When six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders rolls into Phoenix this weekend for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals, she’ll be pulling double duty, competing in both Pro Stock and Pro Mod. Fresh off her second appearance at the Drag Illustrated Winter Series, Enders will pilot the signature red Rick Jones/Modern Racing-built screw-blown Camaro for Elite Motorsports.
“I’m excited to see where Pro Mod’s going, and as attractive as the big purses are, we’re trophy racers,” admitted Enders. “We go for the Wally, right? Winning an NHRA national event and being awarded a Wally, that’s the pinnacle of the sport, so I’m excited to have a second shot at it this weekend in addition to Pro Stock.”
It will be the first time Enders has competed in quarter-mile Pro Mod since suffering a horrific season-ending fire at Norwalk in 2019. While not a fond memory, Enders says she has moved past the incident through her time in the Winter Series, and with the improvements in safety and technology, is excited about jumping back into quarter-mile action.
“We’ve had a lot of rules changed since then, and I’m a firm believer that it’s our job as current racers to make it safer than for the next people that jump in any sort of race car,” Enders said. “When you’re going 250-plus miles per hour in a short wheel-based race car, it’s not exactly safe, but I’m confident in our equipment, our team, and my driving capabilities. I’m excited about our program that we put together with Justin Elkes and Modern, and I’m going to focus on the excitement of getting to drive another really badass race car.”
Enders is no stranger to pulling double duty throughout the course of her career. She’s driven in multiple classes at countless NHRA national events, whether in Pro Stock and Pro Mod, Pro Stock and Mountain Motor Pro Stock, or Pro Stock and Competition Eliminator. Her strict procedure in the cockpit remains the same regardless of the car, so she doesn’t see it as an issue. The only potential problem in her mind is simply one thing: time.
“Pro Mod immediately follows Pro Stock on Saturday and Sunday,” said Enders. “We’re in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge since we made it to the semi’s in Gainesville, so I’ll be at the back of Pro Stock. Since I haven’t competed in NHRA Pro Mod (this year), I’ll be closer to the front of the pack, so the switchover is going to be the challenge as far as me switching from my 15 to my 20 suit, and the different shoes and helmet. I’m just gonna have to swap my equipment as fast as I can so I don’t hold anybody up.”
On the Pro Stock side of things, Enders is feeling confident after a much better start to the season than a year ago. Despite KB Titan Racing rivals Matt Hartford and Greg Anderson making it to the final round, Enders has already seen a vast improvement in performance with the Elite cars, which will only get better as the season progresses.
“We’re in the realm of things this year, whereas last year, it was just crazy to show up at a track and be that far behind,” Enders said. “It’s not something we’ve been used to at Elite. But that’s part of the cycle of Pro Stock. There are years when KB’s on top, and then there are times when we won four out of five world titles consecutively. It’s just peaks and valleys, and we’ve gone to work on our program from a lot of different aspects.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but we had a pretty tough year at Elite last year – not just performance-wise, but with a lot of our key players’ health,” Enders continued. “We’re super, super blessed that they’re still with us, and they’re getting better and healthier, and we have the whole band back together. I think that that is a big part of why we’re headed in the right direction.”
With nearly everything – and everyone – back in place, the Elite Motorsports camp was busy testing their brand-new race package prior to the season starting, and while Enders says there’s still a lot of work to be done, they have everything in place to succeed. The best equipment, the best crew, and a roster filled with NHRA national champions and even the most recent World Series of Pro Mod champion in Aaron Stanfield.
“Before the World Series of Pro Mod, we spent a week in Gainesville with all six of our Pro Stock cars,” said Enders. “We made 25 passes per car times six cars, so we’re accumulating data. It’s just gonna take time for us to perfect this package we’re working on. With the way the Countdown to the Championship is structured, we’re okay. We’re going to continue to get better and make sure we position ourselves to have a chance to go after the world title this year.
“I feel like with the talent we have under the Elite Motorsports awning, the sky is the limit,” Enders added. “We have a great group of people with a huge talent pool – whether you’re talking crew chiefs, tuners, or drivers. From the Coughlin legacy with two Coughlins under our tent, to the Stanfield legacy with Greg and Aaron racing with us, to what we’ve built with me and Elite, to Stephen Bell and all the drivers. It’s pretty cool if you just step back and get a bird’s eye view of it, how much talent is actually there, and I’m excited to be a small part of it.”
This story was originally published on March 17, 2026. 
