ST. LOUIS, MO — NHRA Pro Stock World Champion and currents points leader Erica Enders will be gunning for her fourth consecutive victory when she begins eliminations at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park from the No. 3 position Sunday.
Enders, driving the Elite Motorsports/Transportation Impact Chevrolet, will also be chasing her third victory in her last four races at Gateway, having won here in 2012 and 2013.
“We’ve got a consistent race car,” Enders said. “I’m really proud of my guys. It’s easy to not be slightly disappointed when you’re not on top but know what you are capable of, but at the same time, we’re third and we’re going into Sunday with a four-round points lead. Plus, I’m on opposite sides of the ladder from my teammate Drew (Skillman). I’m hopeful for a really long Sunday.”
Enders came to Gateway with an 83-point lead after winning the first race of the Countdown to the Championship last weekend in Charlotte. Greg Anderson accumulated eight more bonus points through qualifying, but Enders has still been very fast here. Her best pass was 6.508 seconds at 212.13 mph to qualify fourth or better for the 16th time in 20 races. The previous 15 times she has qualified fourth or better in 2015, she has scored seven victories, raced to eight finals, and reached 13 semifinals.
“We didn’t accumulate the bonus points that we would’ve liked this weekend,” Enders said. “But we’ll take those 20-point swings for winning a round. I’m optimistic going into Sunday. I know that my consistent race car is more than capable of being driven to the winner’s circle.
“Sometimes Sunday is about survival of the fittest, not the fastest. That’s what we’ve been blessed to be able to accomplish the last couple of weeks.”
Enders set an NHRA record by winning three consecutive final rounds on holeshots — in Brainerd, Minn., Indianapolis, and Charlotte — but she brushed aside the accomplishment.
“For starters, that’s my job,” Enders said. “I don’t know what all the hoopla is about. But we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of really cool firsts, and that’s another one to add to the book. The way I look at it is as long as that win light comes on, I don’t care how we get it.”
Enders begins her race at Gateway against Alex Laughlin, who qualified No. 14 with a top lap of 6.561 seconds at 211.63 mph.