Route 66 NHRA Nationals qualifying: Erica Enders wins #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, earns no. 1 qualifying position

ERICA ENDERS, Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / R+L Carriers Pro Stock Car

Qualifying:
No. 1; 6.542 209.92
Q1: 8.266 at 116.41
Q2: 6.542 at 209.92
Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge
Q3: 6.580 at 210.28 def. Troy Coughlin Jr. 6.591 at 207.78
Q4: 6.563 at 208.75 def. 6.585 at 208.10
Bonus Qualifying Points: 5
First Round Opponent: Derrick Reese

Noteworthy:

• *42nd No. 1 qualifier of her career, first since St. Louis 2024.
• *First #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season.
• *Won the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Championship in 2024.
• *Last won the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Bristol 2024.
• *First Pro Stock win came at Route 66 Raceway in 2012

Saturday Quotes: 

“This is super exciting. I love racing here at Joliet. I started racing Super Comp dragsters here back when I was in high school. So I’ve been coming here an awful long time and then to secure my first Pro Stock win here back in 2012. It’s just been a special place ever since that time. So it would be fitting if this was where the tide started to turn and it has so far this weekend: securing the No. 1 spot and then winning the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty. I was really hoping Angie [Smith] (Pro Stock Motorcycle No. 1 and #2Fast2Tasty finalist) was going to win, so then it could be three chicks (Alexis DeJoria also won #2Fast2Tasty in Funny Car), but she did a fantastic job too as our motorcycle teammate. It’s a great start to the weekend. Tomorrow’s the day that matters, though, and I really, really want one of those diamond Wally trophies (for NHRA’s 75th anniversary season), so we’ll see what happens.”

#2Fast2Tasty Challenge Final Round:

“I hadn’t been too killer on the tree so far so I made some changes to my linkage. In the final round, I knew I had to go up there and go for broke, and when I clutched it, I was like, I feel really good. I think I had a .021-second reaction time or and I get the time slip and Greg Stanfield was .003. He crushed me but thankfully I had the hot rod to drive around him. Greg Stanfield has been a fantastic teammate. As a young girl when I first came into Pro Stock, he was the man back then and he still drives just like the man. So it’s cool to be teammates with him and Aaron [Stanfield] (Greg’s son), he’s always a huge encouragement to me. So I’m thankful for that.”

Friday Quotes:

“This is definitely a good feeling. I’m surprised that we stayed number one, but I honestly don’t think that we’re fast, I just think that everyone else is slow. But it’s directionally correct, and at this point, we’ll take it. The 2025 season was extremely rough for our entire organization. And 2026 hasn’t started off on the right foot either, but we’ve been working really hard. It’s about tenacity and not giving up and just keep plugging away at it, and that’s what my guys are really good at. As long as I’ve been a part of Pro Stock, which is over 22 years now, it’s gone in cycles. Peaks followed by really deep valleys and sometimes I’ve had a valley that lasted seven years. Unfortunately those valleys are what make the peaks sweet,” Enders said. “It was like this back in the day when I raced with Warren and Kurt Johnson and V Gaines and Mike Edwards and all the badasses of Pro Stock. The trend always continues. You have teams that are at the top and then it cycles and other teams work really hard and they catch up and we’re just in one of those cycles right now, but we’re digging our way out slowly.”