READING, PA – Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders has stretched her Pro Stock points lead to 113 after two races into the Countdown to the Championship, but if you think the defending world champion and her team plan to alter their approach at this weekend’s NHRA Keystone Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, think again.

“We’re not changing one thing,” Enders said. “We’re just going to go on to the third race of the Countdown and race smart and calculated. We’ve got to keep pace, continue our points lead. That’s the mind-set going in. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. One round, one at a time.”

Enders has been on fire lately, racing to four consecutive final rounds and winning three in a row before falling to teammate Drew Skillman in the St. Louis final. She has won seven times in 2015, and one more victory this year would break Angelle Sampey’s mark for single-season wins by a woman.

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ST. LOUIS – Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders fell short of her fourth consecutive victory, but she still extended her Pro Stock points lead with a runner-up finish at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sunday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Enders continued to put on a brilliant driving display at Gateway. She became the first driver in NHRA history to win three consecutive finals on holeshots when she won in Charlotte last weekend and then left first on all four opponents this Sunday, including reaction times of .002, .002, and .003 in her last three rounds.

“I’m super comfortable in the car,” Enders said. “I know what I’m capable of, I know what my guys are capable of, and that gives me peace of mind. I’m able to go out there and do my job. We’re going to leave with our heads held high, go to Reading, and try to continue to spread the points on those KB boys.”

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ST. LOUIS – 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.”

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ST. LOUIS – Erica Enders arrives at Gateway Motorsports Park for this weekend’s AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on a three-race winning streak that has her 83 points ahead of her nearest rival in a quest to win consecutive Pro Stock world championships.

In addition, the driver of Elite Motorsports’ crimson cannonball, which will sport new sponsorship from Transportation Impact, doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Enders is on a roll, having just passed legend and friend Shirley Muldowney’s career win total with her 19th victory last Sunday in Charlotte.

“It’s definitely a good point in the year to have momentum,” Enders said. “I’ve always said we create our own momentum, and it’s a great confidence-booster for everyone on the team. We’re one race into three consecutive events for the start of the Countdown to the Championship, and we couldn’t be doing any better. We were able to begin the Countdown with the No. 1 ranking and hold strong in Charlotte and win the race, so we definitely have a little bit of a lead.

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CHARLOTTE – Erica Enders can scratch another one off the bucket list. The defending Pro Stock champion won at zMax Dragway for the first time, taking down Vincent Nobile on a holeshot in the final round of the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sunday, and in doing so, she continued to pile up impressive numbers for her career and for her outstanding 2015 season.

“That is pretty neat,” Enders said of winning in Charlotte. “Back when I drove for Cagnazzi (Racing), this was one of the facilities that they had never won at. It was obviously a goal of ours. Coming in this weekend, I had runner-upped three or four different times here, a couple at the Four-Wide Nationals and one at the regular race. This was actually the place where the win lights malfunctioned and we thought we got our first win against Greg Anderson, but then they were like, ‘Sike, you don’t get it,’ and took the trophy over to him.

“That was definitely an interesting roller-coaster ride of emotions, but to finally be able to win here in Charlotte is definitely awesome.”

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CHARLOTTE – Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders begins her title defense on Sunday from the No. 3 qualifying position at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Enders sits atop the Pro Stock points standings as the six-race Countdown to the Championship begins here this weekend, and she has shown plenty of speed and consistency during qualifying. Her best pass was 6.536 seconds at 211.83 mph, and she races Vieri Gaines in the first round of eliminations Sunday. Gaines qualified No. 14 with a top lap of 6.670 at 210.05 mph.

With the warmest temperatures of the weekend expected Sunday, Pro Stock drivers and teams will need to negotiate a difficult track, but Enders knows her Elite Motorsports team will be up to the challenge.

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CHARLOTTE – Pro Stock champion Erica Enders begins the Countdown to the Championship playoffs from the lofty No. 1 spot at this weekend’s NHRA Carolinas Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Victories in the last two races, including the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals two weeks ago, cemented her No. 1 spot — and a 30-point lead over the No. 2 driver — in the points standings.

“I’m really excited to be in the No. 1 position because that 30-point bonus would have significantly changed things in Pomona [Calif.] last year when it came down to the final round at the final race with Jason (Line) and I,” Enders said. “Had I lost that round, I would have lost the championship by one point.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Erica Enders can now add U.S. Nationals champion to her growling list of accomplishments in what is becoming a legendary career.

Enders won the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway with a brilliant driving display, beating her final three opponents on holeshots, including Elite Motorsports teammate Drew Skillman in the final round.

The victory cemented her No. 1 spot in the Pro Stock points standings for the Countdown to the Championship, which begins at zMax Dragway in Charlotte in two weeks, and it was her 18th career win, tying her for second all-time with the legendary Shirley Muldowney.

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INDIANAPOLIS – Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders has already accomplished a lot in her career, from winning the 2014 Pro Stock World Championship to piling up 17 professional victories — one short of matching Shirley Muldowney for second among winningest female drivers — but she still has one big thing remaining on her bucket list: win the U.S. Nationals.

Enders has a good shot at it in 2015, as she has qualified No. 4 for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway.

“It’d be pretty awesome to win,” said Enders, a runner-up at Indy in 2012. “It would rank right up there with the championship and winning in your hometown. It’s the biggest race of the year, and I would be ecstatic if we won it.”

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