Photo Credit: Erica Enders Racing Facebook
NHRA female racer, Erica Enders-Stevens just put the icing on the cake for a record setting year for women in motorsports by becoming the 1st Female Pro Stock World Champion this past weekend! Erica Enders-Stevens locked in the history making win after defeating Jason Line during the finals at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, California.
This is Erica’s 6th win of the 2014 NHRA season. She is now that 3rd female to win a world championship in the NHRA Drag Racing Series. Erica Enders-Stevens now joins Top Fuel Champion, Shirley Muldowney and Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion, Angelle Sampey in the books of NHRA World Champion Female Racers!
“It’s awesome to be a part of this female movement in NHRA. I think it goes to show what we’re capable of and what a great platform NHRA gives all of us girls to climb the ladder and to get to where we want to go,” Erica Enders-Stevens stated in a post race interview to NHRA.
2014 was the year for women in the NHRA. During the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, there were a total of 14 wins among 4 female race car drivers; Erica Enders-Stevens, Alexis DeJoria, Courtney Force, and Angie Smith. Courtney Force took the 100th female win earlier this year and became NHRA’s Most Winningest Female Racer.
Erica Enders-Stevens began racing junior dragsters back in 1992 at the young age of just 8. Not even a year after she started, Erica won the Division 4 Jr. Dragster Championship. By 1995, Erica Enders-Stevens was named Junior Dragster Driver of the Year. Erica raced competitively in the Junior Dragster Division until she was 16 years old; ending her Junior Dragster career with 37 wins.
At the age of 16, Erica Enders-Stevens left the Junior Dragster Division and moved up into the big boy leagues to compete in her 1st national event at her hometown of Houston, Texas. She ended up becoming the youngest NHRA National Event Finalist and was honored as the NHRA Sportsman Rookie of the Year back in 2000.
Fast forward to 2006, Erica Enders-Stevens claimed her first No. 1 Qualifier in the NHRA Pro Stock Class; becoming the first woman to ever earn the Number 1 position. Later on in 2011, Erica Enders-Stevens ended up breaking the national speed record for the NHRA Pro Stock Class with a MPH of 213.57 in Gainesville, Florida. In 2014, Erica Enders-Stevens broke the Pro Stock speed record again at the same track during the NHRA Gatornationals with a 6.483 @ 214.69 MPH.
One of the biggest moments in history, besides her Pro Stock World Championship Win, is from 2012 at Chicagoland Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, when Erica Enders-Stevens became the first woman to ever win NHRA Pro Stock! Okay, maybe we have a little bias seeing as we are from Chicago (hahaha).
Congratulations to Erica Enders-Stevens and crew, as well as, all of the women in the NHRA. This 2014 race season was truly an inspiration to all of us. I couldn’t imagine a better way to end this record breaking year for women in motorsports. We can’t wait to see what 2015 holds!
