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NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Erica Enders wants more, expects more

Two-time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders is baffled by her lack of results this season, but vows to keep on fighting.
17 Aug 2019
Kevin McKenna, NHRA National Dragster Senior Editor
Race coverage
enders

How is it that there have been six different winners in ten Pro Stock races this season and Erica Enders is not one of them? Pose that question to the two-time champion and she instinctively shrugs her shoulders because even after 15-year as a full-time pro, shes hard-pressed to come up with a suitable answer.

I dont know; I think its just a matter of luck mostly, she offers. I mean, I think my driving has been pretty good, and Ive got a good car, and the best crew in the business. I dont know. I think that, especially in the Pro Stock class, things run in a cycle. We had two great years in 2014 and 2015 and its been a struggle ever since. Its like driving into and out of a valley. I want to think that weve been to the lowest part of the valley and now Im ready for the upswing.

Enders left foot certainly isnt the culprit. She is once again Pro Stocks reaction time leader, although a red-light start did cost her a potential win against Deric Kramer in the Chicago final. At the same time, three of her 12 rounds wins have come via a holeshot. Statistically, shes as good as shes ever been, but she acknowledges that there is always room for improvement.

I do feel good about my driving, but nowhere near as good as I was the two years where we won the championship, said Enders. I mean I missed it really badly in Pomona and was .70 on the Tree to start the year, and that never happens, but I put that behind me. Some of it is in the race car. We leave at a lower rpm now and that hurts our lights. Its not just me, but across the board. Its harder to cut a light and to be consistent.

Enders can point to early losses in Gainesville and Norwalk, where she didnt make a competitive run on race day, and also to more recent events in Sonoma and Seattle, where she left on both opponents, and suffered a mechanical failure on both runs.

That was really frustrating, she says. I was .014 against Alex [Laughlin] in Sonoma, and .009 against Greg [Anderson] in Seattle, and we had a main bearing failure on both runs. Thats just one of those issues that you have to fight through. Our Elite team is meticulous, especially when it comes to how we cycle parts but obviously weve got an issue there. We too some steps to address it this weekend [in Brainerd] and it seems like weve got a handle on it but still frustrating to leave on someone, feel like youve got it in the bag, and then have them drive right by you. You never get used to that feeling. It sucks.

For all of her early-season struggles, Enders remains a prime candidate to win a third Pro Stock championship. Heading into Brainerd, shes in eighth place, but with a strong regular season finish, fifth remains a realistic goal and as history has shown, any driver who makes the top ten can win the title, especially in a class as unpredictable as Pro Stock can be.

For all the ups and downs of her career, including some genuinely trying personal difficulties, Enders remains hopefully optimistic that some of the best days of her career lie ahead. At 35, shes technically in the prime of her career where youthful athleticism runs parallel with more than two decades of wisdom and experience. Quite frankly, theres little reason to think she couldn't own the Pro Stock class for the next decade or so.

Ill admit that its hard sometimes, but I still have all the fight in me, Enders said. It's Pro Stock. It's not supposed to be easy. Some days it's a lot harder than others and it can beat you up mentally. Honestly, I dont know what else Id do, and I dont want to do anything else. I'm sitting here saying that but I'm sure I'd feel a lot more upbeat about the whole thing if we can go out an win a race. That tends to cure a whole lot of things."

As an aside, Enders isn't ready to close the book on her career in the Pro Mod class, but shes also not expected back in the E3 Pro Mod series anytime soon. Most remember that she managed to escape a huge fire in Norwalk largely without injury, but Enders admits the harrowing experience caused her to step back and re-evaluate a few priorities. Her turbocharged Elite Camaro was also nearly a total write-off, and its not expected to be race-ready for a while.

That whole deal definitely scared me, Enders said. I wont say Im done with Pro Mod because I do enjoy a challenge, but the bottom line is that Richard [Freeman, Elite team owner] isnt going to put me in a situation where I might get hurt. Weve talked about a number of ways we can make Pro Mod cars safer and weve had a lot of productive conversations, both among ourselves, and with NHRA. The bottom line is that I dont want to see anyone have to go through what I went through, and I feel like Im lucky because it could have been much worse.

With Pro Mod on the back burner (at least for now), that leaves Enders in another predicament. She still loves to race, and would love the opportunity to run more than one car. After all, fellow Pro Stock racers Bo Butner and Jeg Coughlin Jr. regularly compete in Super Comp and Super Gas, and even rival Jason Line is going to dust off his trusty Buick Stocker for the upcoming Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Why should they have all the fun?

Id love to have something else to drive at Indy, said Enders. Im not even too picky about what it is. Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Stock, Stock; my license is good for almost anything. As long as its safe, Ill drive it. So, if you know anyone with a car, send them my way.