POMONA, CA – After an incredible run through the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs, there’s only one thing left for Erica Enders to do heading to this weekend’s NHRA Finals in Pomona: win a third world championship.

Enders is on the verge of accomplishing something great, holding a 92-point lead over Elite Motorsports teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr., but the standout driver is determined to finish the job.

Her win in Las Vegas gave her two playoff victories, but Enders knows the job isn’t done until the championship trophy is in her hands.

“We’re sitting in the best position out of everyone, and I’m excited and hopeful and optimistic, and all of those good things,” Enders said. “I want to do the best I can and I want to win a third world championship. There’s no reason it can’t happen.”

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LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas continues to be very good to Erica Enders and now she’s on the verge of a third Pro Stock world championship.

Enders came up aces on every front on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, beating Elite Motorsports teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round of the Dodge NHRA Nationals with a run of 6.617-seconds at 208.04 mph in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

This one was steeped in significance, too.

Not only was it Enders’ 25th career win – and her second in 2019 – it marked the 150th overall victory for females in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racing and the 200th win for the Chevy Camaro.

Perhaps most importantly, the win at the fifth of six races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship gave the surging Enders a 92-point lead over Coughlin with one race remaining, putting the standout on the precipice of a third world title – all in a day’s work.

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LAS VEGAS – Erica Enders is expecting an array of emotions heading into Las Vegas for this weekend’s Dodge NHRA Nationals. But the mix of nerves, fun, focus and pressure simply means the Pro Stock world championship is close to being decided and Enders will have a major say in it.

She’s the current points leader in the class, holding a 28-point lead heading to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the penultimate race of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Enders thrived in Vegas during her two championship years – winning a combined four times – and another victory this weekend in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro would give her the inside track for a highly sought after third world title.

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DALLAS – Erica Enders just missed out on a second straight win, but she did leave Charlotte with something pretty valuable: the Pro Stock points lead.

The two-time world champ once again dominated qualifying and advanced to the semifinals, taking over the points lead with three races remaining in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Next on Enders’ list is trying to extend that lead in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro as she heads to Dallas for this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex.

“My goal going into Charlotte was to leave with the points lead and the second part of that goal is to never give it back,” Enders said. “We’ll do our best to keep it. We’ll go to Dallas and it’s a track that’s been good to us in the past. Our goal is to leave with another cowboy hat and belt buckle.”

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CHARLOTTE – The wait for a victory might be over, but it’s hardly made Erica Enders content. The two-time Pro Stock world champ broke through for her first win of 2019 in St. Louis, putting her in prime position to compete for another world title.

The victory also has Enders and her Elite Motorsports team even more fired up heading into this weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, which marks the halfway point of the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

“I’m more determined than I’ve ever been, my team is confident and it’s all coming together at the right time,” said Enders, who has 24 career Pro Stock wins. “Winning definitely encourages us to keep going. Not that the fire is ever gone, but (a win) just reignites it. I’m very excited about the four remaining races. We have every intention of going to the next four and trying to win them.”

Enders is certainly energized after the St. Louis triumph in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, a race that included her 50th career final round and her second straight No. 1 qualifier.

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ST. LOUIS – The wait is over and after a dominant weekend in St. Louis, Erica Enders is rolling at the perfect time.

The two-time Pro Stock world champ qualified No. 1 and raced to the NHRA Midwest Nationals win at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, going 6.598-seconds at 208.36 mph in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro to slip past Matt Hartford’s 6.621 at 207.30 in the final round.

It gave Enders her first victory since her four-wide win in Charlotte last year, putting the team in prime position to compete for another world title following the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff races.

“We redeemed ourselves after our poor performance in Reading. I’m ready for the remaining four races. I put my money on us,” said Enders, who earned her 24th career Pro Stock win. “It’s all come together at the right time. It feels like it’s been an eternity since we last won in 2018. We just continue to keep our heads down and working hard, and this definitely means a lot to our entire program.”

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ST. LOUIS – Erica Enders dominated qualifying and moved up a place in the points standings to kick off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. But the two-time Pro Stock world champ left Reading, Pa. wanting more and hopeful she make an even bigger statement in St. Louis.

A second-round defeat loss didn’t make it a complete weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, something Enders hopes to change in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Another world title remains within her grasp, but as the NHRA’s six-race playoffs hits the second event, Enders knows there can’t be any let-up.

“We felt like we let one slip through our fingers in Reading, but we’re moving forward with a positive attitude,” said Enders, who has 23 career Pro Stock wins. “We just have to focus on what’s ahead of us and that’s the mindset we need to have. We moved up to fourth and picked up a lot of qualifying points, so it’s all within reach. Now we have to go out and execute.”

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READING, Pa. – When Erica Enders thinks back to her first Pro Stock championship run in 2014, she vividly remembers a noticeable change in the atmosphere during the Countdown to the Championship.

That will again be evident as the NHRA’s six-race playoffs begin this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, but just like she did five years ago, the two-time Pro Stock world champ plans to embrace that intensity as she aims to add another world title to her collection.

“Just the gravity of it was insane. It’s kind of cool, actually,” Enders said. “I definitely think the intensity can be sensed. You definitely feel a difference. It’s just about taking that pressure and making it positive.”

There are plenty of positives for Enders and her Elite Motorsports team heading to Reading thanks to back-to-back final round appearances in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

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Indianapolis – After what appeared to be a dream weekend at the biggest race of the year, Erica Enders’ impressive run at the U.S. Nationals ended in heartbreaking fashion in the final round.

But with the Countdown to the Championship up next, the two-time Pro Stock world champ is determined to rebound in an impressive way.

Enders qualified third at Indy and rolled to her 49th career final on a flurry of consistent performances, but a mechanical failure in the final round against Elite Motorsports teammate Alex Laughlin on Monday came at the most inopportune time. Enders called it a “gut-wrenching” loss, but she’s also eager to use it as motivation to finish her 2019 NHRA Pro Stock season.

“It’s kind of like playing golf,” Enders said. “You have a bad shot and you can’t drag it to the next hole. I told my crew chiefs before we left that I’m absolutely more determined than I’ve ever been. I am not letting up and I know they’re not. I feel like they have their confidence back. We’re going into the Countdown fifth and 50 points back, and it is game freaking on. I am not letting up.”

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Indianapolis – A video appeared on the NHRA Facebook page earlier this week showing the 2015 Pro Stock final round at the U.S. Nationals, as Erica Enders picked up one of the most memorable wins of her standout career.

While Enders watched the video on social media this week, it wasn’t to try to relive the emotion of that major victory. Those memories are already fully engrained for the two-time world champion.

“I remember everything about that weekend,” Enders said. “It’s one of the races that will stand out most to me. As a kid growing up, and as a fan and spectator before I ever became a racer, it was the most prestigious race in NHRA drag racing and it still is that way. To add my name to the list who have win in Indy is pretty significant for me.”

Enders rode that momentum to her second straight world title in 2015 and she would like to see that scenario repeat itself in 2019 approaching the 12th of 18 races in the Pro Stock season. After a final round appearance in Brainerd, Enders appears to be peaking at the perfect time in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro.

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