Greg Anderson is the other only active five-time Pro Stock champion. Anderson has competed against and watched Enders develop from day one, and is quick to point out how she’s grown during that process.
“She had to scratch and claw her way to where she could get a competitive ride where she could compete,” Anderson says. “She didn’t even have a thought of winning a race. For a lot of years, she was just trying to qualify because the equipment wasn’t good enough, and she couldn’t go run a race car or race engine like these young kids can now.
“I respect the heck out of her for that. It’s kind of the way I went through it. It’s not a slap against the current crop of drivers, but they have it made (with the equipment now).”
Anderson praised Enders’ staying power and determination to stick it out, especially, as he explains, it’s hard to learn when a driver isn’t going rounds on race day. It’s a trait Enders learned early on in life from her dad Greg.
“The way my dad raised us was that hard work and grit can outweigh money, talent and everything,” Courtney says. “Through grit, you can gain all of those things as long as you have that hard work and don’t quit.
“My dad had this hard lesson of having to see it through completion, whether it was one season or one year. Whatever it may be. You can’t just quit because you suck or because you don’t like it. You made a commitment, you put a goal out there, and you at least have to work and prove to yourself that it was something you could or want to achieve.
“I think that little bit of early raising from my dad, putting into where she knew in her gut where she wanted to be, and it didn’t matter how bad it was. It didn’t matter how long it was, because she was not going to quit until her gut felt like she’d run it through – success or not.”
One bad year after another, Enders returned. Through heartache, not going rounds, not qualifying for an event, crashes and other failures, Enders was hardened. Courtney believes it’s the main thing that’s made her sister into who she is, and when Enders was able to finally start going rounds, things changed.
“She learned how to become a good driver, and then when she finally got good equipment around her with Elite Motorsports, bam, she started winning races,” Anderson says. “She became one of the very best drivers in the class. I’m not going to lie or beat her down. She went from down here (gesturing with his hand), and when she got the equipment around her, it made her talent show. Kudos to her.”
But make no mistake, Anderson admits Enders has been “a thorn in my side.”
The two developed a rivalry over the years as the most decorated drivers in the class. At times, it wasn’t always friendly.
“We have more respect for each other today,” Anderson says. “I guess we probably didn’t have that during those climbing years. I didn’t respect her. She probably didn’t respect me. She just wanted to whip my butt.
“It’s changed and we’re more civil now. We hate to lose to each other, don’t get me wrong. There is nobody out there that we hate to lose more to. But it’s because of that respect level. It’s a great day when you can find a way to beat her, and I’m sure she says the same thing. It’s kind of cool. It’s come a long way. We don’t have to love each other; we don’t have to like each other, but we respect each other. And I certainly respect her talent, for sure.”
Sacrifices and self-doubt
The fabric of every race car driver is different. Some show up and race, unable or uninterested in learning the ins and outs of their machine. Others, like Enders, think of one thing.
And then there is the personal and professional life. Some can balance both. It was the opposite approach for Enders, who felt her quest for greatness needed to come at the sacrifice of everything else.
“Her whole life,” as Courtney says. “A man could be a professional athlete or businessman who travels the world, and it’s OK for the wife to have to deal with that and be at home and still do the groceries and take care of the kids. But when the gender roles are flipped, you can’t have a normal life at home. Well, you could but it’s not going to be the secure, confident man that Erica’s going to want, so she’s had to really give up a personal life because there’s really not a guy that fits into the schedule or mental bandwidth or the relationship we have with the guys at the track and the team.
“She’s given up a marriage. Given up the opportunity to have kids. When would you do it even if you wanted to do it? It’s really her whole life. It’s everything.”
Even on an off weekend, Enders isn’t at the beach. She is in the shop, either taking care of her car or doing managerial work.
How many drivers have you heard handle hotel arrangements for the team? Design their fire suits and the crew shirts? All of which Enders takes to get laundered every week. A constant focus on racing keeps her sharp.
“When she was married to Richie [Stevens], she would fly in and out and come to the shop every once in a while,” Courtney says, “but I think she really got legendary, if you will, when she was a part of every single little business meeting that came about. She’s negotiating all the sponsor deals, and not even just for her but the other cars and the partners with the engine shops. She’s selling motorhomes, because the motorhome revenue helps pay for the race team when we don’t have enough sponsorship coming through for all these Pro Stock cars.
“It’s wild. If people really knew.”
Enders is also a mentor to other drivers in the camp. When she’s on the starting line (before going through the motions), it’s for more than moral support. Enders has her eyes and ears open to offer feedback. She’s also helped license other drivers.
Despite having five world titles and 39 Pro Stock wins to date with Elite, it’s not enough. There is nothing left to prove to anyone, but Enders arrives at the track every weekend feeling as if she does.
“Last year was the perfect example,” Chase says. “We won 10 races, and she’s happy she won 10, but she’s like, ‘screw that, I should have won 12.’”
Anderson sees it, too.
“She hates to lose. Absolutely hates to lose,” he says. “I love that. I love that quality. I don’t know that everybody has that killer instinct where it’s win at all costs. It doesn’t matter if it’s a teammate, she is (mad) if she loses. I’m the same way; I try not to show it, but we’re (mad) when we lose.
“She has that killer instinct, and you have to have that. If you look back at a Bob Glidden, he had that. The guy would cut you with a butter knife in order to find a way to win. No matter what it took. Those are the kinds of people who get to the crazy levels of wins. For a lot of years, people didn’t like her because of that, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I respect that.”
If drag racing is a mental game, Enders has mastered it.
Richard has watched how much stronger she’s become since first walking through the door of his operation. For Courtney, if her sister didn’t have thoughts about still needing to prove something, it would throw everything out of balance.
“I think a lot of that is fabricated in her mind of what she has to prove because she subconsciously knows that’s what’s going to drive her,” Courtney says. “The second she’s reached a pinnacle, she’ll get complacent. I don’t think she has that bone in her body, and whether she knows it or not, she has to tell herself she sucks and she can’t lead anymore or whatever because she’s proving it to herself.”
Motivation also comes from remembering the times when life wasn’t as good. There will be conversations between the sisters about the good, no doubt, but how horrible it was to not qualify. Or when Warren Johnson told Enders, “This ain’t a place for little girls to go play.”
And yet to the chagrin of Johnson and many others, Enders has made the Pro Stock class her playground for years. Which is why she’s now on the doorstep of NHRA history.