Photo Credit: Review Journal
NHRA didn’t know what hit them after the ladies took the track over at the NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway! NHRA Funny Car Racer, Alexis DeJoria and NHRA Pro Stock Racer, Erica Enders-Stevens broke down barriers as they raced to the finish on Sunday at the NHRA Nationals and made history! Sunday marked the second time that two female drivers were victorious at the same NHRA event. Prior to Sunday, it was in 2012 that Courtney Force and Erica Enders made history as the first pair of females to win the same race at Pacific Raceway.
This is Alexis DeJoria’s 3rd full season in NHRA Funny Car. Sunday marked her 2nd career win in 2014! She is now sitting 3rd in points and holds the most wins in the 2014 following her victory in Vegas.
“This was definitely a grudge match [with Hight] coming off our win in Phoenix. I was just in shock when we won there. It was gratifying and intense. Today my team gave me a good car and got me down the track first. I really appreciate them so much and all they give up to help this team go racing,” stated Alexis DeJoria, “It was a good day at the office, especially with the Patron Spirits company located right here in Las Vegas.”
Erica Enders-Stevens took the Pro Stock title from Dave Connolly and won $50,000 with her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. Her victory in Vegas made her the 3rd with the most female driver wins in pro class behind legends Angelle Sampey and Shirley Muldowney. She now sits at the NHRA Pro Stock Point Leader — becoming the first female in history to lead points in the factory hot rod category.
“I have a different mindset. It goes back to the people [I’m around] – for the first time since I raced with my family as a kid, and then in the sportsman ranks, I’m having fun again. As a driver, it adds a lot of pressure when you have the fastest car, but I like that,” stated Erica Enders-Stevens, “It certainly is very important to us, it keeps us going on this 24-race schedule. This is storybook. We’ve gone a few years without sponsorship; there were definitely more lows than highs. It would have been easy to quit. This is definitely a highlight. Next to winning a championship, this is probably the coolest thing in the world.”
