Erica Enders Talks NHRA Drag Racing with David Freiburger, Brian Lohnes, and John McGann
Erica Enders captured her 47th career NHRA victory on October 15, 2023. On the surface, it could’ve been just another win from one of Pro Stock’s most dominating teams, putting her sixth on the all-time win list. Bigger picture, the victory earned her the title of Winningest Female in Motorsports.
We caught up with Enders during the 2023 SEMA Show on ourHOT ROD Pod: Where It All Beganpodcast. At the time, she was on the cusp of locking down her sixth NHRA Pro Stock championship, which came a few weeks later during the NHRA World Finals. Our hosts, Brian Lohnes, David Freiburger, and John McGann, dug down into her past as a Junior Dragster driver and the famous Disney movie, as well as the Elite Motorsports juggernaut, the largest NHRA pro-level team.
Our newest podcast isHOT ROD Pod: Where It All Began, falling on the opposite end of the spectrum from MotorTrend’s InEVitable podcast about the electrified future of automobiles and transportation. The HOT ROD podcast takes 75 years of experience and turns it into an audio/video interview format. We are sitting down with the aftermarket’s latest trendsetters, raddest racecar drivers, and the people behind the mechanical mayhem that runs up and down the streets and across the finish line.
Check outHOT ROD Pod: Where It All Beganat the usual places, like Spotify, Apple, and on the MotorTrend YouTube channel. We are dropping episodes every Friday and we have quite a lineup of guests, including Jeff Lutz, Tony Stewart, Bill Ganahl, Tom Nelson, and so many more as we explore all facets of going fast, looking good, and having fun with anything on wheels.
“She’s going to have access to what I know and what I’ve been through,” Enders (pictured at right, above, with Wildgust) told RACER ahead of Saturday’s announcement that Wildgust has joined Elite Motorsports. “She’ll get all of our data and Mark Ingersoll’s playbook, too. So, she’s starting with the best tools, and I think that’s all anyone could ever ask for.”
Wildgust, who turned 18 earlier this month, will be under the wing of Enders, championship crew chief Ingersoll, team owner Richard Freeman and the rest of the Elite Motorsports team. It’s a move for Wildgust from one championship-winning organization, KB Titan Racing, to another. A move rooted in resources and family connection.
Wildgust’s father, Scott, has been a customer and friend of Freeman’s for quite some time and its well-known Elite Motorsports operates its large organization with a fun, close-knit, family atmosphere. Wildgust also looks up to Enders, the six-time Pro Stock champion and winningest woman in motorsports.
“She’s young and impressionable, and she hasn’t been tainted by the sport yet,” Enders said. “It’s kind of like a clean slate. She doesn’t have many bad habits yet, from what I’ve seen, because I watch a lot up there. She does a very nice job. She does better burnouts than half of the class that have been doing it for a really long time. So, she has a great baseline, and we at Elite can be a great asset to her.”
