Erica Enders – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Ashley, Capps, Enders, Johnson take wins at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Justin Ashley completed a doubleheader sweep at Bristol Dragway, powering to the Top Fuel win at the 22nd annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Sunday with a track speed record run in the final round, a day after winning the NHRA New England …

Ron Capps (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the eighth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Ashley defended his Bristol event win on Sunday with a thrilling performance in the final round, going 3.718s at a track record speed of 336.49mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster to defeat Antron Brown. It handed Ashley his second event win in two days – as well as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory – his fourth victory of the year and the ninth in his career, as well the points lead.

Ashley reached the final round with wins against Doug Foley, Josh Hart and Austin Prock before delivering another standout performance against Brown in the final round, capping off an unbelievable weekend.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend, certainly, the best weekend of my racing career,” Ashley said. “The key word for this weekend is team. It was a team effort to be able to throw out eight win lights in a row like that, and to leave one weekend with three victories is amazing, it’s something I didn’t know was possible.

“Just Mike Green, Tommy DeLago and the guys – all weekend they worked hard to make something happen. We came in with that objective, to leave with all the wins, and it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. But we got it done today.”

Brown reached the final round for the second time this season and the 132nd time in his career with round wins against defending world champion Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta.

It was a monumental day for Capps in the Funny Car ranks as well, as the defending back-to-back world champion became the all-time wins leader at Bristol, picking up his seventh win at the track after going 3.998s at 325.45mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra in the final round against Alexis DeJoria. After three visits to the final round this season, it’s the first victory of the season for Capps, who also moved into the points lead with the win.

To reach the final round, Capps knocked off Dave Richards, John Force and Chad Green before coming up with his 74th career victory in impressive fashion.

“We kept at, we’ve been close – three final rounds – should have been a win already but this is probably the most demanding racetrack there is to drive a Funny Car and I think anybody will tell you that that drives one,” Capps said. “I probably cost us a couple qualifying runs, I just couldn’t hold onto it and keep it in the middle and thankfully I got my act together on Sunday. It’s such a relief to see that Wally again. I honestly can tell people, you never know if you’re going to see it again. That’s how tough it is.

“I think any driver who has success somewhere will tell you, you just feel the mojo. It’s hard to explain it, but I’ve won here with different crew chiefs, different sponsors, different owners. I can’t really pinpoint it, I just know the very first year we ever came here, from the get-go it’s been a love affair with this area. This feels like a second home.”

It’s the second final round this year for DeJoria and the 14th in her career after she knocked off Cruz Pedregon, Bobby Bode and No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight.

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Enders put to rest her early-season struggles in Pro Stock in a major way this weekend in Bristol, capping off a stellar weekend with her first win of the season, which was clinched with a run of 6.680s at 204.08mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro. Poised for a big turnaround, Enders and her team made a massive move in Thunder Valley, qualifying No. 1 and then earning her 44th career win and third at Bristol Dragway.

She advanced to the final round with victories against Mason McGaha, Kyle Koretsky and Greg Anderson. With the win, Enders moved up six places to eighth in points, signaling she may be back to her winning ways of 2022, when she picked up 10 victories and cruised to her fifth championship.

“This is super gratifying, and I don’t know if people truly understand what it means,” Enders said. “Yes, we’ve won a lot of races, but to finish the year we had last year in the fashion that we did and then to start the year as horribly as we did is a real gut-check. It’s one of those things you have to battle through. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work.

“We’ve struggled with our racecar, but I’ve struggled mentally as a driver as well. It definitely takes a toll on you, and you question a lot of things, and you lose your confidence and maybe a little of your swagger. But my dad told me to just put my head down and remember who I am, a five-time champion. It’s refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, I just have to remember to believe in myself.”

Kramer, who won in Charlotte, reached the final round for the fourth straight race and 11th time overall, beating Troy Coughlin Jr., No. 1 qualifier Aaron Stanfield, who won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday, and Cristian Cuadra. Dallas Glenn maintained the points lead in the class, with Kramer moving up to second.

In a major upset in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, Johnson won in the final when points leader Gaige Herrera went red and suffered his first loss of the season. Johnson went 7.174s at 158.63mph on his to earn his 12th career win, denying Herrera his fourth straight victory to open the season. Herrera entered the championship round 14-0 in 2023, but he left too soon by 0.011s, handing Johnson his first victory of the season and his first win at Bristol Dragway.

Johnson reached his first final round this season with victories against Joey Gladstone, Eddie Krawiec and Hector Arana Jr., setting up the win against a rider who had dominated in the class up until that point.

“The Suzuki Hayabusa Gen 3 body is the newest coolest thing in Pro Stock Motorcycle racing,” Johnson said. “We got it, it’s the 25th anniversary of Suzuki next year and we’re really into trying to promote it. It’s totally different. It looks the same, but the feel and how the motorcycle rides down the track it’s totally different.

“In the finals racing Gaige, he’s got a really, really fast Suzuki and I was like, okay, what do you want to do? We talked about timing, jetting, all these things, but it was like, we just have to throw the kitchen sink at it. But we didn’t have one. So, we said we’ll just do what we can. We did some stuff that probably wasn’t right, but I looked up and saw our win light, and I let off to save the parts. I was pretty happy with it, but it’s pretty shocking.”

Herrera, who was the No. 1 qualifier, easily maintained the points lead, advancing to his fourth straight final round with wins against Ron Tornow, rookie Chase Van Sant and Angie Smith.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action June 22-25 with the 17th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Pruett, Hight, Enders, Herrera take NHRA Thunder Valley No. 1s

Gaige Herrera continued his perfect run in Pro Stock Motorcycle on Saturday at Bristol Dragway, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge and securing his fourth straight No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. In the Mission …

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) also won the bonus event in Bristol. Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) all qualified No. 1 at the eighth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

In the final round of the bonus event, Herrera was quicker on the starting line against Hector Arana Jr., posting a 0.009s reaction time and a run of 6.849s at 194.83mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It’s Herrera’s second Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory this season, with his run of 6.808s at 198.61mph earlier on Saturday giving him the No. 1 qualifier. Herrera hasn’t lost a round in 2023 and will aim for his fourth straight win on Sunday as he opens eliminations against Ron Tornow in what also is Herrera’s Thunder Valley debut.

“It makes me feel better that I went out there and did my job,” Herrera said. “I had to fight the bike a little bit from going towards the wall, and I think that’s why we slowed up a little bit. But that was a good run with Hector. I was glad to get the holeshot and come out on top. Just to be a part of the whole Mission Challenge is very cool.

“It’s been a wonderful journey so far. This whole season has been a dream come true, like I’ve been saying, and to do it like we’ve been doing it is just incredible. I’m just glad to be part of it.”

Arana Jr. qualified second with a 6.839s at 199.02mph and Eddie Krawiec’s 6.855s at 198.03mph put him third.

Stanfield claimed the win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday in his Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.637s at 206.32mph in his Camaro to defeat points leader Dallas Glenn. Stanfield, the defending event winner in Bristol, claimed his first victory in the specialty race on the strength of two outstanding runs, knocking off Deric Kramer in the opening round with a 6.631s at 206.80mph. The young standout will look to defend his Bristol crown on Sunday and make it a double-win weekend in the process.

“This is really cool. Qualifying is normally about just making a nice clean run, so to add a little competition in there and to turn on the win light and get a little redemption is great,” Stanfield said.

“Drag racing has a lot of highs and lows, and we’ve been struggling a little bit the beginning of the season, but they’ve been working very hard. We’ve turned it around, and I’ve just got a really good hot rod. I had a really good race car pretty much all year last year, and I think we’re getting back to that place.”

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Enders officially earned her first No. 1 of the season, as her run of 6.627s at 205.88mph from Friday in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet held up. It also gives the defending and five-time world champ her 30th career No. 1 qualifier and plenty of momentum as she heads into eliminations. She’ll open eliminations against Mason McGaha, searching for her first win of the season.

“I definitely feel a lot more confident than we have heading into the other Sundays so far this season,” Enders said. “We seem to have a race car back underneath us and that’s truly exciting, we just have to go to work tomorrow, execute the best that we can and try to park the JHG/Melling Performance car in the winner’s circle.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but hopefully it’s a long, successful Sunday here in Bristol. I’m just so, so thrilled that we’re back. It’s just really exciting. No matter what happens, we’ve just worked so incredibly hard, these guys haven’t had a day off in months, and you’re seeing it come to fruition.”

Stanfield qualified in the second spot and Cristian Cuadra’s 6.632s at 206.04mph put him third heading into Sunday.

In Top Fuel, Pruett enjoyed her first No. 1 qualifier of the season for Tony Stewart Racing, as her run of 3.745s at 322.42mph in her 11,000-horsepower Rush Truck Centers dragster from Friday easily stood up on Sunday. It’s also the 14th career No. 1 spot for Pruett, who will open eliminations against Spencer Massey. Pruett has been solid for the bulk of the 2023 season, but she will be looking for her first win of the season and first victory at Bristol Dragway on Sunday.

“This No. 1 is just a testament to the consistency that this team has had all season long. It’s the culmination of our performance that has led up to this,” Pruett said. “There is nothing like racing on Sunday and racing in Thunder Valley. We got the highs and the lows and the emotions of racing in qualifying. You get the echo of the cars here, and hopefully, we echo our performance of qualifying No. 1 and bring that into race day all day. I’m eager. It’s going to be an early morning for all, but the fans will have a good long day of watching cars.”

Brittany Force qualified second with a 3.747s at 334.48mph, and Torrence’s 3.753s at 329.10mph gave him the third slot.

Funny Car’s Robert Hight earned his second No. 1 spot this season and 79th in his career on the strength of his 3.938s at 321.35mph from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hight will take on Alex Laughlin to open eliminations aiming for his second career win at Bristol Dragway.

“My team has a pretty good handle on all the conditions – we’ve raced a lot of different conditions, and we have a lot of data to look at,” Hight said. “We do have a new combination, and we’re trying to get through that, but if we get the cylinder dropping fixed, this thing will have three-second runs all day tomorrow. That’s probably what it’s going to take to win, especially first round.

“Tomorrow is a new day, we’re starting from a good spot, we’re back with Cornwell for tomorrow, and we need to get them their first win.”

Capps took the second spot with his 3.962s at 318.92mph from Friday and Chad Green’s 3.969s at 322.50mph gave him third.

Eliminations for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.

Enders fighting through a mentally ‘dark’ NHRA Pro Stock season

Erica Enders was writing her NHRA retirement letter after the first round of the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago last month. The five-time Pro Stock champion had just lost, but while doing so she made the quickest pass of race day. In a season where …

Erica Enders was writing her NHRA retirement letter after the first round of the Route 66 Nationals in Chicago last month.

The five-time Pro Stock champion had just lost, but while doing so she made the quickest pass of race day. In a season where anything that could go wrong seemingly has for Enders and her Elite Motorsports team, it was another gut punch.

“So, in one point, I’m writing my retirement letter because I suck, but at the other point, you’re like, ‘Oh, well, our race car has turned around, we’re seeing a glimmer of hope,’” Enders said Friday at Bristol Dragway. “We went and tested in Tulsa and proved what we think we found in Chicago.

“It’s hard to sit here and say, ‘Yeah, we found our problem and we’re going to come out here (and succeed),’ because until you get to a national event with the other competitors on the same racetrack, you don’t really have anything to go by. But we feel like we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

The swing in emotion is, unfortunately, not new for Enders — at least not this year, sitting 14th in the championship standings with two round wins. It’s quite the turn for the veteran and her team, who climbed to the Pro Stock mountaintop in 2014 with her first world title and then set about putting on a masterclass of success and domination in the years to come.

Since the opening weekend of 2023 in Gainesville — when her car didn’t start for the first round of eliminations — it’s been one gremlin after another, days upon days of testing and a constant deciphering of what’s working and what’s not.

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And for Enders, it’s become a mental game with herself.

“My sister (Courtney) joked yesterday on the way from the airport that we’re going to hide all the razor blades,” Enders said. “All joking aside, it’s painful. It sucks. It’s awful because you spend the same amount of money, you work just as hard, you’re trying everything you can and we didn’t forget what we’re doing. It’s just not working in our favor right now, and that’s OK.

“But it’s definitely dark. It definitely sucks. I’ve deleted my social media apps off my phone because I want to strangle idiots on the internet that have no clue what they’re talking about. But at the same time, it’s part of what comes with living in a fishbowl, right? They sit on their couch and eat Cheetos and they watch us race, and they think they can be a Monday morning quarterback when we’re doing all we can. We just try to keep a positive mental attitude about it. But the human aspect, it’s not always easy.”

While Enders may have multiple championships under her belt, she’s no stranger to the ebbs when things conspire to not go her way. Image via NHRA

Enders is built for the challenge. She went a decade (also filled with ups and downs) before winning her first race in Pro Stock. After winning back-to-back world titles in 2014 and ’15, she went winless in 2016 and had just two wins across the following two seasons.

A positive mental attitude might be the right approach, but it’s easier said than done. Through the rough start to her 10th season with Elite, Enders admits it’s hard not putting it all on her shoulders.

“One of my crew chiefs, this morning, walked in and he put a finger on each…temple, and he’s like, ‘It’s the six inches right here that’s going to make the difference.’ That’s what’s made the difference and made me a five-time world champion — what happens up here,” she says, gesturing to her own head. “And I give my dad a lot of credit for that because, before he made his money in business, he was a positive mental attitude coach. Courtney and I grew up in that environment. We didn’t have to go and sit in seminars; it was pounded into our heads since we were little kids.

“Being mentally strong and mentally tough is a huge benefit. But there’s the other side of it where some mornings you wake up and you really have to talk yourself into it. You get out of the rental car and you’re like, ‘I do not want to deal with these people today.’ But we’re all human, we all put our pants on the same way. It’s a struggle, but you just have to focus on the good. I could have a normal job and go to work from 9 to 5, but instead, I get to come out here and play with race cars.”

Enders sat in the No. 3 qualifying spot after the first round Friday in Bristol. If the team has found what they’ve been searching for and believes a turnaround is near, she isn’t looking to regain all the lost ground in one race. At this point, just a good result of any kind will be a welcome deep breath for everyone.

“Absolutely,” Enders said. “I joke about it, but (everyone’s) like, ‘We’re going to go to Bristol and we’re going to win this weekend.’ I’m like, ‘(Expletive), I want to win first round. Let’s talk about that. Let’s take baby steps and just get there.’

“But coming off a 10-race-win season with 13 final round appearances and our fifth world title, it’s hard to swallow because, again, we didn’t forget. But I think that to just get the momentum to swing in the opposite direction would be huge for us. I’m looking forward to that.”

Force, Tasca, Enders, Johnson provisional No. 1s at NHRA Gatornationals

Reigning world champ Brittany Force opened the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season in impressive fashion, racing to the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at the 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. Bob …

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. The second qualifying session in Top Fuel and Funny Car on Friday was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Force, who posted 10 No. 1 qualifiers in her championship season a year ago, went 3.699s at 336.99mph to kick off the season in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster. Force’s first career victory in Top Fuel came in Gainesville in 2016 and she’s eager to repeat that to start her championship defense.

“It felt really good to come out at the first race and the first run of the season and go to the top,” Force said. “It was incredible. We spent a lot of hours and a lot of days testing this off-season, and we kind of picked up where we left off last year. It’s the same group of guys and it’s a great start to the season.

“We always want to improve and that’s our motivation. We had five wins last season and we want more, and ultimately we want a back-to-back championship. I look at that championship as motivation because we want to do it again.”

Selections were also made for the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout, which takes place on Saturday in Gainesville. Force picked Clay Millican with her first selection, while Steve Torrence, the defending Callout winner, chose Doug Kalitta and Justin Ashley picked Mike Salinas, making Josh Hart and Austin Prock the final matchup. The opening round takes place at 1:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.

In Funny Car, Tasca went 3.888s at 330.72mph in his 11,000-horsepower PPG Ford Mustang to jump to the top spot. If it holds, it would be his 10th career No. 1 qualifier. With new crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara in place for the 2023 season, it was an impressive showing for Tasca, who posted solid results in testing and has big hopes for the upcoming year.

“We lost all but two people on our team and we brought in Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks, and it’s exactly what my program needed,” Tasca said. “We didn’t do enough at the beginning and end of the season, and we need to make sure our car runs better at the beginning and the end of the season. I think you’re going to see a different Tasca Racing program going forward. I love the attitude of this team and their work ethic. I haven’t been this excited for a season in a long time.”

John Force is currently second after his run of 3.898s at 335.07mph and J.R. Todd took the third spot thanks to a 3.900s at 329.99mph.

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Enders, the reigning world champ, rolled to the No. 1 position in Pro Stock on Friday after her pass of 6.538s at 208.84mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Chevrolet Camaro. It was a dream season a year ago for Enders, who claimed her fifth world championship on the strength of 10 victories, but a victory in Gainesville remains atop her list. She lost in excruciating fashion a year ago at the Gatornationals, losing on a holeshot while making the quickest run in Pro Stock history and she’s determined to have a different result in Gainesville to open 2023.

“As far as my to-do list, we can start off with winning the Gatornationals,” Enders said. “I’m thrilled to be the provisional No. 1 qualifier tonight. We had one extra month in the off season so we’re ready to go to battle and to defend our title.”

Camrie Caruso was the quickest in the opening session and is now second after going 6.551s at 209.98mph. Bo Butner is right behind thanks to her run of 6.552 at 209.52mph.

Johnson delivered a 6.746s at 198.90mph on his Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki to take the provisional No. 1 spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle. It was a welcome sign for Johnson, who started strong last year before struggling down the stretch. The veteran still has championship aspirations in a class filled with talent and remained focused on improvement.

“Our sport is so diverse and exciting,” Johnson said. “I would love to come out here and win a championship. I’ve seen the mistakes I’ve made, and the teams out here work so hard, so it’s not easy. We’ve got a lot of great new riders and it’s hard to ride these motorcycles perfectly. I rode pretty well today and, for me, it’s all about fundamentals and when you can concentrate on that, the motorcycle is going to have a really cool response.”

Rookie Chase Van Zant enjoyed a strong debut on Friday, going 6.747s at 200.80mph. Gaige Herrera, who joined the Vance & Hines team in the off-season, is a spot behind with his 6.749s at 200.59mph.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.