Erica Enders was eight years old when she first raced a Jr. Dragster at Houston Raceway Park. It became the place where she claimed her first NHRA national event Wally in 2004 and the first Pro Stock win that her dad was present for in 2014.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Enders is preparing to make her final visit to Houston Raceway as the winningest female racer in the NHRA Pro Stock category.
The NHRA SpringNationals will run April 22-24 at the Baytown, Texas, drag strip and mark the last NHRA appearance at the track, as Houston Raceway is scheduled to close for repurposing in 2023.
Enders’ successful career in drag racing is partly a credit to the track where she cut her teeth.
“I have a ton of memories at the facility, as you can imagine, and it’s sad to see it go,” Enders said, admitting that it will be an emotional race for her and her team.
Her roots in the Houston area run deep — about 31 years of memories, to be exact. Before Enders got behind the wheel herself, she recalls growing up in the Houston Raceway stands with her sister, watching their dad drive in the sportsman category.
During the 18 years Enders has competed in Pro Stock, she has experienced a mixed bag of success at Houston. She came away with consecutive wins in 2014 and ’15, but has not won at the facility since.
“Definitely want to win and take in every moment that we possibly can, being that it’s the last,” Enders said.
Her hopes for winning the final race at the facility are high. She recently earned her 35th career NHRA Pro Stock triumph during the Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas. She’s hoping to carry the momentum with her to Houston.
The stands are on their way to being sold out, so Enders’ hometown crowd will be showing up in a big way, ready to relive old memories and bring on the energy as new ones are made.
Enders won’t be the only local driver competing either. FunnyCar driver Alexis DeJoria lives only a few hours away from the track in Austin and considers Houston to be a home race.
However, DeJoria has yet to taste victory at the track and is still looking for her first win of this season.
“I would like to walk away with a Houston Wally,” DeJoria said. “To come home with a Texas trophy from Houston that may or may not go away, that means a lot.”
DeJoria advanced to the final round in Las Vegas, coming tantalizingly close to victory. As she tackles the learning curve on her Toyota GR Supra, her ever-present goal is to turn her comfortability with the car into a speed advantage over her competitors.
DeJoria has had some good luck in her home state in the past, where she’s been racing since starting out in the Super Comp class.
“I love it, it gets pretty hot and humid out there. When you’re packing your parachutes and a heavy black fire suit, it’s not so fun,” DeJoria said with a laugh. “But I love that track.”
As DeJoria and Enders set their sights on one final win in their respective classes at Houston Raceway Park, they also look to each other with appreciation for their extensive careers in the sport.
“Being a female out there, with my girl Alexis, there’s an unsaid comradery between us,” Enders said.
Perhaps an even more unspoken connection between the two involves the hot rods they drove in high school — both had red ’67 Chevy Chevelles. While DeJoria still owns hers, Enders is currently in the process of tracking down her old Chevelle to buy it back.
High school cars aside, Enders and DeJoria are among an elite class of female drivers who successfully race in NHRA, including Top Fuel’s Brittany Force and Leah Pruett.
“You don’t see us in bikini magazines, you see us holding a Wally at the end of the track with a bottle of champagne,” Enders said. “All across the board, I think our sport is awesome.”
The rest of the NHRA field of competitors will make their way to Baytown to accompany Enders and DeJoria for one final race at Houston.