Pro Stock champ Erica Enders excited to defend her U.S. Nationals title

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — A big part of two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders’ success is the ability to see the positive in everything and then make the most of that optimism.

Enders qualified her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge in the No. 14 qualifying spot for Monday eliminations at the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. That may be disheartening to some, but Enders is the defending U.S. Nationals champion and knows race day is a new day.

“This is our worst qualifying position in a long time but I’m OK with that,” Enders said. “I’m excited about tomorrow. I need to go to work because Shane (Gray’s) got a fast car, but I have the best guys in the whole world and I can drive. We’ll do our best.

“We’ve got to go to battle tomorrow, (teammate) Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) and I, to keep our positions. It’s definitely going to be interesting for sure because Alex (Laughlin) has the fastest race car he’s had all year.”

Enders, Coughlin, and Laughlin are battling for 10th place in the Pro Stock points standings. The top 10 will race in the Countdown to the Championship, which begins after the U.S. Nationals. Enders is in ninth, 13 points ahead of Coughlin and 45 ahead of Laughlin.

Elimination rounds are worth 30 points at the U.S. Nationals, instead of the usual 20, so a good day here will be crucial to making the points standings, but Enders has more than points on her mind.

“There are seven race days left, and it’s crazy to think that after the last two years, we’ve gone 17 events without a win,” Enders said. “But tomorrow’s a new day. It’s going to be hot with a tricky racetrack, and that’s where we have strived in the past.

“This year is completely different — different car, different motor, different everything — but one thing remains the same, and that’s my team and their determination and ability to perform under pressure.”

Enders raced two Dodge vehicles at the U.S. Nationals, taking a Challenger to the third round of Stock Eliminator.

“It was a fun opportunity to drive the Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in Stock Eliminator at the U.S. Nationals,” Enders said. “Every run it got progressively better. I’m excited about it. I think I found my comfort level in the car, and I was able to have some good reaction times in eliminations. That last run, a couple of my Pro Stock tuners came over and helped, and that really changed the attitude of the car. It left better and didn’t blow the tires off.

“It was definitely fun and a team effort. I’m proud to drive for (car owner) Joe Welch and have gotten to know him and his wife better. It’s been a fun weekend so far, and now I’m looking forward to getting in my Mopar Performance Dodge Dart and racing for the Pro Stock trophy tomorrow.”

Eliminations begin at noon, Monday. FOX Sports 1 will air the early part of Monday’s eliminations live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Live TV coverage will then shift to the main FOX Network with action from 1 to 4 p.m. (All times listed in ET).