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Although she ran career-best numbers in qualifying, new team owner/driver Erica Enders knew she had a tall order to fill in the first round of the inaugural Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals as she faced POWERade points leader Jason Line, who already had set a pair of national records with a 6.571-second pass at 209.49 mph. When the race started, she did what she could, reacting to the green light one thousandths of a second quicker than Line.
After that, she was reduced to the role of spectator of the quickest and fastest pass in NHRA Pro Stock history as Line pulled away to win with an almost unbelievable 6.558-second pass at 209.75 mph. Enders' 6.641-second run at 208.26 mph in her revive-USA Dodge Stratus was her fastest ever, but it wasn't enough for Line.
"When the guy in the other lane is the points leader and he goes out there and runs the best pass ever, there's not much you can say or do beside shake his hand and tell him 'good job,'" Enders said. "Our program is on the way up big time. We qualified for the race with our best E.T. and speed ever. We just got as tough draw in Round 1. That team has won the last three championships and we're not at their level just yet."
All 16 drivers in the quickest field of all time posted career-best numbers during qualifying for this event. Enders was the only female in the mix and at 23 years old was the youngest professional on the ladder.
"This was just our second race as team owners so we're pretty happy with how things turned out," Enders said. "You're never 100 percent happy unless you win but I've been around this sport for 15 years now and I know it takes time to build a program into a championship contender.
"We're committed to get there and with the support of Revive-USA, Lupe Tortilla, Mach 1 Air Services, Snap-on Tools, Aeromotive, American Racing, and all the others, we're on our way and it's exciting."
Sunday's eliminations will be shown from 7-9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The POWERade Drag Racing Series now turns its attention to the sixth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, which takes place Oct. 26-29 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is the 22nd of 23 races on the 2006 schedule.
Enders Makes Marked Progress in Virginia
Although she ran career-best numbers in qualifying, new team owner/driver Erica Enders knew she had a tall order to fill in the first round of the inaugural Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals as she faced POWERade points leader Jason Line, who already had set a pair of national records with a 6.571-second pass at 209.49 mph. When the race started, she did what she could, reacting to the green light one thousandths of a second quicker than Line.
After that, she was reduced to the role of spectator of the quickest and fastest pass in NHRA Pro Stock history as Line pulled away to win with an almost unbelievable 6.558-second pass at 209.75 mph. Enders' 6.641-second run at 208.26 mph in her revive-USA Dodge Stratus was her fastest ever, but it wasn't enough for Line.
"When the guy in the other lane is the points leader and he goes out there and runs the best pass ever, there's not much you can say or do beside shake his hand and tell him 'good job,'" Enders said. "Our program is on the way up big time. We qualified for the race with our best E.T. and speed ever. We just got as tough draw in Round 1. That team has won the last three championships and we're not at their level just yet."
All 16 drivers in the quickest field of all time posted career-best numbers during qualifying for this event. Enders was the only female in the mix and at 23 years old was the youngest professional on the ladder.
"This was just our second race as team owners so we're pretty happy with how things turned out," Enders said. "You're never 100 percent happy unless you win but I've been around this sport for 15 years now and I know it takes time to build a program into a championship contender.
"We're committed to get there and with the support of Revive-USA, Lupe Tortilla, Mach 1 Air Services, Snap-on Tools, Aeromotive, American Racing, and all the others, we're on our way and it's exciting."
Sunday's eliminations will be shown from 7-9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The POWERade Drag Racing Series now turns its attention to the sixth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, which takes place Oct. 26-29 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is the 22nd of 23 races on the 2006 schedule.
