← Herm & Schrader
Herm & Schrader
Six Titles and Erica Enders Still Has Something to Prove
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Six Titles and Erica Enders Still Has Something to Prove
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- [00:02]
A
I love my phone but not my carrier. What do I do?
- [00:04]
B
Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.
- [00:07]
A
Like what?
- [00:08]
B
You can keep your phone and your number and T mobile helps pay it off up to $800 per line.
- [00:13]
A
So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone?
- [00:14]
B
Yep. Plus your plan price stays the same for 5 years on experience plans. Nice. Find your reason@t mobile.com
- [00:23]
A
via virtual prepaid guard card typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on TalkText and 5G data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. As a fan chosen for the halftime challenge, I love sports for a chance to win the big prize. But when my half court heave only goes half the distance, how embarrassing for him. I wonder, is sport clips better than sports? Because sport clips haircuts is sports on tv. Plus an expert haircut, hot steam towel and massaging shampoo tear up his comically large check. Which is better than sports plus public embarrassment. Sport clips. It's a game changer. Check it online@sport clips.com hello everyone and welcome back to Kenny Conversation, brought to you by jegs, the leader in high performance aftermarket car parts. Remember to go to JEGS.com to fix your hot rod or your everyday vehicle. Right up. Deep breath, deep breath. Because as my dear friend Kenny Schrader would say, he would point to a person and he'd say, hero. Hero. And there she is. You're looking at her, the six time NHRA pro stock champion, Erica Anders. Erica, welcome to Kenny Conversation.
- [01:40]
B
Hey, Kenny, thanks for having me, man.
- [01:43]
A
Look at my smile. You are just so badass. I've been able to be around you and as badass as you are, you're so normal. We went to the cartoon. We went to the Cardinal game together.
- [01:56]
B
We did.
- [01:57]
A
So there's a lot to talk about. But. But I know you got off the plane late last night. You won the Gator Nationals. What's it feel like a day after finally?
- [02:11]
B
We've been trying to get it done for 20 years. It was one of the last remaining NHRA checks that we hadn't won it. And it was just an awesome weekend from the time we rolled off the trailer. We made some really good runs. We went to the number one spot Friday night, improved on Saturday to hold the number one spot, and then ended up winning the race on Sunday. So it was. It was crazy. Kind of like one of those pinch me moments and you know, you're exhausted and then you wake up and you're like, for real. It happened. The trophy's right there. So it's. It was a pretty cool accomplishment for our entire organization.
- [02:47]
A
I think you're pretty incredible. So I kind of compare you a little bit to the great Dale Senior. He had won everything. He had won seven championships, but he had never won the Daytona 500. And you would think because of Dale Senior in NASCAR, winning everything there ever was, but he never won the Daytona 500. It was like. It was like his career started all over again. I kind of see that in you because I follow your social media here. You've done it all. But I mean, is that the way it felt for you? Like it felt for Earnhardt winning the Gator Nationals?
- [03:23]
B
I mean, kind of. I remember watching Dale win the Daytona 500. I remember how everyone came off of pit row and lined up and they all high fived him as he went by. And I was a fan of his from the time I was a little girl all the way through the end. But yeah, I mean, the media always asks, like, what. What's next? What are your goals? And for the longest time, you know, every New Year's we always write out our go the year. And every single stinking year, I put the Gator Nationals on there, along with winning the championship, obviously, and it eluded us for so long. And being able to get it done was definitely extremely satisfying. And, you know, I got to race my teammate, Christian Quadra in the finals, which had he beat us, it would have been his first national event win. So I was like, so rooting for him. But at the same time, selfishly, I wanted to win. And it was just. Just kind of one of those dream days, I guess.
- [04:17]
A
What do you have that all the other drivers don't have? Because you just brought it up. You outrun your own teammates. You've been doing this since you've been eight years old. What I mean is, you've been winning since you've been eight years old. You outrun your own teammates. You outrun everybody. And this is me bragging on you. What do you think you have that the other drivers don't have?
- [04:41]
B
That's a really good and tough question, because you don't want to sound arrogant. But at the same time, I mean, I don't really know what sets me aside from the other ones. You know, for the most part, you can go through any sort of racing, but especially drag racing, and see the family affiliation. And most of us grew up watching our dads and grandpa's race, and the passion for it runs thick in our blood. But, you know, from the Time I was a little kid, you know, doing those projects in elementary school. Like, what do you want to be when you grow up? And your friends are saying, like, doctors and lawyers and astronauts and whatever, and. And I always have wanted to be a race car driver. So it has been my main focus since I can remember. I'm super fortunate to have had parents that sacrificed a lot. I was at the track every single weekend and, you know, going from junior dragsters to sportsman racing. I remember trying to get my name and face out there and get the local newspaper and the local news station to cover us so we could go out and find sponsors. You know, even when I was in college, I went for marketing and business management. So marketing, obviously, for the sponsorship side. And instead of taking, like, chemistry as my science elective, I took meteorology because weather played such a big part in tuning the race car. So this is what it's always been for me. And I have literally, like, a lot of people given up everything to be great at it, but every single chance I get, I'm in that car. You know, we have. I have eight other teammates and they. A lot of them have real jobs, so when they can't test, I do. It's seat time. It's, you know, I'm able to practice and fine tune, you know, my game. And then on the other side of it, my dad always says it's a six inches between your ears. It's 90% mental. So being, you know, mentally tough and having a positive mental attitude, all of those things are super important. As lame as they might sound from the outside, but visualizing exactly what you want to happen and then just believing it and making it come to fruition. So I guess the mental side of it, maybe if I had to pick one thing, but just always, always focusing on racing, it's never, ever, ever been anything else.
- [06:49]
A
First of all, you have great reaction time. You make minimal mistakes. You're very consistent. It's like when Erica comes to the line, she's robotic. She's going to be the same all the time. And I believe that builds confidence within your. They're going to work hard for you. I think this is a case where the boys on the team or the ladies on the team, they. They don't want to let you down. When I was with you at the Cardinal ball game, it looked like your team was very close.
- [07:23]
B
Yeah, we're. We're definitely close. We're a big family. We spend more time together than we do with our own families. And, you know, when we went I went to the NASCAR race in St. Louis and met up with a couple of people that are affiliated with the Cardinals. They allowed us to buy tickets. I bought, like, 55 tickets to the Cardinals game, and every single person on the team went. You were obviously able to join us with Woody, which was really awesome. And then a cool side of that story. The Quadra family from Leon, Mexico, had never been to a major league baseball game. And they were, like, so excited. They were, like. They wore their team shirts to the game, and they had a ball. So, yeah, every city we go to, I'm responsible for booking all of our travel, like, hotels and commercial flights for the guys that don't fly on the team plane and making sure everybody's taken care of. They call me mom. I guess I'm team Mom. But I try to plan something fun, you know, everywhere we go, and it means a lot, and that's what I think is so special about our team. You can't buy what we have. We have such great team chemistry, and it's extremely coveted, and I love that aspect of it. I've raced for a number of different really large teams in nhra, and they don't. They don't touch what we have here at Elite Motorsports.
- [08:37]
A
So this blows my mind. And I want everybody out there, all the racers in every form. You're telling me that you. You drive the race car and you book the team travel, is that right?
- [08:53]
B
I do, yeah.
- [08:54]
A
That is so awesome. You know, after the. After the US Nationals on, like, a Tuesday, I think I was up at Jags, and I seen Jaggy, you know, working like a normal person, and he was a winner. He won a lot. Oh, yeah. Does booking travel and working inside the team does that. Do you think that that helps out with stress level, too? Kind of keeps your mind fresh. In other words, you're just not always in the car. Sometimes people look for an escape. I guess. You enjoy it?
- [09:30]
B
I do. I definitely enjoy having something to do all of the time. And I also love taking care of people. That's like my most favorite thing ever is to try to make others really happy and have fun. And so I take a lot of pride in that role. But also on the marketing side, you know, Richard and I, along with Pete Merkel, our sponsor acquisitions guy, we work really hard on securing our partners. I'm at the shop here every day when I'm not at the racetrack. So we leave Thursdays, and we usually fly home Sunday night or Monday, and then we're back at work. I saw our rigs just rolling in outside the window while we're talking. But, yeah, it's always all hands on deck here. But I do. I do enjoy doing other things. And, you know, in between rounds, I'm not just sitting up in my lounge eating bon bons like, I'm servicing the car with my guys. I'm responsible for firewall forward with Richard. We run the valves, check spring pressure, we leak the engine, obviously fuel it, change oil, all of those things. So I'm. I'm pretty involved, and I. I like that part of it. I feel like the more involved I am, the more I love it, and the better I get.
- [10:36]
A
Yeah, I know the fans that are listening right now, if they're anything like me, I'm.
- [10:41]
B
I'm.
- [10:42]
A
I'm pleasantly surprised. Now I know why you're a champion, and now I know why you win so much. Because you grew up in it. You are basically engrossed in it. You do it all. And my brother Rusty taught me years ago, get your head in the carburetor. And that. That's a. That's a phrase of speech. Get your head in the whole thing. And, wow, we all just learned a lot. So let's go back. Let's go back to the Gator Nationals. I watched. To me, it did not look like your normal drag race if we're. If we're standing behind the left lane. When they showed an aerial shot, every car looked like it was staged crooked. Everybody in the right lane looked straight. The left lane, everybody looked crooked, like they were doing it on purpose. Was the track at the Gator Nationals, was it tricky, or was I seen wrong?
- [11:41]
B
No, you didn't see wrong. The track is very tricky. It's always tricky at the Gators because the atmospheric conditions this early in the season usually are pretty great. Like, our race cars are naturally aspirated, so they like the cool, dry air. So you. You have all of that extra horsepower, right? And then the racetrack aesthetically looks good, but it becomes tricky because of the way the rubber's on it and whatnot. So, like, in the right lane, for instance, the. The starting line was really great. So you hit the tire, right, and you're going through low gear. And as you got out, just shy of a second into the run, the rubber became really thin. And that's why you would see a lot of our cars. I can't speak for top fuel and funny car, but you would see that. See it take the tire off, like, right at the 1, 2 gear change mark. Now, what you saw in the Left lane. You're absolutely right. Like we would be rolling forward and. And kind of just nose the car to the right a little bit because when you unclutch it, it typically like wants to pull the car to the left. So the track is very tricky. You know, it essentially becomes a one lane racetrack as the day goes on, which is unfortunate, but they obviously do the best they can. I'm not, I'm not talking crap about them, but yes, very tricky. So you're. What you saw was absolutely accurate.
- [13:01]
A
I love my phone but not my carrier. What do I do?
- [13:04]
B
Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.
- [13:07]
A
Like what?
- [13:08]
B
You can keep your phone and your number and T Mobile helps pay it off up to $800 per line. So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone? Yep. Plus your plan price stays the same for 5 years on experience plans. Nice. Find your reason@t mobile.com
- [13:23]
A
via virtual prebate guard card typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on Talk text and 5G data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. As a fan chosen for the halftime challenge, I love sports for a chance to win the big prize. But when my half court heaves only goes half the distance, how embarrassing for him. I wonder if. But is sport clips better than sports? Because sport clips haircuts is sports on tv plus an expert haircut, hot steam towel and massaging shampoo tear up his comically large check. Which is better than sports plus public embarrassment. Sport clips, it's a game changer. Check it online@sport clips.com I'm impressed with what you've done. All right. This is the part of the show where we remind everybody how great these people are that I get lucky to have conversations with. So Erica, let me brag on you for a little bit. I want you to listen to this, okay? And then I'm going to ask you what you think and I want to throw a disclaimer out there. There's way more and I know there is, but it's impossible to name it all because you've done so much. But I want to hit the highlights. So Starting at age 8, you won the Division 4 championship. Eight years old. Now feel free to interrupt me. In 1995, Erica was named junior Dragster driver of the year. In those eight years of junior dragster competition, she won 37 races. In 2000, at 16 years old, you advanced to your first national final, become the youngest ever to advance to a final. She was named sportsman rookie of the year. Erica achieved more round wins in 2005 than any other woman in NHRA Pro stock history. Now, I want to stop right there for a minute. When I was checking your stats out. You are the first woman in NHRA pro stock history, and at everything you are, you are the greatest lady racer in NHRA pro stock history. I. That's my stat, okay? So I want to make sure I put that in. You are the first of everything in Pro stock. In 2006, error became the. Erica became the first woman to qualify number one in pro stock history at heartland park in Topeka, Kansas. I like that name. Heartland Park. 2011. Broke the national speed record in pro stock at that time. 2011, 213.57. We're gonna. We're gonna wrap it up in a little bit in 2011. I like this stat. We're gonna stop after this one. We're gonna talk about this one. In 2011, Erica outrun in the first round, the 2004 NASCAR champion, Kurt Busch in the first round at the gator nationals. Now, I saw that one, and I On. On purpose put that there. I want. Because we have a big crowd. We interview everybody here. Tell me about that moment where in the first round, you had to know you were going up against the 2004 NASCAR champion. This was 2011. This was 2011, and you're going up against the 2004 NASCAR champion, Kurt Busch. Tell me about that moment. What was it like around the racetrack when you saw this NASCAR champion come in and want to try drag racing?
- [17:17]
B
I thought it was pretty cool. It's obviously awesome for our sport and the. The notoriety and the media that surrounded it was very intense. It was a lot of extra eyeballs on you, so that was a lot of extra pressure. But, yeah, it was. It was really cool, and we were stoked to have a NASCAR driver out there drag racing with us. But I'm super good friends with Alan Johnson, who's the team owner of the car that he drove. So. So we got to hang out and chat and whatnot throughout the weekend, but as God would have it, we had to race each other first round, and he did an awesome job. These cars are not easy to drive, as I'm sure NASCAR cars aren't either. But he did a great job, and we were fortunate enough to turn the win light on. So, I don't know, it was definitely a cool experience. And I had started with Kegnazi, as you mentioned, in 2005 and 6. Then I went to Don Schumacher racing, and then we purchased. My dad and I purchased the assets from him and ran our own operation in 07. And I drove for Jim Cunningham in a Ford that didn't very often qualify for three years. So 11 was my first year back in a competitive race car with Victor Cagnazi. So I felt like, like I had a lot to prove and I had gained a bunch of seat time in those years in between my two stints at Cagnazi. So I was like gung ho, like ready to show the world like what I was made of. And so, so that was really neat that I was able to race.
- [18:44]
A
Kurt, thank you for filling those years in. And I'm going to call an audible right now. Can I see that ring? Can we all look at that? Oh my Five time baby.
- [18:58]
B
I haven't got my new one yet. I got my new one at Gainesville, but I keep sporting this one.
- [19:04]
A
I saw that. So let's finish up this. Okay? We'll end like this. Like I said, there's way more, but I thought we'd end like this because this is so badass. July 2, 2012 the first woman to win in pro stock outrunning Greg Anderson and Joliet, Illinois. Okay, I just said all that. What did your mind think when I was reminding you everything that you've accomplished?
- [19:38]
B
It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, I'm very fortunate to have a very long and stout resume, but also, also have dedicated my entire life to it, you know, nonetheless, with so many people's help. But winning that first national event against Greg Anderson was awesome. You know, we're probably arch nemesis, him and I, and from the very, very get go, he was the only one. And I'm not being mean, but he was the only one that made me out to be any different. He was the only one that was vocal about saying the others may have thought it, but he was the one that said it in the, in the media that I do not want to be the first one to lose to a girl. And having the sense of humor that God has it lined up that way. And we were able to load him up in, in Chicago for my first win. And that kind of. And he said that too. That that moment open opened the floodgates and that was where our success truly started. So my first seven years in pro stock, we went, we went winless. And you know, from 2012 until now, we've won 49 national events and six world titles. So we've packed a lot of success into the last 11 seasons and we're very thankful for it. But that, that Day stands out to me and always will.
- [20:52]
A
Obviously I have goosebumps. That takes a moment of pause. And I'm going there before I go there about you being the first. Hey, let me ask you this. I'm a girl, dad. I have three daughters and I always put up for the ladies. I've made a lot about it. About three weeks ago, talked about the ladies. What is proper to you, lady or woman? I'm confused because I'm married and three daughters. What, what is proper? Lady or woman?
- [21:31]
B
I don't care. I'm not, I'm not one that's sensitive about stuff like that. I mean, usually when they say the winning is woman in motorsports, I think being called a lady is a compliment because it's in, in addition to being a woman because you act ladylike. But I don't, I don't care. Woman, girl, whoever, whatever you want to call me.
- [21:51]
A
Yeah. And I, but you know what, you mentioned something that I, I didn't recognize. Yes, you're very ladylike. Okay, let's call this audible. And you mentioned it and I heard it 15 years ago. And I know that the pro stocks just as long, you know, top fuel funny car, everything is advanced. I always heard that the pro stock was the hardest vehicle to drive. Is that still true or is it not?
- [22:23]
B
I have driven everything under the sun, including a twin turbo pro mod car, nitrous pro mod car, an alcohol funny car. I've driven it all except for nitro funny car and top field dragster. And in my opinion, pro stock is the most challenging because it's, it's very fine tuned. We leave with a clutch. The only other class that's like that is pro stock motorcycle. And then we are responsible for shifting. We have a five speed Liberty, so you have to shift four times going down the racetrack. We have a 10,500 RPM limiter. That rule was implemented in 2016. It used to be whatever you wanted to shift at. And they were getting closer to 12,000 RPM. But now we're limited to 10,5. And it's very crucial to hit your shifts because as you know, if you run it up on the limiter, you know, your G meter falls off, your face hits the steering wheel, you lose time. If you pull it too early, you're kind of gutting the run and knocking the clutch out of it. So I think it's very challenging to drive. And that's what keeps me coming back for more is because you can never, you can never say, I have a full handle on this because I'm always learning, I'm always experiencing new things, I'm always making new mistakes and trying to be a better race car driver. But yeah, it's, it's super hard and that's what I love about it.
- [23:45]
A
And this went right where I wanted it to go. You're a lady NHRA pro stock. Pro stock drag racer. There's a lot for you to do in the car and you outrun the men. So with that being said, we will address the elephant in the room. At what point do you remember once you made it through the big time, which I would consider pro stock? Do you remember the boys you talked about? Greg Anderson and you know I'm a girl dad, I've said it a hundred times, but this is what the fans want to keep talking about. Tell me the moment, tell me some moments that the boys had a problem with the ladies outrunning them. What were some of your moments that every once in a while you think about
- [24:40]
B
man. Like at the very, very beginning when I was licensing in pro stock, I remember that was, that was before like social media really took off, thank God. But people, people are ugly and when they're given a platform to spew hate with zero consequence, like, because where we come from, like if you're mean to somebody, you get hit in the mouth. But that doesn't happen to these naysayers and people online. So it was challenging at first and a lot of people don't know because there wasn't social media. But during testing and when I was getting my license in 2004 before my pro debut, I crashed a car. I crashed a pro stock car. And the things that were said after that were just like, oh my God, like there's a reason why girls don't do this. This is a good old boys club. And, and at that time it was middle aged and older men that, that compiled the pro stock category from Warren and Kurt Johnson to Mike Edwards to, I mean the heavy hitters of real pro stock. And, and I get it. I mean I also try to, I always try to be rational about things and, and weigh both sides before I form an opinion. And I can't imagine what these middle aged and older men thought about a 19 year old girl coming into their class trying to do what they do. She, you know, the things that were said, like she'll be a flash in the pan and oh, it's just because she has her daddy's money. And you know, my dad's a girl dad too. He's got my Sister and I. So we were. It was pounded into our heads that gender plays no role. If you want to do something and you work hard and you surround yourself with good people, there's no reason why you can't. There's not going to be a limit on what you can do because of your gender. And that definitely helped on the home front. But after that crash, and I know I'm rambling. I'm sorry.
- [26:30]
A
No, you keep going. Please keep going.
- [26:33]
B
After that crash, anybody that's crashed a race car, that's kind of a real gut check moment, and it's not exactly fun, and it's a little bit scary. Scary. And I was 19, and I was going to school at Texas A and M at the time. And, you know, I was. I was pretty sore the next day. And Victor Pagnazi, my team owner at the time, we were testing in Bradenton, Florida, and he brought a backup car in from Charlotte. And the next day, I had the opportunity to get in it. And obviously, like, I was, like, sick to my stomach, right? I was really nervous, and my dad pulled me aside because he was there, and he was like, look, you don't. You don't have to do this. This is your decision. If you. If you want to do this, then I'm standing right here. And if you don't, we'll go get on the airplane and go home and you can go back to school. And that's all. That's all it took. I was like, give me my helmet. I'm going back. So that was one of those. Those gut check moments. But people, from the very beginning, and even in junior drag racing and the Lucas Oil series, when I raised super comp and super gas, it wasn't, like, super common back then through the. Through the late 90s and early 2000s. And now look at our sport, where we're extremely diverse, and I think it's really awesome, but people suck. And you have to remember that no matter what you do for a living, whether you drive a race car or you work behind a desk or you're a welder or a soccer player, whatever it is, my dad always told me this. There's going to be a pile of crap at every corner. You just have to pick your pile. People are going to be ugly, and you have the opportunity to prove them wrong. And that's what. That's what makes me keep going. Like, I love more than anything in the world proving people wrong and making them shut up.
- [28:15]
A
I love my phone, but not my carrier. What do I do?
- [28:18]
B
Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.
- [28:21]
A
Like what?
- [28:22]
B
You can keep your phone and your number and T Mobile helps pay it off up to $800 per line. So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone? Yep. Plus your plan price stays the same for 5 years on experience plans. Nice. Find your reason@t mobile.com
- [28:37]
A
via virtual prepaid guard card typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on Talk text and 5G data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. Good morning, students. Soccer teaches us teamwork, leadership, geometry, art, physics, and a lifetime of lessons we can take with us long after we leave the field. That's why bank of America and US Soccer are committed to helping bring soccer to every school. Soccer is officially in session. Raise your hand to help bring soccer to schools@bofa.com soccerchools that was very heartfelt and I feel it now. Listen, I know you're a badass, okay? Don't, don't, don't even feel a little bit of anything for telling your truth because I just had Brian Deegan on and he's one of the greatest and he talked. His mother left him. So I really like what you just said. And that leads me to this. You know, I don't know you very well, but I know you and I see your sister Courtney and you. I don't know anything about you two, but it appears that you two should be twins. It's like you're grown at the hip. You know, we see her out there. She is so proud of you. You don't see many sisters that would do what she does. It appears that she loves you so much. Did she help you get through some of these growing pains early in your career?
- [30:17]
B
Absolutely. I'm, I'm very fortunate to have a sister and a best friend like Courtney. While we're similar in a lot of ways, we're extremely different. She's very outgoing and fun and she says and does all the things that I can't. But she's, she's the most awesome, most loyal, most amazing person on the planet. And you know, you think about different scenarios that could have happened. And whenever I went pro racing and she didn't, she have kind of veered off and went the other way or had animosity about it and she didn't. She like joined me and she was, she's been there every single step of the way from the, from the very, very get go from junior drag racing back in the early 90s, so. And now she's, she's obviously got a really badass job at Flow Sports, and I feel like she does a tremendous job with content creation and being there on air talent for drag racing. And so she's kind of made her own way. And she loves it when we're at the racetrack and people yell her name or say, like, shake and Bake, which is a podcast that she does, or ask for her autograph and not ask for mine, and she, like, you know, beats her chest, and she thinks that's really cool. But I'm extremely fortunate to have her by my side. And, yes, she has helped me through a lot of that stuff. She's a lot tougher than I am, and she has a lot of good advice to offer, but she'll also, like, offer to throw down with these idiots that are mean to me, too. So she's. She's feisty, but I'm. I'm extremely blessed to have her.
- [31:51]
A
In my corner, I have my brother, Rusty. So I'm Courtney.
- [31:57]
B
You're the Courtney.
- [31:57]
A
I'm the Courtney.
- [31:58]
B
And
- [32:01]
A
I was at the indoor dome race in St. Louis. Every year. We raced on the football field, a little dirt track, and, you know, we get about 30,000 people in there, and the event was over, and I had done really good, and it was on a Saturday night, and I'm walking out of the Dome, downtown St. Louis, and. And this lady and I catch eyes, and it was Courtney, and she says, I'm Erica Ender's sister. I said, whoa, wait a minute, stop. You know. You know, when the race is over, everybody kind of speeds up, like, we're going to get on the airplane. We're leaving.
- [32:38]
B
Yeah.
- [32:39]
A
I said, stop. Hold on. You and your sister are so badass. Thank you for telling me this. I follow your Instagram. My favorite part is when you and your sister win and you drive back and you turn the camera on. That moment, do you know that that's kind of a popular moment for you and your sister when you win and the trophy and the wallies all done and you drive back? Do you know that's a good deal on Instagram?
- [33:11]
B
Absolutely, yeah. And it. The way that it came about was really, like, we didn't mean for it to happen. We were in Charlotte in 2018, and. And 16 was, like, an awful year for us. We had zero wins. We only had one win in 17. So we felt like we were making our comeback in 18. Right. It's our first winner circle of the year. And we were in Charlotte, North Carolina, and. And we were fixing to leave and, you know, pro stock With a clutch and everything. And we're very, like, cautious about everything. And, oh, don't. Don't leave it running too long and don't drive too much.
- [33:43]
A
Blah, blah, blah.
- [33:44]
B
Well, my. My lead engine builder, Jake Hairston, he's like, effort. Drive this thing back to the pit. And I'm like, what? And he's like, yeah, just do it. I was like, okay. So we got in the car, Courtney got in the passenger side, and we drove it back to the pit. And I get, you know, back over there, and I'm whacking the throttle, and we shut it off, and she goes, what'd you just do? And not planned, not scripted. I'm like, we just drove this back, and. And it stuck. And she, like. We got out of the car. She's like, that's a freaking T shirt. And. And it took off like wildfire. And now every time we win, you know, people are, you know, yelling in the. In the winter circle, in the crowd, like, drive that back. And I even have little kids. They're like, my mom said I could say it. And they come, and I'm like, oh, God dang. I'm like, a bad. I'm a bad Roman model. But they. They love it. They cheer for it. It gets thousands and thousands of views on. On social media, and it just. It's kind of stuck over the years, so it's become really fun. But going back to when you ran into Courtney at that race, she sent me a video that you, like, said, hey, Erica, Kenny Wallace here, blah, blah, blah. You're a bad. You're a badass. I have it saved on my phone, but I'm like, holy cow. That's so cool. Kenny Wallace. But anyway, she's. She's awesome, and she's a huge asset through our whole operation.
- [35:00]
A
That means a lot to me. Okay, this is where we do a audible. I tell everybody this, and everybody's. You know, we're so honest here. You know, I show the notes, and we're. This one I really like. Just for the girls. Your original dragster is on display at Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Is that right?
- [35:28]
B
That's correct. Yep. In Pomona, California.
- [35:30]
A
Okay. Yeah, that. That's everything. Tell me a little bit about Wally Park's NHRA Motorsports Museum. If the fans go there to see your original dragster. And listen, everybody, the reason it's there. She's a. She's a six time. She's done it all. Tell me about that. What can the fans expect to see with your little setup there?
- [35:51]
B
At the museum, there's so many really great race cars and articles from the entire history of NHRA drag racing. So it was a huge honor when they asked for us to put our first junior dragster in the museum. And it's. The museum is on site at the Pomona racetrack in Southern California. And every single year we race there twice a year. And Courtney and I go, go over there and we say hi to it. Like it actually knows we're there. But it's a, it's a little pink junior dragster. And you can totally tell it was built in like 1992, the way that technology has changed. But it's, it's kind of like a time capsule. You get to go back and, and remember how many great times. And Courtney actually drove that car too. Like I started in it and then when she turned eight years old, because she's three years behind me, she, she got in that car and then I got a new car. And so we were both able to drive it. And it says Enders Racing on the side and where our names go, it says Eric and Courtney. So it's pretty neat. So if any of any of the fans are ever going to Pomona, they should definitely check out the museum, not just for our car, but for a ton of other really cool stuff.
- [36:58]
A
So we want to remind everybody up to date we talked about when you were eight years old. Erica Enders, six time NHRA Pro Stock Champion, back to back championship. 2022, 2023. Going for a three Pete, 48 career wins now, or where are we at?
- [37:19]
B
We're at 49, but 48 Pro stock wins. So we're closing in on 50. The way you look at it, I won a national event in Super Gas in 2004 right before I started my pro stock career.
- [37:32]
A
10 wins in 2022, 4 wins in 2023. So the reason I bring these, this subject matter up, that one caught me off guard. Here I am being a kid brother again. Rusty Wallace, my brother won 10 races when he first went to Ford and did not win the championship. You win 10 races in 2022 win the championship, but you won four in 2023 last year and still won the championship. Educate us all how you were able to win it. Win the championship with four wins.
- [38:19]
B
Yeah. So 22 was a dream season. We had 10 wins and 13 final round appearances in a total of 18 races. So we kind of dominated the season, but the way the points are structured and it kind of went on the heels of NASCAR when they made the change, like for the countdown, we did that as well. And the way that the points are structured in the season. Go ahead.
- [38:43]
A
No, you're right. You reminded me. This is good.
- [38:46]
B
Yep. In the regular season, you're. You accumulate as many points as possible. Indy is the final race of the regular season. It's worth points and a half. And that is the end game of where you're positioned in the point standing. So 1 through 10 gets to go on for the final six races, which is the countdown to the championship. The points reset after Indy and if you are in the top 10, you get to compete for the world title. And last year we sucked, for lack of a better word, for the majority of the regular season. And we were able to position ourselves. Not great. But we, we went in, I think before Indy we were like, we fell to as low as 15th in points that year. We made our way into the top 10 and went into the countdown in the number three hole because we made a run at the final couple of races in the regular season, but we won the majority of our four within those countdown races. So it's kind of crazy like, you know, before, it's like winner take all. Whoever leads the points the whole season wins at the end. And we've done that. Well, we've also done it where the points. The countdown works to our favor. And last year was one of one of those times like we, we were not good. We probably did not deserve to win the championship. But everybody operates under the same rules. And the way that it went down, we were, we were on top when the, when the fat lady sang.
- [40:17]
A
So yeah, champions peak at the right time. And you did. I love my phone, but not my carrier. What do I do?
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B
Well, there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.
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A
Like what?
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A
So I wouldn't have to buy a new phone?
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B
Yep. Plus your plan price stays the same for 5 years on experience plans. Nice. Find your reason@t mobile.com
- [40:48]
A
via virtual prepaid guard card typically takes 15 days after rebate submission price guarantee on Talk text and 5G data exclusions like taxes and fees apply. Good morning, students. Soccer teaches us teamwork, leadership, geometry, art, physics, and a lifetime of lessons we can take with us long after we learn leave the field. That's why bank of America and US Soccer are committed to helping bring soccer to every school. Soccer is officially in session. Raise your hand to help bring soccer to schools@bofa.com soccerahchools so this a lot of. A lot of questions I don't have wrote down. And I build my own race cars. The fans want to know, just like I do, when you have a tough time all year long. And we see this in all sports, heck, it could be baseball with a pro stock. When you find something like you did, is it in the motor? Is it always in the motor? In pro stock, is it in the drivetrain? And I know you cannot tell us because you came out smoking already this year. You won the Gator Nationals. Is what you found last year, did that pick up for the Gator Nationals? And without telling us, because I know it's secret, what area did you find all this speed in lately?
- [42:21]
B
So our. Our problem last year started at the Gator Nationals, the first race of the year. We were qualified on the pole, and my teammate, TJ Coughlin, ended up getting around us by speed. So we had a fast race car. We went into Sunday in the number two spot, and when I went to hit the starter button on my car, my car did not fire. And from that point forward, for seven races, we went in this downward spiral. And you know that when you are struggling and you're trying to figure out your problems, there becomes a point when you start grasping at straws, trying to figure things out. And in essence, because of that situation, we made a lot of careless mistakes that we wouldn't have had we not been grasping at straws. So it was a. It was a very. A very good learning experience for us, but it was tough to go through. But what got us through it was that nobody pointed fingers. We just put our heads down and went to work. But for seven events, like, I mean, we tried everything. We even. We even tried switching race cars. Like, the pipe doesn't go bad, but we're like, well, crap. What else is there to change? We change two and three and four engines a weekend. It's not a horsepower problem. We change clutch units, rear gear. I mean, the entire car came apart. It was rewired. Was it an electrical issue? Like, we were just, like, trying to figure it out. And when we. When we located our issue, like, an engine is an air pump, right? So we just. We went to work. And my. My lead engine builder, Jake Harrison, who's also a double engineer, he's the. He's the one that identified the problem. We figured it out after Q4 at Joliet and E1 for elimination, round one on Sunday. We were low ET. Unfortunately, I lost on a whole shot, but that's where we Fix our problem. And what was cool about finding our problem? I know I'm not answering your question, but it applied across the board for all of our race cars. And it was just. The problem was maximized in my race car for whatever reason that was. But when we found it and we figured it out, it. It across the board made us better. Now, it wasn't a horsepower issue, but throughout the off season or the end of the season and this entire off season, my guys have been doing a ton of our R and D. And, you know, with a. With a rev limiter and the rules that are in place, it's very hard to. To keep finding more horsepower. We're finding two and three and four here and there. It's not like we're. Oh, man, we found 20 horsepower today. That doesn't happen in an HRA Pro stock racing. So a lot of R and D goes into it. And yes, we work a lot in the engine and intake manifold. The manifolds are our proprietary. Big money spender on this. On this team. And I think for a lot of teams in pro stock. So I rambled a lot about that. But, yes, we found our problem and we fixed it, and. And we just keep getting better because of it.
- [45:15]
A
You did not ramble. I'm the one that rambles. I've rambled my whole life. That was a great story, because back in the day, before heads and intakes kind of came to you ready to go, My gosh, you know, we were digging aluminum splinters out of our bodies. You know, you'd see somebody going and grind the ports of the heads and intakes. You know, you guys are much more polished than us. You know, NASCAR drivers are. But I'm saying, back in the day, you know, we had Gene Haas, all the CNC machinery, things are much more cleaned up. But I liked hearing that story because I'm 60 years old, and I know how important, you know, intake and heads are. And like, you're saying it is air pump. And my gosh, we've worked for days at Daytona with, you know, our air intake, so I get it. And I liked hearing that story. Want to move on to something that caught my eye at the Gator Nationals. It appears that pro stock is getting stronger. You had 22 cars for 16 starting positions. When was the last time? And listen, maybe I've embarrassed myself just now, but I just seem like. It seems like that's a pretty strong field comment on that.
- [46:37]
B
Yeah, I'm. You know, I get sick of hearing everybody say, pro stock's dead. It's not dead. I think it's in the, the best state that it's been in in a number of years. But I'm going to rewind a little bit. Like we used to run two four barrel carburetors on, on top of our engines. And we had a major rule change in 2016. We went to electronic fuel injection with that. There was also a fuel change. We went from VP to Sunoco SR18 which is a heavier, slower burning fuel. If you spill it on the ground, you can almost slip in it because it's like diesel fuel. But we had a lot of things to figure out. And on top of that we switched manufacturers. We went from Chevrolets to Mopars. So we definitely struggled in 2016. But that rule change, just modifying the front end of your race car was like 30 grand. So I think that weeded out a lot of the lower budget teams to make those changes. Where it turned around was with my team owner, Richard Freeman. He got together with Jason Line and Greg Anderson at KB Racing and we're like, look, we got to do something for the greater good of our class. Despite that we want to rip each other's throats out and kill each other on Sunday. Like if we don't join forces and figure out how to make this more cost effective for everyone involved, the class is going to die. And so from that point we started working together on lowering the cost of engine rental programs. And then also when there weren't 16 car fields entered for an NHRA event, Greg and Jason or Elite would bring an extra car and a trailer and fly in another driver. And you know, just so we had like full fields. So that's kind of where it changed was 2016 with those rule changes. And also that's where that 10,500 rpm rev limiter was implemented. So lots of changes for pro stock that were very substantial in the cost department. And then it took us working together with the rest of the pro stock field to collectively lower the cost of engine rental programs. And now it's. I'm not going to say it's cheap because there's nothing cheap about any 400 racing. But it's more affordable than it than it has ever been. When I raced at Victor Kagnazi's the I had to bring a hundred thousand dollars per race to the table. So with 24 events, that was $2.4 million a year. And that's a lot for me to go out and find. Well, leaving Victors and coming to Richards in 2014, we went out for half of the cost and won the world championship. So you just have to be more frugal. You can't have these like high school paid, big ego guys, like, and you're wasting a ton of money. So anyway, long story short, we worked together to lower the cost of this and now, now people can come in and race for probably less than a million dollars a year, which is crazy and awesome. So I think that's why you see the higher numbers and I think you're gonna continue to see it grow. And going back to what we talked about, how it was like the good old boys country club type deal. Well, now it's, it's a whole bunch of young kids, which there's, there's been an influx of it. And I think it's awesome for, for pro stock. Like Greg Anderson is 60 something, I just turned 40, and we're the, we're the older guys of the class and there's like a whole bunch of 20 something year old kids, which I think is awesome. So they'll be able to carry our class on when, when we're old and retired.
- [50:09]
A
That is a great story and I can add on to it. You know, in 2015, I ran my last NASCAR race. Now, you know, I still race a lot, but I race dirt cars. I enjoy it, but I gave up. My sponsor was US Cellular, and I drove my last NASCAR race for Joe Gibbs and I wrote him a check for $125,000 for one race. So for the fans and for the people that are watching this right now, I want to add on that this is reality. Okay? You gotta, you gotta pay to play no matter who you are. The money's gonna come from somewhere. I always hear a nascar. You hear these people that are jealous. Well, you, your daddy's got money. I'm like, buddy, somebody's gotta drive the race car, whether it's me or Erica. And the money's going to come from somewhere. If it's Kyle Larson, if Kyle Larson's driver, Rick, for Rick Hendrick, the money's going to come from somewhere. In other words, we have a funnel. You put the driver in it, you put the money in and it's all going to come spitting out. So it's nobody's fault. This is what it cost, no matter who's in the car. I like you telling me the price. I think that's awesome because it educates people. Because a lot of people are dumb, Erica, and they piss us off.
- [51:40]
B
They do.
- [51:41]
A
Yes.
- [51:42]
B
You cannot fix stupid.
- [51:43]
A
No, you can't. Because. Because sometimes people think that racing's free.
- [51:48]
B
Well, they got.
- [51:49]
A
Well, they got money. I'm like, what does that even mean? You gotta have money for anything.
- [51:56]
B
So, yeah, and the money part of it, it. It's great. And it sucks because, like, as somebody that, you know, we were. Okay, we weren't extremely wealthy, and my dad funded our program for a long time, but, like, at some point we had to go out and find sponsorship. But the people thought that I was doing it because, oh, she has a rich daddy. Well, regardless of if you have a rich daddy or not or whatever your sponsors are, like you said, you still have to drive the race car. Now, that gives some people with money false hope that they can get in the car and drive it. I think promod's a very good example of that, that it's a bunch of rich guys that a lot of them probably shouldn't be driving, but they do. But either way, the cream always rises to the top. Like, you have to be able to wheel the car regardless of where your funding comes from. And if your daddy's rich, good for you. But you still got to be a good race car driver.
- [52:47]
A
You have d. Bullshit all that with your great, great driving talent, and you've done it all. I want to. What? Listen, we're already at an hour. I always tell for all the fans that are listening to Kenny conversation, this is about our 50th one. I did it for John Force. I did it for Ron Capps. I always remind the people that I'm having a conversation with. We're at an hour, and they're like, oh, my gosh, we're at an hour. It's just kind of like two minute warning in football.
- [53:18]
B
Right.
- [53:18]
A
And this is where we kind of start slowing down. And I want to end like this. It warmed my heart that John Force told me that he told some of the boys. What, you don't like getting beat by my daughters that have nail polish?
- [53:37]
B
Yeah, exactly.
- [53:38]
A
What up. Your nails look good. And my. My wife, for therapeutic reasons, gets her nails done all the time. And I say, honey, go get a manicure. Go get a pedicure. I like massages. But anyway, getting back to John. Has John Force ever said hi to you because he recognizes you because of what his daughters are doing now in a relationship?
- [54:04]
B
Yeah, for sure. I as a little girl and growing up in. In drag racing, John Force is the man. Right? Right. He's the greatest of all time, and he is our sport. He's a great spokesperson. He's funny. He has stories for days. But my most memorable moment with him was in 2014, and it was my first year here at Elite Motorsports, and we were in the staging lanes about to race the final round, winner take all. Me and Jason line for our first world title. And I could have thrown up. Honestly, like, I was very nervous, but also very positive and thankful for the opportunity. But. But he rode up on his. On his scooter in the staging lanes, and he's like, hey, kid. And I went over and. And he started talking to me and he's like, I know, basically, I know the gravity of this situation. I've been there a lot of times, but just find your happy place. He said. For me, when I get nervous in the car, he said, my happy place is. Is my grandkids and my daughters. And he's like. And that's just where I take my mind and it. And it takes the weight off of my shoulders. It makes my heartbeat slow down, and it just. It's my happy spot. So just find your happy and go out and do the best that you can. But I'm proud of you and that, like, as a fan, first, like, I was like, oh, my gosh. But as a. As a race car driver, like, how cool is that, that somebody that's accomplished so much took the time to come over there and try to help me calm down for. For going out to run my first final round for our first world championship. And it definitely meant a lot. And, you know, he'll always stay in the winter circle. I was able to win with him in Norwalk in 2014, and he came in our winner circle and congratulated our team. And I mean, he's just. He's the man, right? And it's so cool. And he's a girl dad, too, and he knows the importance of. Of women in our sport. And all of his daughters, you know, with exception to his oldest daughter, have driven, and I think it's really neat, but he. He is the man. And yes, just this weekend, we're working behind the scenes on media, social, some stuff for women and in our. In our sport. And he came up to me on the starting line and said, hey, I think it's great what you're doing for. For girls in the sport. So he. He and his opinion mean a lot to me, and I'm. I'm definitely thankful for him.
- [56:16]
A
My common moment is a song of the day. And sometimes I'll. I'll get my race car for a big race and I'll go in my helmet. I'M like Mustang Sally. Yeah. So songs sometimes a little prayer Prayer I take my my heart down. I I have a go to prayer. It just calms me down. I wanted to, I wanted to say that I'm with you on that and that's pretty cool. John Force telling you that. Well, Erica, listen, this is it. You are the greatest lady racer in NHRA pro stock history. What you have done is incredible because the pro stock is hard to drive. You put your time in, you've done it all. And I want to thank you so much for being on Kenny Conversation. Before we say goodbye, want to remind everybody that this is in podcast form. You can listen to Erica on the way to work and listen to her on the way back home. We are on itunes and Spotify. Besides being able to see her pretty face right here on the YouTube show, you can check us out on itunes and Spotify. Erica, thank you so much.
- [57:39]
B
Thank you, Kenny. It's been fun. This is the quickest hour ever. It's amazing how quick time goes by when you're having a good time. But I appreciate you very, very much and thanks for always being so great to my sister and I. Kenny, conversations
- [57:54]
A
become therapeutic for us all.
- [57:56]
B
Absolutely.
- [57:57]
A
I'll see you at Worldwide Technology Raceway. You know, my friends own the track over there and I'll see you later in the year here in 2024. Until then, everybody, we have more ladies coming up. Natalie Decker and we have all the boys and we have every type of racer there is and in racing. See you later, everyone.
- [58:20]
B
Bye, Kenny.
- [58:28]
A
Check out Dirty Mo Media on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. I want to grow the game of soccer and give every kid the chance to play. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America champion street soccer advocate Kyle Martin and is proud to be the Official bank of US Soccer and FIFA World Cup 2026. Bank of America NA member FDIC. The Colonels cooked up a new ten dollar bucket of the day just for you. Monday 24 nuggets for ten dollars. Tuesday eight piece fried chicken for ten dollars. Wednesday ten wings for ten dollars. Thursday eight tenders for ten dollars. Friday, 24 nuggets for. Oh, you guessed it, didn't you? Ten dollars finger licking machine. The ten dollars bucket of the day deal every weekday only at KFC. It's finger licking good prices and participation. Variable supplies last not available on third party ordering platforms. Tax extra.