By Andrea Faiad

The crowd is roaring as the cars pull up to the starting line. The drivers are pumped, full of adrenaline and ready to race. The tension is tight as the engines rev. Then the lights give the signal and all that’s left is a cloud of smoke. “Ladies and gentlemen, what an exciting race we have for you today!” Today there’s a particular emphasis on “ladies” — racing cars isn’t just for guys anymore.

Meet Courtney and Erica Enders, two of the best (and youngest) racecar drivers in the country!

The Starting Line

Erica, now 16, got interested in racing at the age of eight by following in her dad’s tracks. "I'd always go to the races with him and I always wanted to be a driver," she says. "I was reading one of his magazines and found an article about kids' races. I asked him if I could do it, and he said, 'sure, this could be better than ballet.'" Better than ballet? You’d better believe it!

Since then, as a junior racer, Erica has won 37 titles including 1995 Junior Drag Racing League Driver of the Year. She has also earned enough scholarship money to cover her tuition at a private college and still have some left over to spend.

This year, she moved up to the SuperComp category, which is only two levels below the top racing level. Now instead of going 80 mph (the junior racing limit), she zips down the track at 170 mph and competes for cash. At her first national competition, Erica came in as first runner-up, just missing the top prize, but earning more than $5000. 

Burning up the Track

"Going 170 mph is like riding a roller coaster," she says. "You know the 'click, click' you hear when you're going up the steep part before you go down the hill? The 'click, click' part is getting suited, ready, and pulling up to the starting line. When you hit the throttle, that's the 'Whooo!' part, where you put your arms up and scream. It's awesome."

A mini-celebrity in her hometown of Houston, TX and a recognized name and face in drag racing, Erica plans to make a career of high speeds and smoking tires. "I love it so much — and you make money doing it," she says.

So does her 13-year-old sister, Courtney, who is also a successful drag racer in the junior league. "Last year, I didn't care that much. I just wanted to win. This year, I want to know how I win," she says, referring to the jobs of the behind-the-scenes workers who support the Enders girls’ victories.

Wheeler Dealers

To help the girls prepare for their careers, Dad (Gregg Enders) taught them how to write business plans and proposals, as well as the idea that, in order to be successful, you must be professional. The girls learned quickly, and were snatched up by two awesome sponsors. These days, Erica's primary sponsor is Exide Corporation, while her second sponsor is Pennzoil. Just opposite of her sister, Pennzoil is Courtney's primary sponsor and Exide is her second sponsor.

Having a sponsor is very important in the racing world — they cover racing costs (anything from equipment to advertising), and some even pay the racers bonuses for winning. In exchange, the girls work hard to stay at the top of their divisions and make appearances at press conferences and company events. "They pay us to do the business stuff off the track as well as doing well on the track,” Erica says.

Fueling the Fire

Since the girls are winning in a male-dominated sport, they’ve become really popular with fans. Their mom (Janet Enders) recalls the crowd’s reaction to Erica's near-victory at the nationals, which has seven elimination rounds and a final race for the title.

"When you think of drag racing, you think of guys with rolled up T-shirts and tattoos," Janet says. "We knew she'd go a round or two, but every round she kept winning. The crowd was going wild, especially the women. She lost in the finals by .003 second to the 1998 World Champion. It was heartbreaking, but we were all thrilled. She won money; there were cameras all over her car. It was awesome!"

Off-Track

Being the center of attention comes naturally to the Houston teenagers, who are used to giving autographs and receiving kind words from well-wishers. Later this year, Disney will release a made-for-TV movie about the drag-racing adventures of the Enders sisters. Erica and Courtney have been guests on ESPN’s Scholastic Sports America, Hard Copy, Extra, and the Donny & Marie Show. They’ve also been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles, including a three-page story in People magazine.

Erica has her eyes on even higher goals. If she keeps winning and bringing value to her sponsors, she'll move up the drag-racing ranks to compete at the highest level, Top Fuel. She figures it will take years of hard work and discipline to get there, but her knowledge of the race circuit will help her along the way. The keys to drag racing, she says, are excellent reaction time, focus, knowing and feeling your car, and superb upper body strength. She's been studying car mechanics and racing techniques with her dad. Her upper body strength is improving with daily workouts at the school gym.

Training for Greatness

"We measured biceps the other day, and mine were the same as two of the guys' I hang out with," Erica says, laughing. "You do have to be strong and in shape. Racing takes a lot out of you. When I'm done racing, I'm out of breath. It's rough on your body."

On the flip side, Erica says she thinks racing is safer than other extracurricular sports she’s played. "There's always the danger of crashing, but it's pretty safe," she says, adding that she wears a five-layer fire suit made of fire repellent material, a helmet, gloves, arm restraints, and special shoes, and she’s also buckled in with a five-point harness. "I feel very safe — safer than any other sport. I play volleyball, basketball, golf, and run track. I’ve had shoulder surgery and tore up my knees and ankles in other sports, but I've never been hurt racing. My dad thinks it’s safer than letting me go out on a date!"

Courtney also feels safe drag racing, but says it wasn’t always so easy. "The first time I did it, I was terrified. I cried my eyes out. But then, after I did it, I loved it because I really liked the fast part. It's really fun. And winning's awesome, too."

Unlike Erica, Courtney isn't certain whether her long-term future includes racing, because she says she's too scared to speed down the track at 330 mph, the rate at which Top Fuel racers typically go. She plans to attend college and perhaps pursue acting.

Erica plans to continue her interest in racing by getting a degree in business and sports marketing. That way she'll be able to manage her own career, or, if her career ends prematurely, manage other athletes. "This is what I hope to do for the rest of my life," she says. "I love it so much. I wouldn't change my life for anything."