Shane Gray inches short of beating back-to-back world champ Enders in Brainerd

BRAINERD, MN – Pro Stock driver Shane Gray had the quicker car in his first-round match with back-to-back Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, but a quicker reaction time by his opponent was a tad too much to overcome and he ultimately lost the race by .003-second, or a few inches in length.

“It was hard to tell who won at the stripe because we were nailed together door handle to door handle, but give her credit, she pulled off a better light and that was the difference,” Gray said. “It’s always tough to lose, it’s tougher to lose in the first round, and it’s brutal to lose on a holeshot, but I’m a big boy. I’ll take my lumps and move on.

“Bottom line, we have a great race car. We are consistently qualifying in the top half of the field, and I feel confident coming into every race that we can win. I didn’t do my job today but the guys sure did. We’ll pick up and get to Indy and try all over again.”

After a .053-second launch, Gray’s Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro put him in hot pursuit of Enders, and just before the finish line he nearly caught her, but ultimately his superior 6.593 at 209.36 mph was an eyelash short of Enders’ 6.619 at 207.94 mph, thanks to her .024-second start.

“Like they say, had the track been five feet longer, we may have had a different outcome,” Gray said. “But it’s always a quarter-mile and we’ve likely had our share of races we’ve won where our opponent could have said the same thing. That’s drag racing, and it’s why we love it.”

Gray and company will now turn their attention to the 62nd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indy, the sport’s most prestigious and longest-running event. Like most teams heading to “the Big Go,” Gray plans to test extensively to make sure he’s a contender for the trophy drag racers covet the most.

“That’s the one you always want the most because it’s Indy,” Gray said. “We were fortunate to get a win there in 2014, and it was the highlight of my driving career for sure. We’d love to get back there and do it again. It’s something that stays with you forever.

“We’ve got a good group here and we know what it takes to win races. It just isn’t easy at this level because everyone is really, really good. You need the total package and maybe even a lucky break to get wins these days. Hopefully it all falls into place at Indy.”

This year’s Indy race runs Sept. 2-5.