{"id":16484,"date":"2018-04-18T19:30:13","date_gmt":"2018-04-19T00:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=16484"},"modified":"2018-04-18T20:16:04","modified_gmt":"2018-04-19T01:16:04","slug":"two-time-pro-stock-world-champ-erica-enders-hopes-turnaround-comes-at-hometown-track-for-nhra-springnationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/18\/two-time-pro-stock-world-champ-erica-enders-hopes-turnaround-comes-at-hometown-track-for-nhra-springnationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders hopes turnaround comes at hometown track for NHRA SpringNationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA<\/em><\/p>\n

BAYTOWN, Texas \u2013 More than ready to put a prolonged slump behind her, a visit to Royal Purple Raceway<\/strong> for this weekend\u2019s NHRA SpringNationals<\/strong> might be just the place for Erica Enders<\/strong> to give her 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series<\/a> season the jumpstart it needs.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Erica Enders. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s the hometown track for the two-time Pro Stock world champ and also a facility home to an abundance of special memories for Enders, who posted back-to-back Pro Stock wins there during her championship seasons in 2014 and 2015. Enders and her Elite Motorsports team haven\u2019t found their footing in their Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in 2018, and the 22-time event winner is hopeful that turnaround can happen at a track that\u2019s already home to so many special memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lot of happy memories there and I\u2019m definitely looking forward to coming back,\u201d said Enders, who is currently 10th in Pro Stock points. \u201cMy sister and I grew up watching our dad race there and that\u2019s where my driving career started. We\u2019ve made a lot of fun memories there and a big reason why our family is so close is because of drag racing, so I\u2019m thankful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) were last year\u2019s winners of the event that will be televised on FOX Sports 1, including live finals coverage starting at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, April 22. It marks the fifth of 24 races in a 2018 season that hasn\u2019t been what Enders and her team have hoped for thus far. After a semifinal showing in Pomona, Enders has first-round losses at the past two races, something she hopes to change in Houston.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Erica Enders. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

The team had a strong test session before the most recent race in Las Vegas, but it didn\u2019t translate to results. Still, Enders remains impressed with how her team continues to push forward. Enders knows nobody in the group will stop working until a solution \u2013 and plenty of race wins \u2013 come their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully we can make a turn in Houston,\u201d Enders said. \u201cWe\u2019re either stubborn or we have zero quit. For a year and a half, we\u2019ve fought to get better. We\u2019re not making excuses, but it\u2019s just been an uphill climb. We\u2019re not pleased with where we\u2019re at, but there\u2019s not any quit in any of us. Really, half the battle is believing and I\u2019m optimistic about what\u2019s to come. Regardless of performance, our team is going to dig deep and work hard, and that speaks volumes about their character.\u201d<\/p>\n

A victory in Houston would be a welcome return to form for Enders, who has one win over the past two years, and give the Pro Stock class its fifth different winner in as many races this season, joining 2018 winners Bo Butner, Chris McGaha, Vincent Nobile, and Tanner Gray. The event, which kicks off three straight races, also marks Enders\u2019 debut in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service class, making for an extra busy weekend. But the more racing the better as far as she is concerned, and Enders feels confident the team can put behind its struggles this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re definitely hopeful that Houston is our turning point,\u201d Enders said. \u201cWhatever comes our way, we\u2019re going to face it head on. The races get more frequent and heat plays a big role in Pro Stock as well. I feel like we\u2019ve got good track management skills and we can get a handle on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leah Pritchett is after her first win of 2018 in Top Fuel following her hot start a year ago. She\u2019ll have to do it against the likes of points leader and Texas native Steve Torrence, defending world champion Brittany Force, Gainesville winner Richie Crampton, and Pomona winner Doug Kalitta.<\/p>\n

Ron Capps will look for his fifth career Funny Car win at Royal Purple Raceway and first of 2018, facing off against stars like points leader Jack Beckman, J.R. Todd, who won the most recent event in Vegas, seven-time Houston winner John Force, and defending world champ Robert Hight.<\/p>\n

The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service makes its second of 12 stops in 2018 at Royal Purple Raceway. Rickie Smith won the season-opener at Gainesville. The event also features thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, showcasing the future stars of the sport, as well as the Mickey Thompson Tires NHRA Top Fuel Harley Drag Racing Series. After Nitro qualifying on Friday, fans can also watch the spectacular \u201cLonestar Lightning,\u201d El Arabe Racing \u201cMajestic\u201d, and \u201cGameXChange\u201d jet cars. Jet cars are thrust driven vehicles propelled by jet engines with exciting pre-run flame shows.<\/p>\n

Those in attendance will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interact with a few of the most renowned names in drag racing during the NHRA Legends Tour. This will contain meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, and a variety of other activities. Legends scheduled to attend during the NHRA SpringNationals include Tom \u201cThe Mongoose\u201d McEwen and Richard Tharpe.<\/p>\n

As always, fans can interact with their favorite drivers with an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique chance in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.<\/p>\n

Fans also will want to visit NHRA\u2019s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.<\/p>\n

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 20 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 21, at 1:30 and 4 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 22.<\/p>\n

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (281) 383-7223 or visitwww.NHRA.com\/tickets<\/a>. Kids 12 and under are free in general admission areas with a paid adult. To honor the Salute to First Responders, military and first responders can save 20 percent on general admission tickets at the gate. For more information about the NHRA visitwww.NHRA.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

WHAT:<\/strong> 31st annual NHRA SpringNationals, the fifth of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories \u2013 Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock \u2013 earn points leading to 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.  Competition also will be featured in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series and the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.<\/p>\n

WHERE:<\/strong> Royal Purple Raceway, Baytown, Texas. From Interstate 10 take the State Hwy. 99 (Grand Parkway) exit, which is exit 799. Take a right on State Hwy. 99 and go to the first exit (2 miles) which is FM 565. Take a right on FM 565 and Royal Purple Raceway will be on your right. For additional information about directions please visit www.racerpr.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WHEN:<\/strong> Friday through Sunday, April 20-22<\/p>\n

SCHEDULE:<\/strong> 
\nFRIDAY, April 20 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying 
\nNHRA J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 4 and 6 p.m.
\nMELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 4:30 and 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

SATURDAY, April 21 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations 
\nNHRA J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 3 p.m. Round 1 of eliminations at 5:30 p.m.
\nMELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 1:30 and 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

SUNDAY, April 22 – Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. 
\nMELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

TELEVISION:<\/strong> 
\nFriday, April 20, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise one hour of qualifying at 9:30 p.m. (ET).
\nSaturday, April 21, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise two hours of live qualifying at 1 p.m. (ET).
\nSaturday, April 22, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 2 p.m. (ET).<\/p>\n

2017 EVENT WINNERS:<\/strong>   
\nLeah Pritchett, Top Fuel; Ron Capps, Funny Car; Bo Butner, Pro Stock.<\/p>\n

MOST WINS:<\/strong> 
\nJohn Force, 7, FC; Warren Johnson, 6, PS; Ron Capps, 5, FC; Jeg Coughlin, 4, PS; Tony Pedregon, 4, FC; Greg Anderson, 3, PS; Kenny Bernstein, 3, TF; Larry Dixon, 3, TF; Mike Edwards, 3, PS; Bob Glidden, 3, PS; Cruz Pedregon, 3, FC.<\/p>\n

TRACK RECORDS:<\/strong> 
\nTop Fuel – 3.722 seconds by Clay Millican, April \u201817; 330.07 mph by Spencer Massey, April \u201915.
\n Funny Car – 3.851 seconds by Courtney Force, April \u201817; 331.77 mph by Force, April \u201917.
\n Pro Stock – 6.499 seconds by Jeg Coughlin, April \u201917; 212.66 mph by Mike Edwards, April \u201913.<\/p>\n

NATIONAL RECORDS:<\/strong> 
\nTop Fuel – 3.628 sec. by Clay Millican, Feb. ’18, Pomona, Calif.; 336.57 mph by Tony Schumacher, Feb. \u201818, Phoenix
\nFunny Car – 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. ’17, Brainerd; 339.87 mph by Robert Hight, July \u201917, Sonoma, Calif.
\nPro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March \u201915, Charlotte, N.C.;  215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May \u201914, Englishtown N.J.  <\/p>\n

TICKETS:<\/strong> 
\nFor tickets call (281) 383-RACE (7223). Tickets also available online at www.racerpr.com<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA BAYTOWN, Texas \u2013 More than ready to put a prolonged slump behind her, a visit to Royal Purple Raceway for this weekend\u2019s NHRA SpringNationals might be just the place for Erica Enders to give her 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season the jumpstart it needs. It\u2019s the hometown track […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[46,6,194,133],"class_list":["post-16484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-erica-enders","tag-nhra","tag-nhra-springnationals","tag-royal-purple-raceway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/2018_Enders_Erica_Action.jpg?fit=2250%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-4hS","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16484"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16489,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16484\/revisions\/16489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}