ENDERS BREAKS WINLESS DROUGHT WITH VICTORY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Erica Enders knows how to win NHRA Pro Stock national events. She won the 2014 and 2015 world championships and had 21 national event wins on her resume.

That number was stuck at 21 when she made it to the winner’s circle at the Las Vegas fall race in 2015. In all, 33 races passed before Enders returned to Victory Lane and that came Sunday at the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H.

Enders clocked a 6.534-second time at 213.16 mph to defeat Tanner Gray’s 6.550-second lap at 212.06 mph.

“It’s kind of just a culmination of everything that has happened over the past year-and-a-half, I mean 2016 was nothing short of a challenge for us and we sucked for a lack of a better term, but we stayed together,” Enders said. “I keep talking about my team, but I have the most unique group of individuals and it is so awesome to have a group that has my back and I will tell you and will tell you that’s 100 percent of the reason why I am able to drive the way I drive is because I have their support and their confidence. Throughout those trials and tribulations and challenges and adversity we faced they always rise to the top.”

Enders drives a Chevy Camaro for Richard Freeman at Elite Motorsports.

“It’s been going back to a proven combination, which is the Chevy powerplant at Elite, and I’m actually driving my 2014 championship car with a new front end on it,” Enders said. “Rick Jones and Rickie Jones and the guys back at the shop at Quarter-Max did an excellent job with that car and it just goes to show you that you don’t need new pipe to win a race. I’m super proud and I just think this is just the tip of the iceberg for us. We needed some things to fall our way. We were fortunate in 2014 and 2015. We had a fast car and we drove well and we had things fall our way, and the little things haven’t gone our way yet this year and maybe this is the turning point for us. When you pull up here in your race car with the baddest team on the planet, you have to believe with all your heart that you’re the baddest there is also. That’s not being cocky, it is being confident in what you have. You have to believe it to achieve it, and I learned that at a young age.”

Enders was happy to start a new victory streak at Epping.

“I’m super excited to get this done in Epping,” Enders said. “This track means a lot to our sport and certainly means a lot to the fans, there’s something about being on the East Coast, the fans love Pro Stock, so that’s exciting being that everybody else out here breathes nitro. There’s a small group of people who still love the factory hot rod class so it’s exciting to come on the East Coast and I’m glad to get it done here in Epping.”

Enders defeated Shane Tucker in round one, who was a no show, and then she beat Jason Line and Bo Butner on holeshots before ousting Gray.