Erica Enders And Stroud Safety’s Tommy Cunningham Team Up For EE Jr. Dragster Racer Fire Suits
Posted by Kayla - Drag Illustrated on 18th Mar 2024
Erica Enders and Stroud Safety are excited to announce the launch of the Erica Enders (EE) fire suits for Junior Dragster racers. The EE fire suits will be custom-made and a way for Enders to continue to build her brand off track.
The idea was a natural fit as Stroud supplies Enders with seatbelts, window nets and parachutes for her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment Pro Stock Camaro. Enders and Tommy Cunningham, owner of Stroud, have become friends through Pro Mod racing.
“Junior drag racing is where I got my start 32 years ago. I was just a little 8-year-old girl with big dreams to be a professional driver one day. By the grace of God, I get to live my dream every day,” said Enders. “My goal with this line is to stay involved in the Junior Drag Racing League (JDRL) in some capacity. I want the younger generation of racers to have safe, cool-looking gear that doesn’t break the bank.”
Cunningham is always looking for ways to improve the safety of drag racing for himself and his fellow drivers, so when Enders mentioned she wanted Jr. dragster racers to have the best gear as well, Cunningham knew Stroud would be a fit.
“We’re excited about working with Erica to help develop her brand off track,” said Cunningham. “We’ve been building a relationship with Elite Motorsports for the last couple of years, and this is just one of the ways it’s evolved.”
“Having experienced a nasty, season-ending fire in Pro Mod, I want kids to understand the importance of safety equipment and enjoy wearing it,” added Enders.
The six-time Pro Stock world champion and winningest woman in motorsports paid a visit to Stroud Safety, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to share her input in the process of creating the fire suits.
“As always, my visit to Stroud was pretty awesome. I got to be involved in learning how the new EE fire suits were made. I even got to try my hand at running the sewing machine. Let’s just say I will stick to clutch pedals and shifting,” Enders said laughingly.
“She’s had a lot of input on how she wanted to see them,” continued Cunningham. “The fire suits will still be custom, like the adult fire suits we offer, and they’re 100% made in Oklahoma City.”
The EE Jr. dragster racer fire suits will be available to order this February, and Enders has already selected a very special driver to receive the first suit.
“The first EE fire suit is going to a little girl named Brooklyn Hop. I met her and her parents at Rock Falls Raceway in Wisconsin while I was there with CTech Manufacturing for a match race,” explained Enders. “I was extremely impressed with how well-spoken, mature, and well-put-together she was. Then, I watched her race. She is just an awesome kid, and her passion for racing matches mine.”
