Erica Enders-Stevens ready to become first female NHRA Pro Stock champ

By Nov 14, 2014, 8:30 PM EST
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Erica Enders-Stevens has long idolized legendary Top Fuel Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney for being the first woman to win not just one, but three NHRA championships (1977, 1980, 1982), as well as former three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Angelle Sampey (2000-2002).

In Sunday’s 50th anniversary and season-ending AutoClub NHRA Finals, Enders-Stevens has the chance to become idolized herself, as she can become the first woman in drag racing history to win the Pro Stock class championship.

“It would be very awesome to be able to make history,” Enders-Stevens said. “It would just show any other female that maybe even had a little bit of doubt that they weren’t capable or whatever.

“I’m a perfect example of a normal kid, through hard work and certainly surrounding myself with the right people and having such a solid support group, that anything is possible. I hope that’s the message that comes across to them.”

MORE: John Force in big fight to overtake Matt Hagan for record 17th NHRA Funny Car championship

Enders-Stevens comes into this weekend’s action 17 points ahead of former two-time Pro Stock champ (2006, 2011) Jason Line. Also mathematically still in the chase is Dave Connolly (-84 points) and Shane Gray (-111).

“You can’t get too ahead of yourself and dwell on what’s at stake, but at the same time, I’ve never been in this position in Pro Stock, and neither have any of the guys on my team,” Enders-Stevens said in an NHRA media release. “It’s definitely an interesting and awesome position to be in.

“But I try to just stay calm about it and focus on just one round, one at a time, and just going after it and doing our best and having fun most importantly.”

MORE: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) close to wrapping up NHRA titles

The Pro Stock class has always been the grittiest class in drag racing because of its blue collar roots. The cars fans see race on the dragstrip are the closest there are to what those same fans drive on the streets and freeways.

Enders comes from blue collar roots and it would certainly be an accomplishment for her to not only win her first Pro Stock championship (she’s already the first woman to ever win a Pro Stock race), but also to be the first female to do so in a class that has up to this point been dominated primarily by male drivers.

Enders-Stevens has five wins this season, while Line has four. Line had been the Pro Stock points leader until the last race at Las Vegas, when he lost to Enders-Stevens in the semifinals (she’d go on to win the entire event in the final round).

But even though he’s back in second place in the points, Line is ready to give Enders-Stevens a real battle for the championship.

“It’s pretty simple, really,” Line said. “You have to go out there to win. There isn’t much more to it than that. Anything is possible, and I feel really good about this weekend.

“All we can do is go there and do the best we can. Of course sometimes you need a little racing luck as well, but we certainly have the ability to win the race, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

For Enders-Stevens, she has come from practically the shadows to having a career season that promises continued great performance next season even if she falls short in Sunday’s finals.

“This is the first time in my professional career that I have had such a solid group of guys that stands behind me and has my back,” she said. “That makes my job as a driver a lot easier.

“It’s a team deal and it’s just a really unique atmosphere, and I’m really proud and honored to be their driver. But they have shown exactly what they are made of this year, and when it comes down to crunch time, everybody pulls their weight, and it’s an awesome environment to work in.”

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Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).