Reigning NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders was just recognized as an ESPY nominee for the Best Driver category.  Awarded by sports network giant ESPN, the ESPY awards recognize individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding at the annual ceremony.

Enders nominated for ESPY in Best Driver category

Enders is in the running against Kevin Harvick from NASCAR, Juan Pablo Montoya and Wil Power from IndyCar and Lewis Hamilton from Formula One for the Best Driver award.  The official nominee announcement was just released today.

Everyone always says it is an honor to be nominated for an award like this, and that is absolutely the case,” Enders said. “I am truly humbled to see my name alongside the greatest in the world, and I am honored to represent my Elite Motorsports team and NHRA at the ESPYS.”

Enders had a remarkable 2014, earning her nomination by winning the Pro Stock championship in thrilling fashion in the final round of the final race.     In winning, she became the first female to win the title in drag racing’s ultra-competitive Pro Stock class, and she did it in clutch fashion, coming from behind in the points standings and winning the last two races of the season.

For her efforts in 2014, she has also been honored with Racer Magazine’s prestigious Racer of the Year Award, beating out competitors across all forms of motorsports. She won the magazine’s Drag Racer of the Year, and All-American status from the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association.

Enders joined Elite Motorsports, owned by Richard Freeman, for the 2014 season. Led by crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones, Enders won six races and was fastest qualifier six times in 2014. She led the points standings for 15 of 24 races and set the national elapsed time (6.464 seconds) and speed record (215.55 mph) in Englishtown, N.J.

My guys are absolutely incredible,” Enders said. “They never cease to amaze me. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. This is the first team I’ve ever worked for where we’ve had a unified front and they have my back. I’m blessed to have an incredible group of men, and the chemistry is there. It’s always a positive environment.”

Fans can vote for Enders in the ESPY Best Driver category here:  http://espn.go.com/espys/2015/

The 2015 ESPYS awards show will be broadcast live on ABC July 15 at 8 p.m. Eastern time from the Nokia Theater L.A.  in Los Angeles. Enders will attend the ceremony, which will be hosted by comedian Joel McHale.

NHRA Pro Stock driver Erica Enders entered the 15th Annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as the reigning event champion, and successfully defended that title Sunday at Bristol Dragway.   The 2014 World Champion fought her way to her fourth final round in five races, ending in the winner’s circle for her 16th career win, the fourth of the 2015 season.

 It’s always been good to me,” Enders said. “I guess every driver has tracks where they go that no matter what you do wrong, it ends up right. But today we earned it. We made really good runs for the heat; it was really hot and tricky out there.

With temperatures in the low 90’s all weekend and an altitude adjustment for the naturally aspirated category Pro Stock class, crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones and Mark Ingersoll had their hands full as they guided Enders to four quick passes.

My crew chiefs were stressing, but they have this cool, calm, collected attitude, and their confidence comes over the radio in my ears. That in turn gives me the confidence I need to go out there and drive to the best of my ability.”

Enders started off by grabbing the No. 1 position in qualifying, running a 6.632 second elapsed time (E.T.) at 207.59 mph in her Elite Motorsports Camaro.  This would be her 16th career pole, and would match her against John Gaydosh Jr. in the opening round of eliminations.

In round one, Gaydosh Jr. would take the slight starting line advtange with a 0.010 second reaction time (RT) to Erica’s 0.027 second RT.   But Enders would regain the lead by the 330′ clocks, crossing the stripe with a 6.695 at 206.51 mph to his losing 6.787 at 196.27 mph.   She just missed the quickest pass of the round by 0.001 seconds to Chris McGaha, but would earn lane choice over Jason Line entering the round two match-up.

Enders and Line have a tough rivalry going, with Erica holding a 13-12 career advantage over Jason in previous meetings.   Both drivers know they have to bring their A-game to the starting line, adding to the pressure.   But Line would jump just a fraction to quick, turning on the red light with a -0.027 RT and handing Enders victory.   Her 0.017 RT on the way to a solid 6.698 second ET at 206.64 mph, again just missing the quickest pass of the round by 0.001 seconds to McGaha, but maintaining lane choice into the semi-final round.

She would face Shane Gray in round three, cutting a stellar 0.007 light against him and never trailing for the win, 6.703 at 206.45 mph to his 6.724 at 206.20 mph.  This time, she was able to capture the fastest pass of the round and critical lane choice into the final against McGaha, who was able to best her performances in each prior round by a mere fraction of a second.

As expected, it was a close race in the final against McGaha.   But Enders handled the pressure like a true champion, posting a 0.025 second RT against his 0.055 second RT, as they both ran side-by-side, her 6.685-second pass at 206.95 mph to his 6.689-second run at 207.46 mph.    At the finish line, it would be Enders with the win, the margin of victory 0.0349 seconds (approximately 11 feet).

You have to learn to win, and that’s something I never understood until we did it,” Enders said. “Greg Anderson and Jason (Line) had mentioned that to me when I was first starting, and I didn’t get it until we finally did it. You just learn how to handle yourself in those high-pressure situations. It’s a challenge, for sure, and you’ve got to remain positive in your thoughts, and that’s been a huge part of our success.”

Securing the back-to-back Bristol victory would propel her into the No. 1 position in the Pro Stock points chase leaving the event.   She holds a 14-point lead over rival Greg Anderson heading into the next event on the tour:  the upcoming Independence Day weekend 9th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

My guys are absolutely incredible,” Enders said. “They never cease to amaze me. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. This is the first team I’ve ever worked for where we’ve had a unified front and they have my back. I’m blessed to have an incredible group of men, and the chemistry is there. It’s always a positive environment.”

Elite Motorsports driver Erica Enders is no fan of the Grateful Dead, and after the 3rd annual NHRA New England Nationals on Sunday at New England Dragway, she’s even less so.  In drag racing, the term “deadhead” refers to a mis-alignment of gears inside the transmission, resulting in a failed pass down the racetrack.   And that’s exactly what happened on Sunday in the semifinals after Enders had the quickest car on the property in the previous two rounds.

The 2014 Pro Stock champion, Enders had the dominant car on Sunday in Epping. She qualified No. 4, but crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones and Mark Ingersoll tuned the red Chevrolet Camaro to a pass of 6.513 at 214.69 mph in the first round against V. Gaines. That was the quickest and fastest pass of the round, and the speed broke Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s year-old track record.

She went even quicker in the next round against Vincent Nobile. While Nobile made a pass of 6.546 seconds at 213.47 mph, Enders blistered the track with a 6.506-second run at 214.66 mph to advance to the semifinals.

But round number three is where her luck would run out.   Fellow competitor and good buddy Allen Johnson made a pass of 6.537 second at 213.33 mph, a run that Enders could have easily covered if she had matched her first- and second-round runs, but during her normal shifting procedure, Enders’ transmission deadheaded and her pass was 6.540 seconds at 214.21 mph. That gave Johnson a narrow victory to the final round.

It’s disappointing, for sure,” Enders said. “Instead of the gears lining up and going into the right gear, it just misses when it’s supposed to align and it doesn’t shift. It’s no one’s fault and it happens every now and then in Pro Stock, but that doesn’t take the sting out of it.”

Next on the NHRA schedule is the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals next weekend at Bristol Dragway.

It just wasn’t our day, but we had the quickest car on the property today thanks to my guys,” Enders said. “They’re the best guys out here, and I have complete faith in them all. We’ll be back in Bristol next week, and we’re the defending champions there, so our heads are held high.”