Five-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders showed the class that her car troubles are behind her this weekend when she collected her first win of the season after securing the pole position at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.

Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster

Enders gave the first glimpses of the her team’s turnaround during qualifying, when she drove her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Camaro to pass of 6.627-seconds at 205.88 mph on Friday evening to secure her first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 30th of her Pro Stock career.

She then put her early-season struggles in Pro Stock behind her in a major way, advancing to the final round with victories against Mason McGaha, Kyle Koretsky and Greg Anderson. She then competed a rout of Deric Kramer in the finale, taking a starting-line lead that she never relinquished. With the win, Enders moved up six places to eighth in points, signaling she may be back to her winning ways. Enders qualified a best of second (Gainesville) to open the season, but had only secured a 2-6 round record since, bowing out in the first round four times and round two twice. This, after dominating a season ago with 10 wins, six number-one qualifiers, and a staggering 55-9 round record.

“Nothing will ever top the feeling of seeing that beacon light up around this time on Sunday,” said Enders. This is for my guys. This is for the crew. They don’t quit. They don’t get down. They don’t give up. And that’s the most challenging part of all of this — to hear the negative scuttlebutt, all the people saying my career is over. But this just shows that it isn’t. We’ve struggled with our racecar, but I’ve struggled mentally as a driver as well. It definitely takes a toll on you, and you question a lot of things, and you lose your confidence and maybe a little of your swagger. But my dad told me to just put my head down and remember who I am, a five-time champion. It’s refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, I just have to remember to believe in myself.”

“This is super gratifying, and I don’t know if people truly understand what it means,” Enders said. “Yes, we’ve won a lot of races, but to finish the year we had last year in the fashion that we did and then to start the year as horribly as we did is a real gut-check. It’s one of those things you have to battle through. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work.

The win was the 44th of Erica Enders’ Pro Stock career.