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NHRA

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Enders/Anderson controversy

July 30, 2012 //  by Horsepower & Heels

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?

Category: Horsepower & Heels Blog, Women in Racing NewsTag: Drag Racing, Erica Enders, NHRA, Pro Stock, Women Racing

Have helmet, will travel

September 29, 2011 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Erica in a FiresuitAs is the case in the drag racing world, you always have to stay prepared.

Have helmet, will travel.

I received a phone call of a possible driving opportunity that may be coming in the near future, but since it’s been a few years, my NHRA Advanced ET Competition license has expired and I will need to complete the licensing procedure all over again.

That means I need to find a car capable of running 7.50 or faster, and complete my 6 runs (one half pass, 3 moderate runs, and 2 full passes faster that 7.49).

That wouldn’t be a big deal normally, except that my own car isn’t running at the moment, and I can’t afford a trip to a place like Frank Hawley’s just to get the license again.

So, I’ve put out a call to all my racing friends to see if someone would be willing to let me make a few passes to get my license again.  I can’t offer any cash right now to “rent” their car, but I can provide great crew slave labor and awesome PR help for their team!

So far a few people are checking for me, fingers crossed I find someone so I can get this key roadblock out of the way.  If you know of anyone or have a car you’d let me shoe, please send me a message!

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Drag Racing, Erica Ortiz, NHRA, Women Racing

Erica Enders for People’s Choice

May 18, 2011 //  by Horsepower & Heels

K&N Horsepower ChallengeErica Enders has really been on fire this season after her return to Cagnazzi Racing, and I’m expecting her first win to come any time now this season in Pro Stock.

Its good to see EE doing well, after struggling for the past few years.   See what a difference a great team can make when a great driver is paired?

Erica Enders for People’s Choice

I’d love to see EE go for the glory this year in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, so I’m asking everyone to get out and vote for Erica Enders in the People’s Choice entry.   She’s doing so well this season, she may not need it… but it sure would be great to have her win the People’s vote!

Good luck, EE!

Category: Horsepower & Heels Blog, Women in Racing NewsTag: Drag Racing, Erica Enders, NHRA, Pro Stock, Women Racing

Pro Mod now an NHRA Professional category

November 4, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Pro Mod
Tom Compton and roger Burgess announce NHRA Pro Mod as a professional category

The long, hard fought battle has finally been won.

For 9 long years, Pro Mod racers have begged, pleaded, borrowed and stole to gain the acceptance of the NHRA as a professional category, only to be shunned aside as a mere exhibition class.

Popular across the country for the colorful, exciting, and out-of-control tendencies, Pro Mod drivers relegated themselves to limited exhibition status, a pay-to-run class that was considered the ugly step child of the NHRA. Often walked-on during their limited schedule appearances, the Pro Mod class endured zero coverage or respect from the NHRA, no TV time, no promotional acknowledgement, and were the first on the chopping block for rain delays, with qualifying scrubbed at the first sign of delay.

For years, Pro Mod supporters cries fell on deaf ears in the California home offices of NHRA. Many believed that they refused as a matter of principal after the ugly pro stock truck fiasco, some felt that factory supported hot rods feared the backlash from Pro Stock drivers. Most had finally accepted the cause as lost, that NHRA would never acknowledge or accept Pro Modified as a professional category, myself included.

But a surprising change of heart came courtesey of an announcement by Tom Compton of the NHRA at the awards banquet: as of 2010, Pro Modified is now a legitimate professional class.

The 2010 Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series

What does this mean for Pro Modified racers? A LOT. Now, the class is an official NHRA run series, complete with a centralized NHRA approved/controlled rulebook, a per race purse structure, and a championship points purse fund. NHRA media will now highlight the class in the National Dragster and NHRA.com, along with a seperate 30 minute ESPN TV program devoted to the class (tape delayed). The series is now eligible for contingency sponsors, will have access to their own hospitality area, a vendor trailer on the NHRA midway for t-shirt sales, and most importantly, will now be competing for the same coveted Wally trophy as NHRA Championship drivers.

This allows drivers to actively pursue sponsors, now having legitimate benefits to offer in terms of coverage and exposure, something that had been a tough sell in the previous architecture. For me, this means a complete revise to my marketing plans, and a renewed fight to find a partnership that would allow me to move up to the National stage.

There’s a lot more work to be done this off-season for many teams, and I suspect the NHRA will be surprised with the 1st year results.

The NHRA Get Screened Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Schedule

  • 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals March 11-14 Gainesville, Fla.
  • 23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals April 9 – 11 Houston
  • 14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals April 30 – May 2 St. Louis
  • 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals May 14-16 Commerce, Ga.
  • 41st annual United Association NHRA SuperNationals June 10-13 Englishtown, N.J.
  • 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 18-20 Bristol, Tenn.
  • 4th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 24-27 Norwalk, Ohio
  • 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 31 – Sept. 5 Indianapolis
  • 3rd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals Sept. 16-19 Concord, N.C.
  • 10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Oct. 28-31 Las Vegas

photo: Roger Richards

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Drag Racing, NHRA, pro mod

Soggy weekend gamble

May 3, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

The past month or so has been such an incredibly hectic time for me. I feel like I’ve been on the go for weeks. Between Roller Derby and trying to attend a few races here and there, I haven’t had much time to recharge.

Dan Parker Promod
Parker/George Pro Mod 1st round ADRL

I started out by attending the ADRL race in Valdosta. I forgot how badly I missed these events. Its so much different than attending the “all business” national events. While the ADRL is a huge show, and just as professional, it still retains the level of fun and comraderie that isn’t as apparent in national events. I got to chat with a lot of the guys I’ve been racing with for years, and even rounded up a few more parts to finish my car. I spent the weekend hanging out with Dan Parker/Bill George’s team. They made the show, but had to take on the #1 qualifier, and shook just a bit at the top of low for a close race at the finish. [photo Competition Plus, Roger Richards]

Next up, I headed out to Vegas for a work-related tradeshow. I handle marketing for a broadcast equipment manufacturing company, and the NAB Show is our largest tradeshow of the year. Its always a very long week, with 2 after-show events that I manage for our dealers/customers. I did get a few hours out by the hotel pool at the Sahara, as well as skating with the Sin City Roller Girls at one of their practices, dinner at Tao and dancing at Pure Nightclub in Ceasar’s Palace one of the nights as well.

broken finger
What a way to start my first roller derby game

From Vegas, I hopped a plane over to Columbus, OH where I was playing my very first Roller Derby Bout against the Ohio Roller Girls. We lost, I broke my finger, dislocated a knuckle and pulled a tendon in my hand, and I was way tired, but it was still a good experience. My friend Chuck came out along with my cousin Ana and her boys, so it was great seeing family and friends as well.

Then, on top of all of the craziness, I had 2 days once I got home to move to a new house my roommate and I were renting. With a broken finger. NOT fun. One of my coworkers and his wife helped me move most of it Monday night. I had to be out by Wednesday, and after a trip to Atlanta on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to pick up my badly missed little Chihuahua, handle some work, and meet a special new friend (more on that next blog), it has been an exhausting month.

Stevens Top Fuel
Missed my team qualifying because of weather

Which brings me to this weekend: the St. Louis NHRA race. I went to this race last year, and was planning to go this year as well. The Stevens Family Top Fuel Dragster, which some may remember is the team I have been working with to get a top fuel ride once we find funding to license and run, had a one-race deal for St. Louis, and I had planned to go there and shoot some video of the team and me with the dragster to put together a promo reel for the sponsor chase. However, Friday afternoon when I was getting ready to pack up and leave, the weather sirens started going off, making the drive not look like such a great idea. That fact, combined with the radar outlook for Saturday showing rain all day long, made me decide to stay home after lots of back-and-forth. A decision I instantly regretted the next morning when Dave Stevens called me saying it was clear blue skies and sunny there. DOH! [photo Competition Plus, Roger Richards]So the team ended up qualifying and getting into the show. They went out first round to Morgan Lucas. Of course, I missed all the action. I’m super sad. 🙁 So much for luck… I gambled and lost in Vegas, Ohio, and St. Louis! DARN!

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Drag Racing, NHRA, Top Fuel

Horsepower & Heels TV: Chatting Ashley Force Hood

May 1, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Kicking off Season 2 of Horsepower & Heels TV, Erica had a chance to sit down with NHRA Nitro Funny Car driver Ashley Force-Hood to chat about how the newlywed manages the unique aspect of being a woman in the sport.

(Horsepower & Heels TV: Chatting with Ashley Force-Hood)

 

Category: Videos, Women in Racing NewsTag: Ashley Force, Drag Racing, H&H TV, NHRA, Races, Women Racing

Season 2 kickoff with Ashley Force-Hood

May 1, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Ashley Force-Hood and Erica Ortiz

You may remember a few months ago (where the heck is time going lately!) that I had a chance to sit down with NHRA Nitro Funny Car driver Ashley Force-Hood for some gal chat to kick off Season 2 of Horsepower & Heels TV…

Its been a hectic few months, but the folks at PNN just finalized the episode. Though I wish we could have included all 20 minutes of great insight from Ashley on a wide variety of topics, PNN and I chose to give some insight to viewers from Ashley into the very unique side of being a woman at the races.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

WATCH SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 of HORSEPOWER & HEELS TV!

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Ashley Force, Drag Racing, H&H TV, NHRA, Races, Road Trip, Women Racing

Gainesville NHRA and Ashley Force-Hood

March 24, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

Ashley Force and Erica Ortiz sit down and chat for Horsepower & Heels TV

Its been over a week since I got back from a great trip to the 40th Annual NHRA Gator Nationals, and I’m just catching up enough to sit down for an update.

What a great trip! The Gator Nationals have become a semi-traditional trip for me, being the first east coast race of the season, and my first chance to get away and “smell the nitro” for the year.
As usual, the trip kicks off at the Gainesville Ale House on Thursday night, with a chance to catch up to many of my racing friends and a few personal friends from home that come up for the weekend from Orlando.
But the highlight of this year’s trip was my opportunity on Friday morning to visit with Ashley Force courtesey of JFR PR pro Elon Werner. I met Elon through the new @JFR_Racing twitter campaign, and he invited me out to chat with Ashley in the pits. The JFR Twitter accounts allows fans to follow the instant team updates throughout the weekend to get a “behind the scenes” feel from the races in real-time.
(Check out my growing list of Drag Racing Twitter Accounts for other team updates)
Right now, Ashley is living the dream of a lot of us women racers in the PRO leagues of drag racing, being one of the few women competing this year in the NHRA. The advancement of women in racing is a passion of mine, so I was very eager to sit down with the top gal in our sport for some insight into what its like out there with the Big Boys. Ashley is in her third year as a professional Nitro Funny Car racer with her father’s premiere funny car team. She’s had incredible success as a racer, and is an inspiration to many.
Armed with my Horsepower & Heels TV Cam, I spent about 20 minutes with Ashley in her driver’s lounge chatting about what its been like for her as a woman out on the circuit and how she’s progressed through the ranks to reach professional status. PNN and I are now sorting through the editing, and we’ll be kicking off Season 2 of Horsepower & Heels TV with this insightful look at the leading lady in NHRA Nitro Funny Car.
Stay tuned for more coming soon!!!

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Ashley Force, Drag Racing, NHRA, Races, Road Trip, Women Racing

2009 Gator Nationals

March 11, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

The 2009 NHRA Gator Nationals are back in Gainesville, FL this weekend, and as is tradition now, I will be attending from Thursday-Sunday.
I’m even MORE excited to go this year, because I have a few exciting meetings lined-up during the course of the weekend, and a few surprises in store for Horsepower and Heels.com when I get back! I can’t mention anything yet, but believe me, its a *BIG* surprise!’
If you’ll be at the Gator’s, I invite you to stop by the Nitromater.com meet ups on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10am in front of the Nitro Mall. Or, come out to the Gainesville Ale House Thursday night for the traditional NHRA party.
Keep an eye on my Twitter updates for some real-time commentary on the race too!

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Drag Racing, NHRA, Races, Road Trip

Twitter for the racing crowd

February 1, 2009 //  by Horsepower & Heels

One of my favorite social networking tools is Twitter. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now, and although I first thought it was rather odd and didn’t “get it”, I’ve realized the myriad of different usages for the service, and how they can be customized and utilized for personal needs. (Visit me on Twitter here)

Lately, I’ve been very excited by the adoption of Twitter by many different racing teams as a way to communicate with fans. There are endless opportunities for teams to use Twitter in a new and engaging way.

One of the most beneficial usages is the fact that fans can now follow and request text message notifications to their phones for their favorite drivers. That means that if I subscribe with notification to JFR’s twitter account, I’ll get an instant text message update from the team whenever they tweet a new event. If PR people handle this right, it means insider information available instantaneously… and it also means a great database in which to reach out to your fans.
I’ve started assembling the Twitter Guide for the Drag Racing Crowd, to include a list of all the drag racing related twitter feeds. Feel free to add to my list in the comments section, and I’ll post them online soon for everyone to use.

[UPDATED 6/1/09]

***Sanctioning Bodies***
@NHRA — NHRA Official Twitter
@IHRAMotorsports — IHRA Official Twitter
@March Meet — Nostalgia Drag Racing Meet
@GSAProMods — NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge
@NAPA_Goodguys — Live tweeting from the Goodguys Events

***News Orgs***
@go2geiger — Go 2 Geiger Drag Racing News
@femaleracing — Female Racing News Network
@ProStockCars — Pro Stock Cars News
@nhraphil — Phil Burgess, Editor for National Dragster
@ChevyHigh — Chevy High Performance Magazine
@SpeedFreaks — Speed Freaks Motorsports Radio & TV
@SpeedSceneLive — Speed Scene Live Webcast
@ThunderRoadShow — The Thunder Road Show Radio
@SpeedTV — Speed TV Channel
@competitionplus — Competition Plus
@DragTimes — Database of Drag Racing and Dyno
@FTTV — Full Throttle TV

***Drivers/Teams***

–Top Fuel
@MARNews — Mike Ashley Racing, Antron Brown Top Fuel
@TeamKalitta — The Kalitta Racing Top Fuel/Funny Car Team
@KennyBernstein — Kenny Bernstein Racing Top Fuel Team
@TerryMcMillen — Top Fuel Driver Terry McMillen
@BobVandergriff — Top Fuel Driver Bob Vandergriff
@shoeracing — Don Schumacher Racing Top Fuel/Funny Car Teams
@bacamotorsports — Top Fuel Driver David Baca
@alanabiracing — Alan Johnson Top Fuel/Funny Car Teams
@DougHerbert — Top Fuel Driver Doug Herbert
@RacerJRTodd — NHRA Top Fuel Driver J.R. Todd
@topfueldragster — Stevens Family Top Fuel Team
@Cory_Mac_TF — Top Fuel Driver Cory McClenathan
@HillaryWill — Top Fuel Driver Hillary Will
@HotRodFuller — Top Fuel Driver Rod Fuller
@ClayMillican — Top Fuel Driver Clay Millican

–Funny Car
@JFR_Racing — John Force Racing Funny Car Teams
@Tasca3 — Nitro Funny Car Driver Bob Tasca III
@TeamWilkerson — Nitro Funny Car team of Tim Wilkerson
@MattHaganRacing — Nitro Funny Car Driver Matt Hagan
@ITGMotorsports — In the Groove Nitro Funny Car/Pro Stock Bike Team
@DaleCreasyJr — Nitro Funny Car Driver Dale Creasy Jr.
@GaryDensham –Nitro Funny Car Driver Gary Densham

–Pro Stock
@TeamJEGS_Jeg_Jr — Pro Stock Driver Jeg Coughlin Jr.
@ACDelcoRacing — Pro Stock Team of Kurt Johnson
@BBenza — Pro Stock Driver Bob Benza
@Erica_Enders — Pro Stock Driver Erica Enders

–Pro Stock Motorcycle
@SJR_Racing — Pro Stock Motorcycle Driver Steve Johnson
@ShawnGann — Pro Stock Motorcycle Driver Shawn Gann
@hdracing — Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle Team

–Pro Mod
@NielsenRacing — Outlaw Pro Modified Nitrous team
@madmantaylor — Pro Mod Driver Frankie Taylor
@rodhouckracing — Pro Mod Driver Rod Houck
@BarklageRacing — Barklage Pro Mod Racing Team

–Other Classes
@nitrokitty — Nostalgia Funny Car Driver Mendy Fry
@CourtneyEnders — Courtney Enders
@CourtneyForce — A/Fuel Dragster Driver Courtney Force
@MKRacer — Nitro Crew Chief Mike Kloeber
@wellsmotorsport — IHRA Top Sportsman Carlos Wells
@HorsepowerHeels — Pro Mod Driver Erica Ortiz
@LeducDiamond — Nostalgia Funny Car Driver Leah Leduc

***Tracks/Facilities***
@norwalkracefans — Summit Raceway Park in Norwalk, OH
@gatewayraceway — Gateway Int’l Raceway in Madison, IL
@BMSUpdates — Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN
@OReillyRaceway — O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN
@InfineonRaceway — Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA
@RacePBIR — Palm Beach International Raceway in Palm Beach, FL
@ACSUpdates — Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA
@LVMotorSpeedway — Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV
@MapleGrove — Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA
@The_Dirty_MO — Mooresville Dragway in Mooresville, NC

***Sponsors and Motorsports Miscellaneous***
@RacingJunk — Racing Junk Classifieds
@FordRacing — Ford Racing Division
@DragstarRacing — DragStar Apparel
@CastrolUSA — Castrol Engine Oils
@MandHtires — M&H Tires
@hotchkis — Hotchkis Suspension
@YokohamaTC — Yokohama Tire Company
@TitanMotorsport — Titan Motorsports in Orlando, FL
@wyotech — WYOTech
@NHRA_Museum — The NHRA Museum
@SummitRacing — Summit Racing Performance Powerhouse
@KNFilters — K&N Filters
@JFRaceStation — John Force Race Station
@TrickTitanium — Trick Titanium
@MQL_Racing — Motorcraft and Quick Lane
@Turbonetics — Turbonetics Turbochargers
@rehermorrison — Reher Morrison Engines

Category: Horsepower & Heels BlogTag: Drag Racing, Lists, NHRA

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