D.I. COLUMNIST
The Enders Elevation
I
’m a rare breed, born with
drag racing in my blood. My
dad may not have been John
Force when I entered this world in
1986, but the love he had for this
sport was the same. I grew up fol-
lowing the big names of the NHRA
through the early ‘90s and beyond.
Muldowney, Schumacher, Force,
Sampey, Johnson, Coughlin and
Hines were just a few of my favorites.
They were the superstars: the best
drivers and most likable characters
drag racing had to offer.
Before the internet,
social media and instant
news, Diamond P on the
TV and our twice-annual
trip to Baytown for the
(then) two nationals held
at Houston Raceway
Park were my only ways
in to the sport that had
me addicted. My sister
Erica and I looked for-
ward to these weekends
like you wouldn’t believe.
We would conveniently
have what my parents
then called the “Pennzo-
il Flu” on the same two
weeks each year and my
parents would pull us out
of school for a long week-
end of NHRA drag racing
and I would be in heaven
for three solid days of
pure, tire-burning bliss.
I always knew I would
be involved in this fas-
cinating sport forever, but in my
8-year-old mind, I was going to
be the next Pro Stock Motorcycle
champion – no other options! Any-
thing less was a complete failure.
Little did I know where this world
would take my family. Full circle
doesn’t even begin to describe it,
but let me try.
I suppose I should introduce my-
self before I dive in any further. I am
Courtney Enders-Lambert. Yes, that
Enders. Some of you know me sim-
ply as “Erica’s sister” or the other sis-
ter on that one Disney movie about
racing, but that’s what I’m here to
debunk. Just because I’m not the
one dropping the clutch for this
program, does that make me less
valuable? Nope. There is this com-
mon misconception that if you’re
not a big-name driver in the mix for
a championship, you’re not a star of
the sport. Wrong!
To the everyday spectator watch-
ing on FS1 or online, the drivers are
the heartbeat of this sport. While
they are a huge part of the blood
flow here in the NHRA, there is
an entire community of folks who
pump the blood through the veins
for each of those drivers: crew chiefs,
crew members, PR reps, truck driv-
ers, hospitality workers, NHRA have their names on the entry list.
The “nobodies” of the sport. Not
to take anything away from the
talented drivers who literally drive
the NHRA to success, but it’s our
turn, y’all! I have full reign to shine
a superstar light on you!
I have always had a passion for
NHRA drag racing, but my pas-
sion for PR has matured through
the years. I’m not a writer or pho-
tographer by any means, but I truly
believe I was put in this position to
bring recognition and awareness to
employees, sponsors, tech officials,
starting line crew, announcers, “Mr.
Mello Yello,” gatekeepers, TV pro-
duction crew, credentials coordi-
nators, journalists, photographers,
track managers, etc. I mean a mega
etc. there. The list goes on and on.
Sure, drag racing in itself is excit-
ing. The competition is fierce and
the suspense of winning, losing and
the drama on track is what keeps
the fans tuning in each week, but
what if we flipped the script? How
does each team get to the track every
week? Who sets up the pit? Who
writes the press releases? Who en-
sures everything is safe for competi-
tion? Who distributes the info to the
general public so we can all follow?
We do! The people who don’t the other stars of the NHRA. Call
me vain, but sharing a last name of
one of today’s “stars” I mentioned
earlier helps, and I am not afraid to
use that “Enders Elevation” for the
greater good of our sport.
I realized when I was 21 that I
wasn’t cut out to be a professional
driver. I don’t have the mindset
to let my life be someone else’s. I
have many layers to my life onion;
I am a fitness instructor, volleyball
coach, supportive sister, wife, friend,
daughter, patriot, (un)professional
photographer, writer(ish) and much
more.
When I realized this, I thought I
had to get out of the sport in order
to feed these other areas of my life.
Driving full time wasn’t for me, so
leaving NHRA would probably be
best, right? Wrong! God had given
me talents beyond my understand-
ing at that point, but it’s so clear to
me now. If it’s in your heart to be a
part of this fabulous organization
due to your passion for what we do,
do not do what I did. Do not bail!
Keep chasing those dreams, period.
Through the season, this column
will be the home for many examples
of how a variety of skills can be of
such importance to the success of
NHRA drag racing. Some of you
may not have been fans of
the sport in the early ‘90s
like I was, but let me put
it in today’s terms for you.
It’s really not much differ-
ent than it was back then:
Force, Enders, Coughlin,
Schumacher, Brown,
Butner, Sampey, Krawiec
and Hines. These names
should give you visuals
of the baddest drivers in
the series hoisting Wallys
late in the afternoon on
Sundays. They are cham-
pions. They are ambas-
sadors of the sport. They
are stars with all the glitz
and glamour, but they
aren’t going to be the
MVPs of this column.
I will feature folks
from all walks of life as-
sociated with our sport.
I will tell their stories. I
will let them inspire you
to follow your dreams even if those
dreams don’t make sense. If I’ve
learned anything from my almost
three decades in this sport, it’s that if
drag racing is in your soul, you can’t
shake it. If you feel it in your gut
that you belong here, you do! I will
shine a light on so many areas of our
sport that need great talent, hard
workers and those who share the
passion. In my opinion, we haven’t
even scratched the surface.
I won’t “spoil your dinner,” but I
will tell you this: hang on to your
hats. You’ll meet people through
my column that you didn’t know
you needed. You’ll learn how many
people it really takes to make the
wheels go ‘round here. It’ll be one
hell of a ride.
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58 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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Issue 142
with Courtney Enders-Lambert