By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio
ENNIS, Texas – The battle for the championship in the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series Pro Stock class could get a little interesting this weekend at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex.
With three races left to go in the Countdown to the Championship, defending and six-time world champion Erica Enders is sitting third in the point standings and is 90 points behind leader Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield.
Enders, who won the last two races at the Texas Motorplex, could close the gap in the standings with a victory here heading into the final two races at Las Vegas and Pomona, Ca. It would be her third straight win and fourth overall at the Texas Motorplex.
But first Enders will have to stop Glenn and Stanfield, two drivers that have dominated the Pro Stock racing action this season.
“The Stampede of Speed is always such a fun week,” Enders said. “What the Meyer family does for this event and our sport is second to none. I’ve been racing at this track since I was eight years old, and it holds a special place in my heart.”
Enders, who drives the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Chevrolet Camaro, has had an up-and-down type of season. After winning the season-opening race at Gainesville, she has been winless ever since and is hoping to return to her winning ways on Sunday. It would be her 50th career national event win, 49th in Pro Stock.
“We’ve won here a handful of times including the last two years and we are looking to defend our home turf again this year,” Enders said. “The championship is within reach, but we have to get to work. A win here in Dallas, would catapult us to exactly where we want to be, rolling into another favorite of ours, Vegas. I have all of the faith in the world in this team and what an honor it would be, to win for Mark Ingersoll this weekend.”
Enders has seven No. 1 qualifying spots but has only reached the finals four times this year. She also has posted low elapsed times nine times at Gainesville, Chicago, Epping, Richmond, Seattle, Brainerd, Indianapolis, Charlotte and St. Louis. She has had the top speed of the event eight times but has fallen short at the finish line.
Glenn and Stanfield have been unstoppable in Pro Stock this season. Both drivers have five wins and nine final round appearances each. They have faced each other five times in the finals with Glenn having a 3-2 advantage.
“Having the week off I got to re-focus, got a chance to get my head back on straight and we’re planning to come out swinging,” Stanfield said, who drives the Stanfield and his JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers Racing Chevrolet Camaro. “It’s kind of a hometown race for me being from Louisiana and I’ll have the Factory X car racing too. So let’s see if we can park both of them in the winners circle.”
A victory by Glenn or Stanfield would be their first at the Texas Motorplex and a chance to lead the point standings going into the final two races. Glenn was the runner-up to Enders in the finals here in 2023.
“Dallas should be fun,” Glenn said. “I love racing at that track. Looking at it I have two wins and a semi-final finish in the Countdown, which is a round and a half, 31-point lead,” Glenn said. “It’s definitely a lot tighter than I would like right now at his point. Aaron is a great driver and he’s real tough. I am sure that he is going to remain real tough throughout the Countdown.”
Competition in Pro Stock for the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, race four of six in the Countdown to the Championship, begins with four rounds of qualifying scheduled for Friday at 4:15 and 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 3:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon with Pro Stock first round at 1:00 p.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET and an eliminations show at 4:00 p.m. ET.
