NHRA Pro Stock Star Erica Enders Goes Testing This Week

Erica Enders is getting ready for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series 2012 season by getting some practice passes in for her ZaZa Energy Chevrolet prepared by the Mooresville, NC-based Cagnazzi Racing workshops.

Enders, who came excruciatingly close to victory in 2011 and completed the season in sixth place after qualifying for NHRA's Countdown to the Championship playoff series, is heading to Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida to test for the upcoming season--in the hopes of making improvements and getting that elusive Wally trophy that would make Erica the first woman to win in the always super-competitive Pro Stock category.

Enders has some continuity for 2012--always a good sign--as her crew returns intact and she has the skills of Dave Connolly to help guide her. Connolly, who has competed successfully in the class and owns 26 NHRA national event wins--including five consecutive in the tough Pro Stock class--will be the full-season crew chief on Enders' Chevrolet Cobalt.

Enders understands that testing is of the utmost importance to the start of the season. "All winter long, the crew tries to find more horsepower and things (that will help us) in different areas of the car," she said. "We have a daily list of things we want to work on, and it's a very tedious process and very technical," Enders said of the five scheduled test days.

"We'll have one setup--and then we'll change one thing--and then we'll change another," she noted. "We've got to figure out the best all-around package and it's a lot of work--way harder than racing!"

The plan, Enders said, was to make several passes each day as the Cagnazzi team searches for more speed in the Chevy Cobalt.  We're looking to accomplish our list and see where we've gained in relation to last year," she said.  

"there will be a lot of other Pro Stock cars out there to compare to, but at the same time, you really don't know what they're running or trying," in a test session.  We're just comparing to what we had last year."

Enders is extremely happy to have ZaZa Energy on board for a second straight year, another sign of the continuity so essential in all forms of motorsport. A privately held Houston and Corpus Christi-based independent and specialized oil and gas company, ZaZa Energy first entered NHRA last season.  

"It's awesome to have ZaZa Energy's continued support. I love Gaston Kearby and the rest of the guys up there. I owe them everything and starting this year, I'm going to be paying them back with some wins," she declared.