World champion Erica Enders
beats title contender Butner before fouling out of Reading
READING, Pa. (Oct. 2) — Back-to-back world champion Erica Enders notched one of her biggest elimination round-wins of the year Sunday, beating title contender Bo Butner wire-to-wire in the opening session of the 32nd annual Dodge NHRA Nationals.

“To go out there and get this Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart a round-win at the Dodge Nationals was exciting,” Enders said. “The uphill battle this entire season has been for us continues, but with only one run on this racetrack throughout qualifying, we really had a challenge before us today and my guys, as always, rose to the occasion. Continue reading World champion Erica Enders beats title contender Butner before fouling out of Reading →

Erica Enders wanted another chance at Reading track, but settles for mid-pack slot
READING, Pa. (Oct. 1) — In between what has seemed to be a never-ending smattering of rain at Maple Grove Raceway, there were moments of really good drag racing, and reigning world champion Erica Enders is convinced she could have made a big move if she was given another chance. But in the end, she only got one shot in her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart and had to settle for the No. 9 spot on the qualifying grid.
Continue reading Erica Enders wanted another chance at Reading track, but settles for mid-pack slot →

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders hoping for Mopar magic at Dodge NHRA Nationals
READING, Pa. (Sept. 27) — Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders is hoping for a little Mopar magic during the Dodge NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.

Enders posted her best qualifying effort of the season at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver earlier this season, grabbing the No. 2 spot. She hopes for similar success at another Dodge-sponsored race, this time in Pennsylvania. Continue reading Pro Stock champion Erica Enders hoping for Mopar magic at Dodge NHRA Nationals →

Erica Enders exits in first round of
St. Louis national event
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 25) — Erica Enders raced to the Pro Stock final at Gateway Motorsports Park as part of her run to the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship.

There likely will be no such similar run this season after Enders was knocked out in the first round of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. In her first season running the Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge, Enders has struggled to maintain her stellar performance from 2014-15, when she swept to back-to-back titles.

“We are absolutely doing the best that we can with what we have,” Enders said. “It’s unfortunate that we are this far behind, but it’s just part of it. Our goal at this point is to finish the season with class and put a game plan together moving forward. We will get all of our ducks in a row and continue to work hard and things will swing back our way.”

Enders ripped off a .011-second reaction time in her first-round match with Jason Line, but the Pro Stock points leader was good, too, with a .009 light. Line then powered to the win light with a pass of 6.609 seconds at 209.43 mph while Enders made a run of 6.699 seconds at 206.35 mph.

Enders is 10th in the Pro Stock points standings, two races into the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Enders did enjoy the support of her fans in St. Louis, where she won in 2012 and 2013. As her team broke down their pit area at Gateway, Enders signed numerous autographs and spent time with fans, including a young Jr. Dragster driver who gave Enders her hero card.

“The fans are always great,” Enders said. “They continue to stand behind us through the adversity that we are facing and offer up words of encouragement, which is definitely good to hear from time to time.

“We’ll get back to where we belong. It’s just not in the cards for this season.”

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders rebounds to qualify No. 11 in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 24) — There’s no quit in Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team.

Despite missing the race in Charlotte last week, the two-time Pro Stock champions battled back to qualify No. 11 for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“They are amazing,” Enders said. “They work really hard. It’s frustrating and disheartening to see how hard they work and not have it translate to the scoreboard. At this point, this year is a letdown and we will just focus on getting our ducks in a row for 2017.

“It’s unfortunate to follow up back-to-back championships with the performance we have had this year, but you know, it goes in cycles and that’s part of it. This sport will humble you in a heartbeat, and I’ve learned that the hard way many times, but having said all of that, I’ve been through a lot worse than this, so we’ll be fine.”

Enders’ best lap this weekend was 6.663 seconds at 207.08 mph, and she made four decent
passes in qualifying here after a myriad of issues forced a DNQ in Charlotte last weekend.

“The struggle continues with our Elite Motorsports Dodge Dart, but all we can do is continue to pick away at it and work on it,” Enders said. “Hopefully we’ll turn a corner at some point, but until that happens, the results are the results.”

Enders will face No. 6 qualifier Jason Line in the first round Sunday. Line’s best run of the weekend was 6.611 seconds at 209.43 mph.

Enders is a two-time St. Louis winner who enjoys spending time with the Gateway fans.

“I always enjoy racing in St. Louis,” Enders said. “I have a lot of great memories here from the time I was racing Super Comp and Super Gas, so it’s definitely fun to come back here.”

Pro Stock eliminations start at noon, Sunday, and will air live from 1 to 4 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. (All times listed in CT).

Back-to-back world champ Erica Enders fails to qualify for first playoff race
CHARLOTTE (Sept. 17) — Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders began her march to a second straight world title last year with a convincing victory at the NHRA Carolina Nationals. This year, she hit a season low, failing to qualify for the first time since the second Pomona (Calif.) race in 2010. Continue reading Back-to-back world champ Erica Enders fails to qualify for first playoff race →

Defending event champion Erica Enders returns to Charlotte in a vastly different role
CHARLOTTE (Sept. 13) — One year ago, Pro Stock racer Erica Enders arrived at the first race of NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship playoffs as the No. 1 seed, having won six regular-season national events, including the previous two stops in Brainerd, Minn., and Indianapolis.

This year, as Enders brings her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart back to zMax Dragway for the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, things are much different. Her dominating run to back-to-back championships hangs in the balance as she finds herself a distant ninth in the rankings with no victories on her 2016 scorecard. Continue reading Defending event champion Erica Enders returns to Charlotte in a vastly different role →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders clinches playoffs spot, will battle
for another championship
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5) — Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team secured their chance to race for a third consecutive championship during the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Enders, who won the 2014 and 2015 NHRA Pro Stock titles, wrapped up a spot in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs when teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. lost in the first round. Coughlin got some good news in the second round when Alex Laughlin lost, landing Coughlin in the Countdown as well. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders clinches playoffs spot, will battle for another championship →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders excited to defend her U.S. Nationals title
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4) — A big part of two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders’ success is the ability to see the positive in everything and then make the most of that optimism.

Enders qualified her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge in the No. 14 qualifying spot for Monday eliminations at the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. That may be disheartening to some, but Enders is the defending U.S. Nationals champion and knows race day is a new day.

“This is our worst qualifying position in a long time but I’m OK with that,” Enders said. “I’m excited about tomorrow. I need to go to work because Shane (Gray’s) got a fast car, but I have the best guys in the whole world and I can drive. We’ll do our best. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders excited to defend her U.S. Nationals title →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders fulfilled lifelong dream with 2015 U.S. Nationals title
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 30) — Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders was drained after the U.S. Nationals in 2015, and understandably so, because she put everything she had into the race. Having won it, fulfilling a lifelong dream, Enders was physically and mentally exhausted.

Enders, driver of the Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge, returns as defending champion of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, held this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders fulfilled lifelong dream with 2015 U.S. Nationals title →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders flashes driving skills in Brainerd semifinal finish
BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 21) — Pro Stock champion Erica Enders stared down the pressure and responded in championship fashion — again.

Enders won on a first-round holeshot for the second race in a row and advanced to the semifinals of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway before falling to points leader Jason Line. But she put up a fight in that race, too. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders flashes driving skills in Brainerd semifinal finish →

Erica Enders hoping for a surprise title defense this weekend in Brainerd
BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 17) — Erica Enders was cruising to s second straight NHRA championship the last time she passed through Brainerd International Raceway, winning her fifth of nine races in her dominating 2015 campaign at the annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Continue reading Erica Enders hoping for a surprise title defense this weekend in Brainerd →

Clutch holeshot win puts Pro Stock champ Erica Enders in Countdown position
SEATTLE (Aug. 7) — When the pressure is on, champions rise to the occasion.

When Pro Stock champion Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team needed to have a good performance in the first round of the 29th annual Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at Pacific Raceways, they put one on. Continue reading Clutch holeshot win puts Pro Stock champ Erica Enders in Countdown position →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders faces another test in Seattle’s first round
SEATTLE (Aug. 6) — Pro Stock champion Erica Enders faces a big test in the first round of the 29th annual Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at Pacific Raceways. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders faces another test in Seattle’s first round →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders confident Elite team can perform under pressure
SEATTLE (Aug. 3) — Two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders learned a lot about her Elite Motorsports team after winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. When under pressure, Enders and her team didn’t flinch; instead, they performed at their best. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders confident Elite team can perform under pressure →

Reigning Pro Stock champ Erica Enders catches wrong kind of break in Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. (July 31) — Two-time and reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders has been hoping the breaks start turning her way in this transitional drag racing season, but when her engine broke in the water box just seconds before her opening-round pass, even she couldn’t believe her misfortune.

“It’s almost like ‘what else could go wrong,’ ” said Enders, the most prolific female Pro Stock racer of all time. “It’s just a tough, tough way to end the day … before it even started. Continue reading Reigning Pro Stock champ Erica Enders catches wrong kind of break in Sonoma →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders ready to keep Denver momentum rolling
SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) — With four race days left before the Countdown to the Championship begins, two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders knows time is short to be able to defend her 2015 title.

But Enders also knows she and the Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team are more than capable of making a late-season surge, perhaps beginning with the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders ready to keep Denver momentum rolling →

Reigning champ Erica Enders on a season-long high as Sonoma race approaches
SONOMA, Calif. (July 25) — Fresh off her most encouraging outing of the year, back-to-back and reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders is anxious to get to Northern California for this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

Enders qualified a season-best second on the Denver elimination ladder and logged an elimination round-win before parts failure cost her just enough time to lose her second-round race against Allen Johnson. Nevertheless, the huge uptick in performance has the entire Elite/Mopar Dodge Dart race team feeling better about themselves. Continue reading Reigning champ Erica Enders on a season-long high as Sonoma race approaches →

Pro Stock champ Erica Enders holds head high after performance gains in Denver
DENVER (July 24) — No one in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series hates losing more than two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, but she can smile after the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Bandimere Speedway knowing her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team made strides toward the top of the Pro Stock charts.

Enders lost in the second round after an unfortunate parts failure slowed her pass, but she knows her Dodge Dart is now a contender.

“We’re certainly pleased with our performance gains this weekend,” Enders said. “It shows that our hard work is paying off. Having said that, we still have a long way to go.”
Continue reading Pro Stock champ Erica Enders holds head high after performance gains in Denver →