HORSEPOWER & HEELS

New Feature: AIM HIGH book

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:55:00 +0000

A few months back, I had the wonderful honor of being interviewed by book author Laura Contreras-Rowe for a book project she was working on called AIM HIGH: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic and Latina Women. The interviewed lasted hours, where I talked about the journey I've taken over the course of my racing career and the things and challenges in life that drove me to chase my dreams.

Well, the first edition is back from the printer, and I've received my first copy. I'm really excited to be included as one of the 33 hispanic women chosen to share their stories. Venezuelan IRL driver Milka Duno is also featured in the book, so its quite an honor to be included along with her.

The book features stories from a wide variety of different professional backgrounds. All the women featured tell their personal stories, with the overall theme being the powerful message that despite financial challenges, family obligations and horrific environment or events: a young Hispanic or Latina woman can succeed to astounding heights with courage and tenacity.

This is the first book I've ever been featured in, and its a tremendous honor to be included in something so memorable and inspirational. The idea that this will be something that will exist to show my family and future generations is very emotional for me.

The book is available by reserved copy right now, but look for a small quantity of books with a personalized note from me inside available on the Horsepower & Heels E-Store for reserve as well.

(A small side note to my family and friends: though the story is written in 1st person perspective, it was written by Laura and there may be some details that were slightly askewed from what you may recall)

Never too late for good laughs...

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:02:00 +0000

I'm way late on this one... but here's a little Vegas style NHRA inspired costume for Halloween.

This NHRA fan came dressed as a WALLY.

You just can't beat the creativity of NHRA fans, especially when they are a MATER!

Maybe next year, someone will go as a barrel of illegal NITRO?

Inspiration and feeling blessed.

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Its easy to lose perspective when we get wrapped up in daily life.

Lately, I've been in the dumps about the state of my racing program and my extended sidelined status. I know that its been tough for a lot of folks with the current economic situation, and I should be working extra hard to make things happen. One step forward, two steps back it seems... its easy to start feeling sorry for yourself when you've experienced setback after setback.

Today I received an email through Horsepower & Heels' contact page which totally gave me a reality check and a swift kick in the backside. Talk about lighting a fire underneath me at a time I really need it most.

DEAR ERICA ORTIZ,
i am 12yrs old and i think youre great. about a month ago i had a tumor removed from my brain and now im going threw radiation treatments. i told my parents that if erica ortiz wouldnt ever give up, i wont give up either. thank you for all your inspiration! i was just wondering if i could get an autographed picture from you? if not, i will totally understand you are very busy. thanks again and take care of yourself. good bye.
JEFF

Wow. Talk about putting things in perspective.

I could never be too busy to reach out to a boy as brave as Jeff, and it is HIM who is inspiring me to stop feeling defeated and keep fighting.

Thank you, Jeff, for inspiring ME to succeed! Your photo and a Horsepower & Heels t-shirt are on its way, I'd be honored for you to wear it!

Pro Mod now NHRA Professional Category

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:55:00 +0000

The long, hard fought battle has finally been won.

For 9 long years, Pro Mod racers have begged, pleaded, borrowed and stole to gain the acceptance of the NHRA as a professional category, only to be shunned aside as a mere exhibition class. Popular across the country for the colorful, exciting, and out-of-control tendencies, Pro Mod drivers relegated themselves to limited exhibition status, a pay-to-run class that was considered the ugly step child of the NHRA. Often walked on during their limited schedule appearances, the Pro Mod class endured zero coverage or respect from the NHRA, no TV time, no promotional acknowledgement, and were the first on the chopping block for rain delays, with qualifying scrubbed at the first sign of delay.

For years, Pro Mod supporters cries fell on deaf ears in the California home offices of NHRA. Many believed that they refused as a matter of principal after the ugly pro stock truck fiasco, some felt that factory supported hot rods feared the backlash from Pro Stock drivers. Most had finally accepted the cause as lost, that NHRA would never acknowledge or accept Pro Modified as a professional category, myself included.

But a surprising change of heart came courtesey of an announcement by Tom Compton of the NHRA at the awards banquet: as of 2010, Pro Modified is now a legitimate professional class.

The 2010 Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

What does this mean for Pro Modified racers? A LOT. Now, the class is an official NHRA run series, complete with a centralized NHRA approved/controlled rulebook, a per race purse structure, and a championship points purse fund. NHRA media will now highlight the class in the National Dragster and NHRA.com, along with a seperate 30 minute ESPN TV program devoted to the class (tape delayed). The series is now eligible for contingency sponsors, will have access to their own hospitality area, a vendor trailer on the NHRA midway for t-shirt sales, and most importantly, will now be competing for the same coveted Wally trophy as NHRA Championship drivers.

This allows drivers to actively pursue sponsors, now having legitimate benefits to offer in terms of coverage and exposure, something that had been a tough sell in the previous architecture. For me, this means a complete revise to my marketing plans, and a renewed fight to find a partnership that would allow me to move up to the National stage.

There's a lot more work to be done this off-season for many teams, and I suspect the NHRA will be surprised with the 1st year results.

The NHRA Get Screened Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Schedule
41st annual NHRA Gatornationals March 11-14 Gainesville, Fla.
23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals April 9 - 11 Houston
14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals April 30 – May 2 St. Louis
30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals May 14-16 Commerce, Ga. 41st annual United Association NHRA SuperNationals June 10-13 Englishtown, N.J.
10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals June 18-20 Bristol, Tenn.
4th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals June 24-27 Norwalk, Ohio
56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 31 – Sept. 5 Indianapolis
3rd annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals Sept. 16-19 Concord, N.C.
10th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Oct. 28-31 Las Vegas

photo: Roger Richards

US National History Tarnished

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 05:58:00 +0000

The Big GO is to drag racing what the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 are to our roundy-round companions in racing. It is the single biggest weekend of the season, and one where tradition and competition run second only to emotion of the participants.

One of the most memorable races of my life was the first US National event I ever attended in 2006. It was the first race I ever was entrenched with one of the professional teams to get a first hand view of what it takes for these teams to make professional racing a reality. The work, the expense, the sacrifice, and the dedication are all overwhelmingly apparent in each of these teams.

No exception, the 2009 "Big GO" was every bit the emotional flashpoint of the season as always. The NHRA's decision to make Indy the Countdown reset race added to the drama and tension of the event. When teams are spending millions to try and win, there are always going to be tempers and accusations. But to see it on national TV, that is something that is usually reserved for closed trailor doors or behind the ropes.

The floundering economy has made it tough on everyone... racers and spectators alike. I've never wished that I had attended a race as much as I did while watching this year's ESPN2 Telecast. Reasons are two-fold:

During the Semis, Tony Pedregon and John Force exchanged heated words and even shoves over Tony's allegations that John Force took a dive to allow son-in-law Hight a spot in the 10-seed playoff berth, effectively knocking off his brother, Cruz from contention. Tony, a former Force driver, said he knew their practices over at JFR well and called Force a cheater for fixing the race. Cruz also made comments on-air from the starting line calling Force an outright cheater as well. [Watch the video of the altercation]

The NHRA does have a no-dive rule in place to prevent team orders. However, in the case of this race, where a team car matchup can result in critical championship-affecting results, it is assumed that driver intentions would be controversial at best when the outcome is deemed beneficial. I do not envy the NHRA, faced with a rule that is this tough to really police.... a seasoned veteran driver has a timely lapse in otherwise good reaction, coupled with an aborted run due to the car making a "move" to the wall, grants his teammate the win that he needs to push him into the countdown. How do you police for driver's intent? Was it *really* an accidental slip at the tree by John Force and did the car *really* drive itself out of the groove? Only John Force can know with 100% certainty... which really means that the NHRA is powerless to enforce this rule without hard-proof as evidence.

Team orders occur in all forms of racing, and while fans are punished by this practice, its hardly something that can be policed or will be going away (Saved for eliminating multi-car teams, which would result in a massive drop in car count, and I'll play the odds vs. losing cars any day). The debates are running rampant on the internet, but the point is mute. NHRA can't prove it, and so they are powerless to repeal it as well.

The real tragedy in the weekend is the fact that the pushing match between John and Tony overshadowed a huge milestone: Ashley Force-Hood winning the hallowed US Nationals and becoming the first female in Funny Car to do so. In a time where nearly all the women of the sport save Ashley (and sometimes Erica Enders) have been sidelined (Hillary Will, Melanie Troxel, etc.) Ashley carries the torch for women and young girls everywhere who aspire to reach her level of success. Only 2 other women have done so in the history of the US National professional classes, which makes her story even more inspirational and important to women of our times.

I personally really wanted and needed to see her do well, as a reinforcement that the nitro dream IS possible, and at a time when the economy has all but shut down my dreams of EVER racing again. It is hard to stay positive and to continue to stay driven and determined when you see even established, successful women racers sidelined in an already tough arena to break into. I'm not giving up, but seeing her achieve so much has renewed faith and hope in what has seemed like a bleek outlook.

So a much deserved CONGRATS to Ashley Force-Hood, the 2009 US National Funny Car Champ!

Guest on Pit Crew Conversations BlogTalk Radio

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:53:00 +0000

Today, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Parent Driven School's Pit Crew Conversation Blog Talk Radio Show.

Parent Driven Schools is an organization that believes parents are the solution to the education crisis in our country. The group gives parents the information, tools and resources they need to make sure their children receive an education that prepares them to succeed.

I'm a huge supporter of education and helping children acheive their dreams as Lifelong Learners, so I can really support what PDR is going for families and children out there. I was able to chat with the listeners about how I chose drag racing and what I do to continually learn and grow on an ongoing basis.

Listen to the show here: [Direct Link to Podcast]

In addition, a quote from one of my blog posts on what fueled my passion will be displayed in the California Auto Museum at Parent Driven School's documentary premiere of "Creating Lifelong Learners" on Thursday, August 20th.

For more information on Parent Driven Schools, please visit http://www.parentdrivenschools.org/

Congrats to the Force Girls

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:00:00 +0000

You know, nitro Funny Car driver Ashley Force-Hood has been having a heckuva year. She's won several events, led the points chase, been to a handful of finals.... Girl is on Fire. (not literally. That would be BAD.)

Love it.

But there are 2 more Force girls out there racing worth the mention, and one looks to me to be making quite the splash too. Younger Force spawn Brittany and Courtney are both competing in Top Alcohol Dragster while they are attending college. Courtney is also all over the internets with a column in USA Today and participating in all sorts of cool Fiesta Movement shenanigans. (check out her twitter here or youtube antics here)

This past weekend in Seattle, both younger sisters made it to the semi-finals, having to face off against each other. With Courtney taking the win in that pairing, she would be the lone Force car left heading to the final rounds for that day.

Courtney Force defeated Chris Demke in that final to score her first TAD win, the lone Wally in the JFR pit for the day.

I'm a huge fan of all the Force girls, but something just stands out to me about Courtney, and I'm really excited to see her move up and join her dad and sister in the nitro categories. I *suspect* it may just be in a JFR dragster and not the typical flopper, but its just a hunch and would be cool to see. My fear is that her eventual move to funny car may be filling the seat of her retiring dad, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet.

Where ever she ends up, she seems to have the whole package: trademark Force good looks, articulate, engaging, and royal drag racing blood to boot.

Congrats Courtney on the first of many wins!

Drag Racing in the ESPY awards

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:32:00 +0000

I was reading the latest column over at Go2Geiger.com about Tony Schumacher's nomination for an ESPY award, and it made me really think about what is holding us back from being a mainstream sport among the masses.

Sad to admit, Geiger is dead-on with his prediction: If Tony Schumacher cannot bring home an ESPY for his amazing championship year, then drag racing has little hope of ever gaining its due acceptance or accolades in the motorsports world.

But why is drag racing constantly being overlooked? The NHRA fan base is just as loyal, the sport itself has more accessibility, and more overall membership (with the inclusion of sportsman ranks) than any other motorsport. Why are we left constantly in the shadows of NASCAR, IRL, and others?

I had high hopes when Ashley Force won the AOL Hottest Athlete contest a few years back. She beat some big celebrity athletes, including IRL's darling Danica Patrick, for the coveted title. Obviously, Ashley is gorgeous, but I felt that it was more the support of the drag racing world that helped edge out the tight competitions. And her win against NFL superstars made it all the more hopeful that Drag Racing's day was finally about to arrive.

But what about now? Up against the commercial juggernaut of NASCAR's legion, will drag racing be left by the wayside again?

It will unless we stand and rally NOW. Voting continues until July 11th on the ESPY nominations. Each and every drag racing fan should be voting.... I'm somewhat dismayed to learn that NHRA's promotion of the fan voting event was limited to small releases only. It requires a free registration, but really folks... let's not let Tony go down without a fight!

VOTE FOR ESPY AWARDS

Deadline: July 11th

Please tell your friends!

Pro Mod is tougher than it appears...

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:36:00 +0000

The biggest lesson I've learned in the past few years of downtime is to fully appreciate how much it takes to build/race/maintain a racecar at this level of competition. The costs, the devotion, the hard work, and the risks are just mind-blowing. And it can all be gone in an instant.

Nowhere does logic pay off in this sport... you build a costly car that runs for mere seconds, you race for a purse that more often than not will never pay back the expenses, and even the most skilled driver gambles that a split second will not destroy all that hard work, or result in injury or worse.

This year at the NHRA Gateway race in St. Louis, a seasoned Fuel driver Melanie Troxel walked away from a crash in Raymond Commisso's 5.8-second Pro Modified entry, an incident she attributed to her "inexperience. I just didn't have enough laps." She went on to say "these cars are a handful," a sentiment that Rick Stivers would probably agree with given his own spectacular crash that same weekend in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals.

His 2006 Stratus hit the wall and flipped -- what Stivers described as "all hell [breaking] loose - literally." Both incidents illustrate that in a class of promods with tremendous power (Troxel's car put out 2,500 hp), crashes are often simply beyond the driver's control. Both Troxel and Stivers were wearing their seat belts and are lucky; their injuries could have and probably should have been severe.

Not surprisingly, the major factors in this class are the inherent danger, the expense of repairs, and how attractive these high class machines are to thieves. So what makes it worth all the risk?

The remark that I hear across the board is that Pro Mod is the most difficult class to navigate. The cars make a ton of power, and don't have near the downforce of their bigger nitro brothers. They are a handful to drive, but they are the fastest true doorslammers in existance. Several nitro drivers such as Mike Ashley, Scotty Cannon, Matt Hagan and others have gotten their starts in Pro Mod. And several nitro pilots have also learned much like Melanie how much these cars are underestimated.

With cars now reaching 250mph with ease, these cars continue to put on a wild, fun-filled show that remains unrecognized by NHRA as a professional class. It only takes a quick look to the stands during Pro Mod to see that it is a class the fans really enjoy, a point further proven by the ADRL's sell out successes outside NHRA confines. Speculation behind why the NHRA refuses to grant professional class status includes complications from the Pro Stock truck lawsuit, and competition to their own pro stock class, but when will the NHRA wise up and see what a fan pleaser it has in Pro Modified?

Top Gun to Top Fuel: Mixing my two favorite things

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:14:00 +0000

My parents may not have ever guessed that I'd grow up to be a total hopeless gearhead Drag Racer, but I think they had some idea that I wasn't a "normal" little girl.

While most kids dreamed of growing up to become veterinarians and doctors, I was awe-inspired at the tender age of 6 by what would be a classic 80's Hollywood movie... oh yes, wait for it.... Top Gun. [cue Danger Zone music]

I very clearly remember watching it with my family one night, and even though I was a restless 6 year old, was absolutely transfixed by what I saw. My dad was a career Air Force officer, and had retired from the Air Force before I was born. Perhaps my love of aircraft and speed came subconsciously from him, but I don't think they expected what came out of my 6 year old mouth after watching Maverick and the rest of the characters lighting up the sky in those F-14's.

And no, it wasn't the Volleyball scene, or a actually still relevant at the time and hot Tom Cruise, I had zero desire to be a Kelly McGillis lusting after some flyboy (though admittedly, I DO have a thing for men in flight suits as an adult). Top Gun was Navy, but whatever, I had decided at age six I wanted to be an Air Force Fighter Pilot.

My dream was rather crushed when my dad told me (at the time) that women were not permitted by the military to be combat pilots (something that changed in 1993). It wasn't because he didn't want to encourage me, I'm pretty sure it was also his dream growing up, and his eyesight was the disqualifying factor for him, so he didn't want me to be disappointed by the rule in place. Talk about a crushing blow... but instead of becoming an Ace Pilot, I later would settle on becoming a pilot of a different sorts... a drag racing pilot.

Maybe its not a screaming jet with supersonic speed and all kinds of fun G's, but drag racing at 200mph is still pretty thrilling. (Here's to hoping I get my chance in a Top Fuel Dragster and get to that 300mph thrill) And now the Air Force has figured out how to get the average person to merge these passions together with their latest recruitment tool: The Mustang X-1.

Designed by the same people responsible for the new gen KITT car (Galpin Autosports), this car has been totally redone for the USAF. On the exterior a radical lowered stance and low profile tires make for the aggressive aircraft-inspired theme complete with carbon fiber body, aerodynamic air intakes, and gull-wing doors. The flight cockpit interior completely replaces the Mustang interior with flight-stick, a touch-screen interfaced control system, and a single driver ejection seat center-mounted setup. GPS and nightvision technology is also found on the high-tech console.

At first, I was rather curious how they were "driving" via a flight-stick, but I read on to discover that there is a hidden regular motorized steering wheel that pops out for the "pilot" to steer with (slight disappointment that its not stick-driven, but whatever). The stick is actually a very nifty shifter for the manual transmission. I was also surprised that the car is only hopped up to 500 hp with cams and exhaust, which by my hotrodder standards does it zero justice... I mean why not twin turbos or something cool!

Alas, its a pretty cool recruitment tool if you ask me... they also have a Charger called the "Vapor", but the X-1 is definitely the more radical of the two.

Now that I'm grown and have spent the last 10 years chasing my dream of drag racing, I wish I would have had the level of determination applied to pursuing my dream of being a fighter pilot. I had no way of knowing then, but CAN'T just means you have to try a little harder.... Its still on my "Bucket List" to ride in a supersonic jet at some point, to cross off both me and my dad's dreams together. Or maybe I'll land a Top Fuel/Air Force sponsor and get to combine both dreams at once. (Keep your fingers crossed folks!)

Regardless, I feel pretty lucky to be participating in the land-version of high speed flight in drag racing, because as Goose and Maverick put it oh so well....

"I feel the need.... the need for SPEED!!"

Photos: USAF

The Brickyard

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:56:00 +0000

So, as is my norm here lately, I had another whirlwind weekend in celebration of Memorial Day festivities. (I'm almost dizzy looking at my calendar anymore)

Originally, I had planned to make a trip to Indy all weekend, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had been added to the Dixie Derby All-Star team. We had a home bout on Saturday, which I played in and we ended up winning 154-41. Great night for sure. Thanks for everyone that came to watch, I had a great time!

I didn't get to celebrate long at the afterparty, because after that tiring day, it was up bright and early headed out to Indianapolis, IN. I had a few different reasons to be going to Indy, but one of them was to definitely catch part of the Indy 500 in person. I've never seen an Indy race live, especially not at the hallowed Brickyard, so I raced the 6 hours up there early Sunday morning to catch the race. (thank GOD for radar detectors.... and drafting... and fun travelers with the same idea in mind)

I arrived around lap 90, but by the time I got parked and hiked the 2 miles to the track, it was somewhere around lap 140 or so. To my luck, they weren't even checking tickets anymore, so I just walked in and grabbed an empty seat on Turn 2. I had a bunch of friends there that I hoped to meet and sit with, but unfortunately, you can't exactly hear a cell phone well from the track, so I just gave up and sat in the stands next to some *interesting* people.

Of course, I learned after I made it about 1.75 miles of my hike that I'd hauled my camera with me for NOTHING, being that I had conveniently left my only CF card in the USB reader at work back in Huntsville. Grrrr..... I can be thoroughly brain-dead sometimes. But I did catch some of the *BIG* Meira crash, as it happened right in front of me. They took awhile to get him out, I had a sick feeling as they don't make it a point to say anything about the driver's condition over the PA. I thought I saw him moving on the stretcher, so that was a hopeful sign. Thankfully, he's okay, just has some broken vertebrae and will have some therapy to go through for the rest of the season.

So, the best evidence of my 1st trip to an Indy car race comes from my negative 3.0 mega pixel camera phone. And let me tell you how hard it is to actually CATCH a 2oomph car whizzing by with that sucker too. ::Shakes head in disgust::

Danica Patrick again did really well, landing in the 3rd spot at the race end behind Helio and Wheaton. Helio had a huge lead, but I was secretly hoping for some last lap antics by Danica that would've moved her into 2nd. Sarah and Milka both finished the race, but out of the top 10. Oh well, next year for my girls!

Monday's rainy trip home was far from fun, as I was thoroughly exhausted and had to fight some pretty crappy conditions. (Hello Mustang, time for some new tires!) I made it back into town around 8pm, snuggled up to my little chihuahua, and tried to unwind before heading back to the grind.

And it doesn't appear that my schedule will be letting up any time soon! Next weekend: Evansville, IN for Derby. Following weekend: Knoxville, TN for derby, where I'm actually skating with the Knoxville team, who was short players. Week after? FLORIDA for fun, sun, family.... and oh yea, WORK too. Then possibly a bonzai run back to Bowling Green, KY for the nostalgia race. Yippeee-aye-ahhh!

Derby Photos: Angela Zaborny; Indy Photos: My crappy Blackberry.

Traveling the Country One Track at a Time

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:52:00 +0000

One of the great things about racing, is that it has allowed me to travel the country, one racetrack at a time. I tried to sit down and think of all the tracks I've been to, which isn't an easy task. Sad part is, that although I've been all over the U.S., I couldn't tell you much about the cities I've visited BESIDES which track surfaces are good and how the pit parking was.

The list that I can remember is about 40+ right now, including a few over the ocean in Puerto Rico. I'm hoping to add to it as the years go by. (or as I can remember where else I've been!)

US 19 Dragway -- Albany, GA
Goodtimes Drag Strip -- Baileyton, AL
Houston Motorsports Park -- Baytown, TX
Beechbend Raceway -- Bowling Green, KY
Bradenton Motorsports Park -- Bradenton, FL
Bristol Dragstrip -- Bristol, TN
National Trails Raceway -- Columbus, OH
Atlanta Dragway -- Commerce, GA
One Way Dragway -- Cottonwood, AL
Cordova Dragway Park -- Cordova, IL
Southeastern Int'l Raceway -- Dallas, GA
Darlington Int'l Dragway -- Darlington, SC
Dothan Dragway -- Dothan, AL
Douglas Drag Strip -- Douglas, GA
Texas Motorplex-- Ennis, TX
Gainesville Raceway Park -- Gainesville, FL
Huntsville Dragway -- Harvest, AL
Emerald Coast Dragway -- Holt, FL
O'Reilly Motorsports Park -- Indianapolis, IN
Carolina Dragway -- Jackson, SC
Route 66 Raceway -- Joliet, IL
Lakeland Motorsports Park -- Lakeland, FL
Twiggs Co. Raceway -- Macon, GA
Gateway International Raceway -- Madison, IL
Montgomery Motorsports Park -- Montgomery, AL
Summit Raceway Park -- Norwalk, OH
Orangeburg Dragstrip -- Orangeburg, SC
Orlando Speed World -- Orlando, FL
Phenix Motorsport Park -- Phenix City, AL
Pomona Raceway -- Pomona, CA
Ponce International Raceway -- Ponce, Puerto Rico
Maple Grove Raceway -- Reading, PA
Silver Dollar Raceway -- Reynolds, GA
Old Dominion Raceway -- Richmond, VA
Rockingham Dragway -- Rockingham, NC
Puerto Rico International Speedway -- Salinas, Puerto Rico
Alabama International Raceway -- Steele, AL
Heartland Motorsports Park -- Topeka, KS
South Georgia Motorsports Park -- Valdosta, GA
Palm Beach International Raceway -- West Palm, FL

I don't even want to think how many road miles that adds up to!

My favorites are Bristol's Thunder Valley for the beautiful scenery and awesome atmosphere as the cars race through the mountain valley, and Norwalk's Summit Raceway Park because of the midway and great hospitality (and because it was my first 6 sec, 200mph pass there). The ultimate package has to be Ponce Int'l Raceway in Puerto Rico, its a drag racer's dream! More on that in another blog post though...

I'm hoping to add the rest of the NHRA tour onto my list at some point (in the not-so-distant future).

A Photo Says a Thousand Words

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:00:00 +0000

In addition to the crew chiefs and drivers, one of the other groups of greatly talented professionals you get to meet at the racetrack every weekend are the guys and gals that are risking their butts hanging on the guardwalls to give us great images of the action. Though I know absolutely NOTHING about photography aside from point-and-click, I've always had great respect for these guys and gals, and always truly admire their work.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting my absolute favorite Professional Sports Photographer, Mark Rebilas. I've been a fan of his and have been following his work for quite awhile now, but I didn't realize how cool a guy he actually is until recently.

Mark hails from Phoenix, AZ; the son of photographer Gil Rebilas, who first put a camera in his son's hands at age 10. Mark quickly learned the trade, enlisting as a Photographer for the US Navy, and leading a team of 22 photographers on an aircraft carrier during a wartime deployment across the world.

Now, you can find him high above the tri-oval at NASCAR races, capturing some of the crazy crashes, or on the sidelines at baseball games and a wide variety of other sports. A very recognized name in the business, Mark's won the NMPA Motorsports Photographer of the Year award twice, and has been featured all over the industry in ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and many other publications. Mark has also covered a few drag racing events, and his images are absolutely stunning. His photo blog is really impressive, and tells a great story about the events he covers. Though he told me he originally started the blog for other photographers, any sports fan can really appreciate his detailed blogging style and the great story his images tell.

Some of my favorites are the unique portraits he's done with my favorite NHRA drivers. His approach is drastically different from our regular drag racing photographers, and from what he outlines in his blogs, his techniques are much more complicated and a lot harder work. But the results are amazing:

Angelle Sampey last year in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Now-retired Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi

The action shots are unlike anything I've ever seen. With drag racing being the fastest moving of all the motorsports, I imagine its quite difficult to catch all the action coming at you at 300mph. But these are just the most vivid and spectacular I've ever seen...

Robert Hight in Nitro Funny Car
Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel

Fuel Altered Engine Explosion at March Meet

Clearly, I don't have to do much talking. His work speaks rather breathlessly for itself. I couldn't possibly post all of my favorites, so you really need to head on over to his blog to check them all out.

Other than the fact he drives a Corvette (::groan::), Mark is one of the coolest people I've had a chance to hang out with in some time! I've already made him promise that if I strike the lotto and go Top Fuel racing, he's going to be the official Photographer with sole mission to make me look like a resident bad ass! Thanks, Mark!

Check out Mark's Blog: www.markjrebilas.com/blog
Or better yet, subscribe to it free here.

Soggy Weekend Gamble

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:52:00 +0000

The past month or so has been such an incredibly hectic time for me. I feel like I've been on the go for weeks. Between Roller Derby and trying to attend a few races here and there, I haven't had much time to recharge.

I started out by attending the ADRL race in Valdosta. I forgot how badly I missed these events. Its so much different than attending the "all business" national events. While the ADRL is a huge show, and just as professional, it still retains the level of fun and comraderie that isn't as apparent in national events. I got to chat with a lot of the guys I've been racing with for years, and even rounded up a few more parts to finish my car. I spent the weekend hanging out with Dan Parker/Bill George's team. They made the show, but had to take on the #1 qualifier, and shook just a bit at the top of low for a close race at the finish. [photo Competition Plus, Roger Richards]

Next up, I headed out to Vegas for a work-related tradeshow. I handle marketing for a broadcast equipment manufacturing company, and the NAB Show is our largest tradeshow of the year. Its always a very long week, with 2 after-show events that I manage for our dealers/customers. I did get a few hours out by the hotel pool at the Sahara, as well as skating with the Sin City Roller Girls at one of their practices, dinner at Tao and dancing at Pure Nightclub in Ceasar's Palace one of the nights as well.

From Vegas, I hopped a plane over to Columbus, OH where I was playing my very first Roller Derby Bout against the Ohio Roller Girls. We lost, I broke my finger, dislocated a knuckle and pulled a tendon in my hand, and I was way tired, but it was still a good experience. My friend Chuck came out along with my cousin Ana and her boys, so it was great seeing family and friends as well.

Then, on top of all of the craziness, I had 2 days once I got home to move to a new house my roommate and I were renting. With a broken finger. NOT fun. One of my coworkers and his wife helped me move most of it Monday night. I had to be out by Wednesday, and after a trip to Atlanta on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning to pick up my badly missed little Chihuahua, handle some work, and meet a special new friend (more on that next blog), it has been an exhausting month.

Which brings me to this weekend: the St. Louis NHRA race. I went to this race last year, and was planning to go this year as well. The Stevens Family Top Fuel Dragster, which some may remember is the team I have been working with to get a top fuel ride once we find funding to license and run, had a one-race deal for St. Louis, and I had planned to go there and shoot some video of the team and me with the dragster to put together a promo reel for the sponsor chase. However, Friday afternoon when I was getting ready to pack up and leave, the weather sirens started going off, making the drive not look like such a great idea. That fact, combined with the radar outlook for Saturday showing rain all day long, made me decide to stay home after lots of back-and-forth. A decision I instantly regretted the next morning when Dave Stevens called me saying it was clear blue skies and sunny there. DOH! [photo Competition Plus, Roger Richards]

So the team ended up qualifying and getting into the show. They went out first round to Morgan Lucas. Of course, I missed all the action. I'm super sad. :( So much for luck... I gambled and lost in Vegas, Ohio, and St. Louis! DARN!

Season 2 Kick-off with Ashley Force-Hood

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:45:00 +0000

You may remember a few months ago (where the heck is time going lately!) that I had a chance to sit down with NHRA Nitro Funny Car driver Ashley Force-Hood for some gal chat to kick off Season 2 of Horsepower & Heels TV...

Its been a hectic few months, but the folks at PNN just finalized the episode. Though I wish we could have included all 20 minutes of great insight from Ashley on a wide variety of topics, PNN and I chose to give some insight to viewers from Ashley into the very unique side of being a woman at the races.

Hope you enjoy!

WATCH SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 of HORSEPOWER & HEELS TV!

Saddened, Memory Bliss

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Today marks a very sad day in my racing world.

American Autosports, the longtime producer of the legendary Fun Ford Weekend Series and more recently Battle of the Brands, has just announced that due to current economic climate, they have ceased operations.

Fun Ford Weekend began in 1991 and spearheaded the Ford Drag Racing movement that gave so many of us a great competitive place to race. We watched PRO 5.0 grow from just a 10 second class into the low 6's at over 200mph, Outlaw from true 10.5" 9 and 8 second rides, into the high 6 second class on 10.5W's that rivaled the Pro from just a few years back, and huge advancements in Renegade, Warrior, Drag Radial, and my favorite, True Street.

Fun Ford Weekend is where I cut my teeth drag racing, starting in the Street Bracket. From there, I moved into True Street, where I won my first race at Gainesville in 2002. With the addition of a drag radial class in 2003, I runnered-up in my first heads-up race, became the first woman in FFW to break the 8 second barrier on a drag radial, and runnered-up for my first championship. In 2006, I moved up to Pro 5.0, becoming the first and only woman to pilot a 6 second, 200 mph car in Fun Ford history. I runnered-up for the Pro 5.0 championship as well that year as a rookie in PRO 5.0. Fun Ford Weekend made me what I am today, and I'm eternally grateful for everything I learned all those years and all the people who made racing with FFW so much fun.

But, in additon to that, it created a home for a huge family of people, a tight group of the very best friends I will ever have. Unlike the stringent and regulated NHRA/IHRA events, Fun Ford events were filled with commraderie and fun, and some of the best times happened after the racing was finished for the day.

I'm sad that we no longer have FFW/Battle of the Brands to bring us together, and hope that all of my racing counterparts still continue on somewhere when this mess of an economy picks itself up and dusts off.

Thanks to Bill & Cheryl Alexander, Crystal, George and the rest of the FFW crew for a decade (and more) of priceless memories!

We will miss you!

I hate April Fool's Day.

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Oh yes. April Fools Day.... the day you can be unnecessarily vicious and it be labeled "All in Good Fun".

Being that my life is pretty much an open book (err... browser window, considering its all online anymore), its not hard to figure out what key things in life would get me pretty friggen excited.

A big sponsor to go racing
Hitting the lottery (to be able to go racing)
Getting a full time nitro professional driver's gig (again, racing. See a trend here?)
A ride-along with the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds
and maybe a date with Bradley Cooper. (I'm still a single woman, folks. let a girl dream!)

So, my April 1st had gone off relatively calm-like. Work had me and my coworkers so busy that there wasn't much foolery going around, and quite honestly, I forgot it was April 1st about mid-morning.

Around 5pm, just as I was leaving work, a unrecognized number popped up on my cell phone. The area code was 313, which I just happened to know was a Detriot area phone number. Puzzled, I answered.

The caller, an unrecognized male voice, was on the line:

Mr. 313: "Erica Ortiz?"
Me: "This is Erica."
Mr. 313: "Hi Erica, this is Jim O'Reilly, I'm with the Motorsports Activation team for Ford. Did I catch you at a good time to chat?"
Me: "Certainly."
(Casual greeting niceties exchanged.)
Mr. 313: "Erica, we've been monitoring your website and promotional efforts with Horsepower & Heels and would like to talk to you about becoming an Ambassador for Ford Racing."
Me: (GASP) "Yes, yes sir."
Mr. 313: "You're currently racing a Mustang, is that correct?"
Me: "Well yes sir, I'm just finishing my racecar now. Its a 2007 Mustang Pro Mod. I'm hoping to debut it soon."
Mr. 313: "Great! We've seen your posts on your website about your loyalty to Ford, and thought having such a charismatic ambassador representing us out there in motorsports and online would be a great partnership."
Me: "Oh yes, I'm a die-hard Ford girl. My blood runs Ford Blue all the way. I'd be honored to be an Ambassador."
Mr. 313: "Great. I understand you're finishing your car now, what are your future plans both upcoming and long term?"
Me: "Well, my plan right now is to try and make some Pro Mod events close to home, and a few ADRL XTF events as well. Ultimately, I'm hoping to try and put together a package to be able to race professionally, as that is my aspiration."
Mr. 313: (in reference to my recent interview) "I see you've interacted with our John Force Racing friends recently."
Me: "Yes, I had a great time down in FL getting the chance to sit down with Ashley. She's fantastic."
Mr. 313: "We'd like to see you as successful right along with Ashley."

At this point, I'm a little short on breath and feeling light-headed. I mean, first to have Ford calling, and them wanting me to be some sort of Ambassador??? I could hardly see straight.

Mr. 313 embarked on a whole long speech about how in today's climate its really important to have people active out in the community and representing them, how mass advertising isn't the answer anymore, and how Ford has taken a new stance of focusing on the grassroots levels and finding people to represent them. All seemed credible. Actually, down right knowledgable to be honest.... they were all key marketing initiatives that made sense to me.

He then explained that they felt I had a lot to offer in terms of my activity in the social networking communities, and how they felt my story would be a great testimonial for Ford. And then the kicker..... the what's in it for YOU line.

So, in exchange for my twitterin'/ myspacin'/ facebookin'/ vloggin'/ bloggin' awesomeness (yes, I'm everywhere), Mr. 313 tells me that they'd like to ensure that I was able to move up.... ultimately to Nitro Funny Car!

Now, as many times as I have had people dangle that dang carrot in front of my nose, you think I'd be leary of such a proposition (or HELLO, remember that its April 1st!), but the fact that this was FORD calling, and that he sounded so official-y, I went through the whole Roller Coaster of emotion again.

So this whole conversation went on for about another 5-10 minutes of him explaining how Ford was really backing their loyal motorsports fans and followers and that this meant putting good representatives in opportunities.... BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

And then, just as abruptly as can be....

Mr. 313: "Ummm....what? I'm sorry, Erica, can you hang on?"
(Background garble)
"What is today?? April 1st?"

Followed by a resounding CLICK.

FYI, Mr. Not-so-Funny April Fooler.... YOU SUCK!!!

Gainesville NHRA and Ashley Force

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Its been over a week since I got back from a great trip to the 40th Annual NHRA Gator Nationals, and I'm just catching up enough to sit down for an update.

What a great trip! The Gator Nationals have become a semi-traditional trip for me, being the first east coast race of the season, and my first chance to get away and "smell the nitro" for the year.

As usual, the trip kicks off at the Gainesville Ale House on Thursday night, with a chance to catch up to many of my racing friends and a few personal friends from home that come up for the weekend from Orlando.

But the highlight of this year's trip was my opportunity on Friday morning to visit with Ashley Force courtesey of JFR PR pro Elon Werner. I met Elon through the new @JFR_Racing twitter campaign, and he invited me out to chat with Ashley in the pits. The JFR Twitter accounts allows fans to follow the instant team updates throughout the weekend to get a "behind the scenes" feel from the races in real-time.

(Check out my growing list of Drag Racing Twitter Accounts for other team updates)

Right now, Ashley is living the dream of a lot of us women racers in the PRO leagues of drag racing, being one of the few women competing this year in the NHRA. The advancement of women in racing is a passion of mine, so I was very eager to sit down with the top gal in our sport for some insight into what its like out there with the Big Boys. Ashley is in her third year as a professional Nitro Funny Car racer with her father's premiere funny car team. She's had incredible success as a racer, and is an inspiration to many.

Armed with my Horsepower & Heels TV Cam, I spent about 20 minutes with Ashley in her driver's lounge chatting about what its been like for her as a woman out on the circuit and how she's progressed through the ranks to reach professional status. PNN and I are now sorting through the editing, and we'll be kicking off Season 2 of Horsepower & Heels TV with this insightful look at the leading lady in NHRA Nitro Funny Car.

Stay tuned for more coming soon!!!

Blanca turns 1!!!

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:03:00 +0000

Today is my little baby's first birthday!

Happy Birthday, Blanca Nieve Ortiz!

Gator Nationals 2009

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Its that time again!

The 2009 NHRA Gator Nationals are back in Gainesville, FL this weekend, and as is tradition now, I will be attending from Thursday-Sunday.

I'm even MORE excited to go this year, because I have a few exciting meetings lined-up during the course of the weekend, and a few surprises in store for Horsepower and Heels.com when I get back! I can't mention anything yet, but believe me, its a *BIG* surprise!'

If you'll be at the Gator's, I invite you to stop by the Nitromater.com meet ups on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10am in front of the Nitro Mall. Or, come out to the Gainesville Ale House Thursday night for the traditional NHRA party.

Keep an eye on my Twitter updates for some real-time commentary on the race too!

This gives Horsepower & Heels new meaning...

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Lamborghini Heels

Hey Ford! I want a set of MUSTANG HEELS!

Blog Anniversary

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:33:00 +0000

Wow, its been 4 YEARS since I started this blog. FOUR. YEARS.

I took a stroll down memory lane, and gathered up a few highlights in the archives. Let's call this the Horsepower & Heels Greatest Hits Album.

A Fresh Perspective --6/30/05

Plug Me In -- 6/20/05

Eating My Wheaties -- 9/21/05

Happy Halloween -- 10/31/05

Found a Peanut -- 11/15/05

We Did It!!! -- 7/10/06

Not Alone and Really Not all that Different -- 8/6/06

Finishing 2nd -- 9/19/06

Nothing Stands between a girl and her Racecar -- 2/19/07

FLASHBACK: My first Drag Racing Experience -- 6/21/07

Saddened -- 6/17/07

Street Racing, BAD DEAL -- 8/30/07

Fast Friends at 90+mph -- 8/4/07

Green-eyed Monster -- 8/2/07

Case Study In Sleep Deprivation -- 9/18/07

Don't Pinch Me! -- 10/26/07

FLASHBACK: 2 FAST, 2 FUNNY -- 10/10/07

Irresponsible Journalism -- 11/7/07

What 200mph feels like -- 1/31/08

Wearing Many Hats -- 1/22/08

Operation Driver Weight -- 1/8/08

Racing Sweeties -- 2/14/08

Fired Up: Subconscious Triggers -- 3/6/08

Mainstream Media Thumbs Nose at Drag Racing -- 4/29/08

What Matters -- 5/30/08

The Secret is in the Hair -- 6/10/08

Bucket List -- 7/16/08

10 Favorite Racecars -- 8/28/08

Crossing the Finishline of Fear -- 10/10/08

Shut Up and RACE -- 11/20/08

Driving Diva Segment on Thunder Road

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:07:00 +0000

Had a great time chatting with Doug and Jeff with the Thunder Road show on Houston's 1560AM Game. If you missed the live interview, you can listen in to the Driving Divas segment below.

On Air: Houston's 1560AM The Game "Thunder Road"

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Listen in this Sunday, March 1st to Houston's 1560AM The Game radio station for my guest spot on the Thunder Road show's "Driving Divas" segment.

Thunder Road is Houston’s ONLY place for all things motor sports and the best damn racing show around, featuring hosts Doug Johnson, a former Fun Ford Weekend competitor, and "Ya Boy Blue" (Jeffery Blue). Past guests on the "Driving Divas" segment have been NHRA Pro Stock driver Erica Enders and Stock Car racer Kristen Bumbera.

The show will air this Sunday, March 1st from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM central standard time.

Don't live in Houston? The show is also available via web. You can listen online.

Turbo Inlets finished

horsepowerheels@gmail.com (Erica Ortiz) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Here's another update photo from Johnston Body Works & Bikes on the finished turbo inlets on the front end.

For a complete look at the build-up process, check out the Build-Up Photo Gallery