DALLAS (Sept. 22) – Erica Enders-Stevens and her Husky Liners team continue to move forward in the Pro Stock points standings and are now tied for sixth after a second-round finish at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.
Enders-Stevens earned the No. 1 qualifier, beat Chris McGaha in the first round, and then left first on Vieri Gaines in the second round with a .008-second reaction time before Gaines nipped her at the finish line.
“I was really proud of my crew chiefs and my entire team for their performance in Dallas,” Enders-Stevens said of her Cagnazzi Racing team. “When you lose two sessions on Friday, it’s crucial to go out there and perform for the two qualifying runs you have left. We capitalized on it in the first round and were able to get the No. 1 qualifier.
“They’ve been consistently getting this race car down the track, and I’m proud of them. It gives me a lot of confidence as a driver knowing that I have a good car underneath me.”
Enders-Stevens’ driving was solid Sunday, as she left the starting line first against both opponents. Against McGaha, she had a .034 light and then made a pass of 6.573 seconds at 210.31 mph. That was enough to beat McGaha’s 6.641 at 208.78 mph.
“It was an OK run,” Enders-Stevens said. “I was OK on the Tree and the run was OK. We didn’t kill it, and there was certainly some left over in the car, but it was enough to win and that’s what matters. And it was enough to keep lane choice, too.”
Enders-Stevens chose the left lane against Gaines and was quicker out of the gate with a stellar .008 light. She made a pass of 6.604 seconds at 210.18 mph, but Gaines had a .010 light and made a slightly quicker lap of 6.596 seconds at 211.03 mph to take the win by .061-second.
“That was an important round for us because V. was really close to us in points,” Enders-Stevens said. “That would’ve been nice to spread the gap but it wasn’t our day. We did all that we could do and unfortunately came up short.”
Still, Enders-Stevens moved up one spot into a tie for sixth with Gaines, who lost in the semifinals after a .111 light.
“We’ll continue to plug away at it,” Enders-Stevens said. “We’ve got to start going more rounds if we want to win the championship. We know the task that is ahead of us and we’ll be all right.
“We’ve got a good car and it’s consistent. Plus, we’re getting down the racetrack, which is important in the Countdown. We’ve got to do our best every single time we pull up to the waterbox. We know that and I’m confident in my team. They’ve really been doing a great job and have figured this Chevy Camaro out.”
Up next for Enders-Stevens is the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals from Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis.