes will help his team achieve its future objectives.

“I’m humbled and grateful that everyone at Transportation Impact thought enough of what we’re doing to come on board and give us some tremendous support,” Freeman said. “Since Erica joined us a year and a half ago, we’ve won the championship, we’ve won 13 national events, including the last three in a row, been No. 1 qualifier 11 times, and put up an 89-28 race day record. That’s better than anyone in the sport and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished. At the same time, we feel like we want to do so much more, and having companies like Transportation Impact lend support will help us reach all of our long-range goals. We are firing this deal up right now so they can ride with us to what we hope will be a successful championship defense.”

Enders admits she’s riding along on a euphoric high at the moment, and having a new sponsor recognize the team’s potential adds a lot to her current situation, on many levels.

“It’s been an incredible month and having Transportation Impact come on board today just makes it that much better,” she said. “We scored a really big win in Brainerd (Minn.), and that kind of set up this run we’re on. Then we get to Indy, the biggest race in our sport, and we get another win that ties me with my No. 1 idol, Shirley Muldowney, with 18 career wins. Now we come to North Carolina and get another win to kick off the playoffs and sign an incredible new marketing partner. I need to pinch myself. I’m so blessed to be driving this car and to have such an awesome group of people behind me making it happen, and that now includes everyone at Transportation Impact. We spent some time at their facility, and I told everyone we met we’re going to do everything we can to get them a championship this year.”

With new partner Transportation Impact along, Erica and the Elite team head to the next stop in the playoff series, the 4th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals held at Gateway Motorsports Park outside of St. Louis, MO, Sept. 25-27.

Record-breaking weekend for Enders

September 21, 2015 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA defending Pro Stock champion Erica Enders added another national event victory to her resume this weekend during the 8th Annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, her first win at the Charlotte, NC area zMax Dragway facility. The win captured several historical milestones for the current points leader, and keeps her a front-runner for the Countdown to the Championship.

Enders began the weekend with consistent qualifying efforts, landing the No. 3 spot for Sunday’s eliminations with a best pass of 6.536 seconds at 211.83 mph. She would take on V. Gaines in the opening round, taking the early lead off the starting line and never looking back, with a 6.565 second pass at 211.10 mph to defeat Gaines 6.645 at 209.33 mph.

In round 2, Enders would dispatch Chris McGaha with the fastest pass of the round – a 6.588 at 210.11 mph, taking the advantage at the tree yet again. Though McGaha would run the second-fastest time of the round- a 6.620 at 210.18 mph, it wasn’t enough to catch Enders. She would earn lane choice into round 3. However, something went amiss on the Elite Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro during the run, and the team returned to the pits, thrashing to prepare for their semifinal match-up with veteran racer Allen Johnson.

“In the second round we had an issue with our clutch and were able to barely make it up for the semifinals against (Allen Johnson),” Enders said.

The team got her to the line for the semifinals, and Erica’s uncharacteristic 0.031 second reaction time left her chasing Johnson, who posted a 0.010 second reaction. She chased him down to the finish line, running a 6.586 second at 210.31 mph pass to his losing 6.611 at 209.59 mph, passing him by just 18 inches at the stripe. The margin of victory was 0.0048 seconds, but it was just enough to land Enders in her third consecutive final, where she would face Vincent Nobile.

It’s just a confidence booster in getting in the race car up there when my crew chief (Rick Jones) said, ‘Hey, look up in the right corner of your windshield. What does that say? It says No. 1. There is a reason for that.’ Just having them stand behind me even when I might not be there mentally that day it pumps me up. They are there for me. My guys are who make me a better driver.”

Enders would take the hole-shot win against Nobile in the final, running a slower 6.581 second, 210.97 mph to his losing 6.575 sec at 211.13 mph performance.

That is pretty neat,” Enders said of winning in Charlotte. “Back when I drove for Cagnazzi (Racing), this was one of the facilities that they had never won at. It was obviously a goal of ours. Coming in this weekend, I had runner-upped three or four different times here, a couple at the Four-Wide Nationals and one at the regular race. This was actually the place where the win lights malfunctioned and we thought we got our first win against Greg Anderson, but then they were like, ‘Sike, you don’t get it,’ and took the trophy over to him.”

History for Enders in Charlotte

Not only did she land her first win at the zMax Dragway facility, but she crossed off quite a few more milestones in the process. The win marked the third straight victory for Enders, the second hole-shot victory in a row, and ties marks set by Sampey (2002) and Muldowney (1977) for the most consecutive wins by a female racer. In addition, her class-leading seventh victory of the season ties Sampey’s 2001 season effort for the most female racer wins in one season. It also marked her 19th-career professional win in Pro Stock, a feat by which she passes Shirley Muldowney on the all-time female racer win list for the No. 2 position. She trails only Angelle Sampey (41 wins) for the winning-est female racer in drag racing history.

It’s a true blessing, and to be able to pass Shirley — it was crazy in Indy to tie her. Angelle is a friend of mine, lives about 20 minutes from my house (in New Orleans). She is by far the winning-est female in NHRA drag racing, so it’s definitely cool to put my name alongside of theirs, a true honor.”

Enders, who entered the countdown as the No. 1 seed, retains the No. 1 position and increases her lead in the Countdown to the Championship by 83 points going into race No. 2.

Yeah, it’s pretty incredible,” Enders said. “My PR guy was telling me some stats on the way down the hallway and that is pretty surreal. I feel like I’m in a dream. I just don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a great group of guys and to work for such an awesome team owner. We have fun together and that is what makes it so cool. We are able to be successful and have fun. Nobody said that you had to be miserable while you are doing it.”

The Elite Motorsports team packs up and heads to the next stop on the Countdown tour, the 4th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals held at Gateway Motorsports Park outside of St. Louis, MO, Sept. 25-27.