Erica Enders Clinches Fifth NHRA Pro Stock Championship at Nevada Nationals

Updated NHRA standings after wins in Las Vegas by Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcyle).

• On her way to the Pro Stock victory Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas, Erica Enders clinched her fifth Pro Stock championship
• This achievement ties her with class greats Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin and pulls her just one Pro Stock championship behind “The Professor of Pro Stock,” Warren Johnson.
• She has more championships than any woman in NHRA history.

At the time she said it back in February following her NHRA Camping World Drag Rasing Series season-opening victory at the Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., Pro Stock’s Erica Enders didn’t know it would end up being her slogan all season long.

But her off-the-cuff promise to give the class “no more nice Erica” is something she has lived up to. And on her way to the Pro Stock victory Sunday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas, Enders clinched her fifth Pro Stock championship.

Enders defeated veteran Kenny Delco and the rival KB Racing team’s wunderkind duo of Dallas Glenn and Kyle Koretsky at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to lock up her Drive For Five campaign.

This achievement ties her with class greats Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin and pulls her just one behind “The Professor of Pro Stock,” Warren Johnson. (The late Bob Glidden leads the list with 10 Pro Stock titles.) She has more championships than any woman in NHRA history, ahead of Angelle Sampey’s and Shirley Muldowney’s three and Brittany Force’s one.

Erica Enders added a fifth championship trophy in the Pro Stock class to her trophy case.

NHRA/National Dragster

She shared Sunday’s winners circle with Force (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Even though she secured the championship in this penultimate event of the season and doubled her preseason goal to win five races in the Melling Performance Camaro, she still spoke Sunday about going to Pomona, Calif., for the finale and that she’s “going to try to rip their throats there” and “stomp” the competition.

“I grew up racing my whole life” the former Jr. Dragster racer who started at age eight, said, “and I knew once you put the helmet on, you’ve got to focus and you’ve got to be cutthroat to be successful. I think as I matured as a human and as a driver, [I] learned how to separate those things.You can go back to being friends afterwards. When you shut the [race car] door, I want to be mean.”

Before the final round against Elite Performance teammate Troy Coughlin Jr., her dad Gregg reminded her, “Don’t forget to hate him for six seconds.” She said, “It’s true – you put your helmet on, you shut the door, and you hit the starter button. And you have no friends at that point when you go out there and compete.”

“This is why you never give up and you keep fighting.”

In claiming her 43rd Pro Stock victory, Enders clinched the championship at Las Vegas for the second time. She also did so in 2015, making a calmer close to the season instead of her titles in 2014, 2019, and 2020, when the chase went down to the final day – and the final round – of the year.

“This is why you never give up and you keep fighting. You have to play with all the heart you have,” Enders said.

The Camping World Drag Racing Series will conclude with the Nov. 11-13 Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.

Results

NHRA Las Vegas Nationals

Sunday’s final results from the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the 21st of 22 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

Finals

Top Fuel — Brittany Force, 3.705 seconds, 332.34 mph def. Mike Salinas, 3.702 seconds, 324.90 mph.

Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.896, 330.23 def. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 6.157, 111.12.

Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.640, 206.86 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.668, 206.48.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.866, 196.42 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.862, 198.47.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Madison Payne, 5.262, 275.90 def. Tony Stewart, 5.258, 271.57.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Doug Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.479, 265.38 def. Annie Whiteley, Camaro, 5.518, 265.27.

Super Stock — Tyler Wudarczyk, Chevy Camaro, 10.688, 113.48 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 10.053, 127.67.

Stock Eliminator — Leo Glasbrenner, Chevy Camaro, 9.543, 136.62 def. Steve Wann, Plymouth Savoy, 10.130, 127.82.

Super Comp — Ken Mostowich, Chevy Camaro, 9.079, 169.87 def. Gabriel Torres, Dragster, 9.048, 167.97.

Super Gas — Chris Lewis, Chevy Camaro, 10.054, 159.57 def. Dave Holmes, Plymouth Savoy, 10.070, 142.55.

Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Aaron Steinkey, Dragster, 6.850, 194.60 def. Jeff Korn, Dragster, 6.254, 225.63.

Nostalgia Funny Car — Bobby Cottrell, Chevy Camaro, 4.742, 238.55 def. Billy Morris, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Summit Super Pro — Carl Keil II, Dragster, 7.678, 172.30 def. Brendan George, Dragster, 7.776, 157.03.

Summit Pro ET — Andy Anderson, Chevy S-10, 9.176, 146.18 def. Steve Lambert, Chevy El Camino, Foul – Red Light.

Summit Sportsman — Jason Hildebrandt, Plymouth Valiant, 11.869, 110.01 def. Paul Northrop, Chevy Camaro, 11.875, 107.63.

Summit ET Motorcycle — Garreth Sheppeard, Hayabusa, 8.120, 166.23 def. Dalton Markham, Hayabusa, 9.147, 135.54.

Summit Street Legal EV — Craig Merrilees, Tesla, 11.548, 115.09 def. Alex Fangmann, Tesla, 12.427, 114.15.

Round-By-Round

Final round-by-round results from the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 21st of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Antron Brown, 3.709, 330.23 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.751, 328.38; Tony Schumacher, 3.707, 327.66 def. Rob Passey, 4.215, 289.51; Brittany Force, 3.671, 336.91 was unopposed; Austin Prock, 3.744, 324.28 def. Cameron Ferre, 4.040, 261.72; Clay Millican, 3.695, 330.72 def. Justin Ashley, 3.754, 332.67; Shawn Langdon, 3.770, 324.98 def. Krista Baldwin, 3.879, 293.03; Mike Salinas, 3.723, 329.58 def. Leah Pruett, 4.375, 173.18; Steve Torrence, 3.690, 331.85 def. Josh Hart, 3.719, 331.77;

QUARTERFINALS — Schumacher, 3.764, 327.27 def. Langdon, 3.762, 324.44; Force, 3.732, 327.98 def. Brown, 4.156, 211.06; Salinas, 3.700, 326.16 def. Millican, 4.292, 199.94; Prock, 3.732, 327.19 def. Torrence, 3.733, 321.81;

SEMIFINALS — Force, 3.712, 331.85 def. Schumacher, 4.075, 216.55; Salinas, 3.726, 328.62 def. Prock, 3.806, 313.88;

FINAL — Force, 3.705, 332.34 def. Salinas, 3.702, 324.90.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 3.944, 328.54 def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.992, 281.54; Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.884, 325.30 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.152, 243.11; Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.881, 331.04 def. Jeff Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.161, 285.35; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.123, 254.62 def. Steven Densham, Mustang, 4.121, 275.00; John Force, Camaro, 3.915, 326.56 def. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 5.715, 123.79; Ron Capps, Supra, 3.891, 330.07 def. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.008, 315.78; Chad Green, Mustang, 3.944, 321.88 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.932, 328.54; Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.906, 328.86 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 9.415, 76.88;

QUARTERFINALS — Hagan, 3.909, 331.77 def. Green, 3.940, 320.20; Hight, 3.894, 327.03 def. DeJoria, 3.907, 326.24; Tasca III, 3.914, 329.75 def. Capps, 3.938, 329.42; Todd, 3.889, 329.83 def. Force, 3.957, 328.06;

SEMIFINALS — Hagan, 3.924, 330.07 def. Tasca III, 3.904, 328.86; Hight, 3.878, 330.15 def. Todd, 3.898, 324.05;

FINAL — Hagan, 3.896, 330.23 def. Hight, 6.157, 111.12.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.635, 205.41 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.667, 205.91; Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.654, 205.88 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.644, 206.10; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.627, 206.89 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.665, 205.54; Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.655, 205.76 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.627, 206.61; Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.639, 205.16 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.652, 207.18; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.636, 206.35 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.680, 204.35; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.629, 206.48 def. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, Foul – Red Light; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.604, 207.21 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.687, 206.54;

QUARTERFINALS — Koretsky, 6.664, 204.91 def. Cuadra Jr., 6.680, 204.17; C. Cuadra, 6.669, 205.88 def. Stanfield, 6.647, 206.10; Coughlin Jr., 6.668, 206.07 def. Kramer, 6.689, 204.70; Enders, 6.645, 206.57 def. Glenn, 6.663, 205.32;

SEMIFINALS — Coughlin Jr., 6.657, 206.29 def. C. Cuadra, 6.691, 205.07; Enders, 6.639, 206.67 def. Koretsky, 6.663, 205.91;

FINAL — Enders, 6.640, 206.86 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.668, 206.48.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Chip Ellis, 6.915, 195.28 def. Marc Ingwersen, 7.793, 124.11; Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.892, 195.03 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.250, 158.82; Angie Smith, 6.907, 195.82 def. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.990, 191.21; Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.918, 194.52 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.987, 192.91; Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.881, 195.59 def. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.974, 189.87; Ryan Oehler, 6.971, 192.74 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.928, 192.88; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.905, 195.85 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.872, 197.77 def. Katie Justice, Suzuki, 7.032, 190.92;

QUARTERFINALS — A. Smith, 6.910, 195.19 def. Gladstone, 6.928, 194.02; Arana Jr, 6.884, 195.99 def. Krawiec, 6.904, 194.77; Savoie, 6.908, 194.69 def. Oehler, 7.060, 190.43; M. Smith, 6.870, 198.73 def. Ellis, 6.931, 194.69;

SEMIFINALS — Arana Jr, 6.908, 196.22 def. A. Smith, 6.900, 195.17; M. Smith, 6.867, 198.15 def. Savoie, 6.912, 194.44;

FINAL — Arana Jr, 6.866, 196.42 def. M. Smith, 6.862, 198.47.

Updated Points Standings

LAS VEGAS — Point standings (top 10) following the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 21st of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1, Brittany Force, 2,468; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,461; 3. Mike Salinas, 2,402; 4. Antron Brown, 2,390; 5. Steve Torrence, 2,381; 6. Austin Prock, 2,342; 7. Josh Hart, 2,307; 8. Shawn Langdon, 2,290; 9. Doug Kalitta, 2,284; 10. Clay Millican, 2,269.

Funny Car

1. Robert Hight, 2,592; 2. Ron Capps, 2,531; 3. Matt Hagan, 2,529; 4. John Force, 2,406; 5. Bob Tasca III, 2,391; 6. J.R. Todd, 2,295; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 2,261; 8. Alexis DeJoria, 2,259; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 2,222; 10. Blake Alexander, 2,150.

Pro Stock

1. Erica Enders, 2,684; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 2,460; 3. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,440; 4. Kyle Koretsky, 2,406; 5. Greg Anderson, 2,396; 6. Dallas Glenn, 2,319; 7. Matt Hartford, 2,318; 8. Cristian Cuadra, 2,216; 9. Deric Kramer, 2,205; 10. Mason McGaha, 2,188.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, 2,484; 2. Joey Gladstone, 2,380; 3. Jerry Savoie, 2,348; 4. Angie Smith, 2,336; 5. Steve Johnson, 2,297; 6. Eddie Krawiec, 2,291; 7. Angelle Sampey, 2,259; 8. Marc Ingwersen, 2,204; 9. Ryan Oehler, 2,180; 10. Karen Stoffer, 2,172.