GLENDORA, Calif. (June 24, 2015) — Erica Enders’ 2014 Pro Stock world championship season continues to garner attention for the popular racer as she has been nominated for an ESPY award in the Best Driver category, it was announced today by ESPN. This is the first time she has been nominated for the prestigious honor in her 11-year NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series career.
Enders is nominated alongside NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick, IndyCar drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Will Power and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. The ESPY Awards, for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, was created by ESPN in 1993.
“Everyone always says it is an honor to be nominated for an award like this, and that is absolutely the case,” Enders said. “I am truly humbled to see my name alongside the greatest in the world, and I am honored to represent my Elite Motorsports team and NHRA at the ESPYs.”
Fans can vote for Enders and their other sports heroes in each of the 32 categories by logging on to http://www.espn.com/espys. The ESPY Awards ceremony will be held at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles and will air on ESPN on July 15 and will be hosted by Joel McHale. Voting ends July 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
The 2014 season was a breakthrough one for veteran Enders, who was in her first season at the controls of her 200-mph Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. She clinched the historic championship crown when she defeated rival Jason Line, her nearest competitor in the points, in a winner-take-all final round at the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. In becoming the first female driver to win an NHRA Pro Stock world championship title, she raced to six victories and one runner-up finish and also became the first female driver to win the K&N Horsepower Challenge, a lucrative NHRA Pro Stock bonus event in Las Vegas. She set both ends of the Pro Stock national performance record with a time of 6.464 seconds and speed of 215.55 mph. Enders’ team is owned by Richard Freeman and her crew chiefs are the father-son tandem of Rick and Rickie Jones.
“My guys are absolutely incredible,” Enders said. “They never cease to amaze me. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. This is the first team I’ve ever worked for where we’ve had a unified front and they have my back. I’m blessed to have an incredible group of men, and the chemistry is there. It’s always a positive environment.”
Earlier this season Enders was named Racer of the Year and Drag Racer of the Year by RACER Magazine. She was also named to the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) All-America team.
Enders joins John Force, Greg Anderson, Tony Schumacher, Ashley Force Hood, Del Worsham, Melanie Troxel and Tony Pedregon as NHRA drivers who have been nominated for ESPY awards.
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