Yahoo Autos Erica Enders Clinches Fifth NHRA Pro Stock Championship at Nevada Nationals
On her way to the Pro Stock victory Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas, Erica Enders clinched her fifth Pro Stock championship
This achievement ties her with class greats Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin and pulls her just one Pro Stock championship behind “The Professor of Pro Stock,” Warren Johnson.
She has more championships than any woman in NHRA history.
At the time she said it back in February following her NHRA Camping World Drag Rasing Series season-opening victory at the Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., Pro Stock’s Erica Enders didn’t know it would end up being her slogan all season long.
But her off-the-cuff promise to give the class “no more nice Erica” is something she has lived up to. And on her way to the Pro Stock victory Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas, Enders clinched her fifth Pro Stock championship.
Enders defeated veteran Kenny Delco and the rival KB Racing team’s wunderkind duo of Dallas Glenn and Kyle Koretsky at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to lock up her Drive For Five campaign.
This achievement ties her with class greats Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin and pulls her just one behind “The Professor of Pro Stock,” Warren Johnson. (The late Bob Glidden leads the list with 10 Pro Stock titles.) She has more championships than any woman in NHRA history, ahead of Angelle Sampey’s and Shirley Muldowney’s three and Brittany Force’s one.
She shared Sunday’s winners circle with Force (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
Even though she secured the championship in this penultimate event of the season and doubled her preseason goal to win five races in the Melling Performance Camaro, she still spoke Sunday about going to Pomona, Calif., for the finale and that she’s “going to try to rip their throats there” and “stomp” the competition.
“I grew up racing my whole life,” the former Jr. Dragster racer who started at age eight, said, “and I knew once you put the helmet on, you’ve got to focus and you’ve got to be cutthroat to be successful. I think as I matured as a human and as a driver, [I] learned how to separate those things.You can go back to being friends afterwards. When you shut the [race car] door, I want to be mean.”
Before the final round against Elite Performance teammate Troy Coughlin Jr., her dad Gregg reminded her, “Don’t forget to hate him for six seconds.” She said, “It’s true – you put your helmet on, you shut the door, and you hit the starter button. And you have no friends at that point when you go out there and compete.”
In claiming her 43rd Pro Stock victory, Enders clinched the championship at Las Vegas for the second time. She also did so in 2015, making a calmer close to the season instead of her titles in 2014, 2019, and 2020, when the chase went down to the final day – and the final round – of the year.
“This is why you never give up and you keep fighting. You have to play with all the heart you have,” Enders said.
The Camping World Drag Racing Series will conclude with the Nov. 11-13 Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.
Results
NHRA Las Vegas Nationals
Sunday's final results from the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the 21st of 22 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
Finals
Top Fuel -- Brittany Force, 3.705 seconds, 332.34 mph def. Mike Salinas, 3.702 seconds, 324.90 mph.
Funny Car -- Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.896, 330.23 def. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 6.157, 111.12.
Pro Stock -- Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.640, 206.86 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.668, 206.48.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.866, 196.42 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.862, 198.47.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Madison Payne, 5.262, 275.90 def. Tony Stewart, 5.258, 271.57.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Doug Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.479, 265.38 def. Annie Whiteley, Camaro, 5.518, 265.27.
Super Stock -- Tyler Wudarczyk, Chevy Camaro, 10.688, 113.48 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 10.053, 127.67.
Stock Eliminator -- Leo Glasbrenner, Chevy Camaro, 9.543, 136.62 def. Steve Wann, Plymouth Savoy, 10.130, 127.82.
Super Comp -- Ken Mostowich, Chevy Camaro, 9.079, 169.87 def. Gabriel Torres, Dragster, 9.048, 167.97.
Super Gas -- Chris Lewis, Chevy Camaro, 10.054, 159.57 def. Dave Holmes, Plymouth Savoy, 10.070, 142.55.
Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers -- Aaron Steinkey, Dragster, 6.850, 194.60 def. Jeff Korn, Dragster, 6.254, 225.63.
Nostalgia Funny Car -- Bobby Cottrell, Chevy Camaro, 4.742, 238.55 def. Billy Morris, Camaro, Foul - Red Light.
Summit Super Pro -- Carl Keil II, Dragster, 7.678, 172.30 def. Brendan George, Dragster, 7.776, 157.03.
Summit Pro ET -- Andy Anderson, Chevy S-10, 9.176, 146.18 def. Steve Lambert, Chevy El Camino, Foul - Red Light.
Summit Sportsman -- Jason Hildebrandt, Plymouth Valiant, 11.869, 110.01 def. Paul Northrop, Chevy Camaro, 11.875, 107.63.
