ERICA ENDERS
as well as they do,” Enders says. “We all push
each other and it’s important for me to do well
in these high-pressure situations. I’m excited for
the opportunity.”
Enders called last year’s NHRA Pro Mod debut
a stepping-stone for this season and the team
made significant progress over the course of 2018,
qualifying in a pair of late-season events, includ-
ing the U.S. Nationals.
But the plan at the handful of races they en-
tered last year was simply to get prepared for
the massive undertaking Elite Motorsports has
brought on for 2019.
That includes adding the likes of tuner Shane
Tecklenburg, as well as Justin Elkes and Mod-
ern Racing, who have helped make significant
changes to the turbocharged Pro Mod Camaro.
They’ve gone to a Hemi motor and made a num-
ber of other adjustments, but it’s been motivating
for Enders to see the group in action.
“It’s almost like a new car,” Enders says. “Shane
is pretty much a genius, and Justin and his guys
have done an awesome job, completely redoing
the whole car. It fires me up to work with people
of that caliber. It’s crazy what they know and what
they’re capable of. What’s going on behind-the-
scenes, we’re all very fired up about it.”
Always motivated to succeed, Enders is natu-
rally energized. But seeing the work in action
has unleashed even more drive in Enders – if
that’s possible. She scolded herself for not being
at the level she wanted on the starting line at
the NHRA season-opener in Pomona, respond-
ing with a string of marvelous reaction times
two weeks later in Phoenix. That is simply how
Enders operates and as goals continue to come
and expectations continue to rise, she will con-
tinue to push forward.
The two-time Pro Stock champion and 23-
time event winner is also always hungry for
more, fueled by thoughts of winning another
title. Her last one came in 2015, meaning
Enders and her team are anxious to hoist an-
other championship trophy.
“That focus and determination is always there,”
Enders says. “The amount of work this team
puts in is unbelievable. It’s really exciting and
it’s an honor to be part of it. Everyone busts their
tails toward one common goal. All we want to
do is win.”
With the chance for 30 victories between
the two classes in 2019, Enders hopes she is
in the winner’s circle frequently this year. It
didn’t happen at the first two Pro Stock races
of the season, with Enders advancing to the
semifinals at both races, but it hasn’t changed
her expectations.
It takes a special kind of visualization to bal-
ance racing in two classes, but Enders seems
to thrive when things get chaotic. It may mean
jumping right out of her Pro Mod Camaro, chang-
ing firesuits and heading right to the staging lanes
for a Pro Stock run, but those high-energy mo-
ments bring out the best in her.
“It’s a mad rush, but you learn about the im-
portance of routine,” Enders says. “You also learn
about the importance of procedures in both cars
because they’re so different. Just having that seat
time and that experience last year, I think it’s
definitely going to pay off.”
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