The tears should have been ones of joy. 

In just her fifth professional outing, the NHRA SpringNationals at Baytown, Texas, 24-year-old rookie Camrie Caruso became only the second woman to earn a top- qualifying position in the Pro Stock class. It came 16 years after Erica Enders scored her first No. 1 start in 2006 at Topeka. 

Instead of celebrating, the tears running down her cheeks Saturday afternoon at Houston Raceway Park as she bravely stood for a television interview with FOX’s Amanda Busick represented a jumble of emotions. Within minutes, Caruso was all smiles –  but not after an unexpected encounter with four-time class champion Enders.

The veteran and newcomer went head to head on the racetrack in the final qualifying session, with Enders trying to capture Caruso’s top starting spot. Caruso held onto it by nine-thousandths of a second (6.547 to 6.556). However, a misunderstanding about top-end track etiquette or procedure – and a late-afternoon breeze – sent the parachutes from Enders’ Melling/Elite Camaro crashing over the top of Caruso’s Sand Haulers of America Camaro. Caruso’s car ended up with damage, but her crew was expected to repair it in time for Sunday eliminations. 

Busick saw Caruso was emotional about the incident and about whatever Enders said to her when they got out of their cars. So she stalled with some narrative, giving Caruso time to collect herself. Then Busick said, “I know Erica Enders came over and said some words to you, but I want you to focus on this moment. For the first time you are No. 1 qualifier in just your fifth race. Could you have imagined success this soon?” 

Caruso said, “I have my team to thank and everybody else - everybody who backs me, and I'm just really thankful and grateful for the opportunity.” 

Asked what Enders said to her, Caruso replied, “Doesn't matter. We're going to focus and get it fixed and go move on. Is what it is.” 

Caruso and Enders talked further and hugged one another, and Enders brushed tears from Caruso’s face as they appeared to resolve any differences quickly. 

Then Busick interviewed Enders, who explained the incident from her viewpoint: “Well, we crossed and then she shot past me, right? So, I tucked in to follow her around, and as we're making the turn, she just dead stopped on an active racetrack. So I swerved to the right to not hit her and I mean, you just coast around the corner. 

“I hate it for her,” Enders said, “because they're going to talk about that crap instead of her being No. 1. That's her first No. 1 qualifier, but they'll joke all they want about two girls being on the racetrack at the same time. But you know, whatever. Our Melling Performance Chevy Camaro is super badass this weekend,” she said. “Mark Ingersoll, my boys, Rick and Ricky Jones, are back on the property this weekend. So we definitely got our hot rod tuned up. Hopeful to have a long day here in our hometown and we'll see what happens.”

Caruso told a media gathering later, “It could have been anybody. She’s a great racer, and I’m sure she didn’t want the incident to happen, either. Sucks that it happened. But it’s racing, and anything could happen.” 

Meanwhile, back at the starting line, Caruso’s crew chief, two-time Pro Stock champion Jim Yates, said of his driver, “She’s done such a great job adjusting. I mean, I talked to her earlier today about what a great job she's done just being in the car and being right up to speed and know what to do in the circumstances. You can't teach that. She feels it in her body and she knows whether the car is going left or right, how to correct it, getting on the shift points really good. I mean, the more runs we make the better she's going to get but for coming from where she's been to where she's at today. I'm really awful proud of her, awful proud of her.” 

She told the media, “He’s a little fired up about the car right now. He’s not too happy at the moment. That’s his baby, just as it is ours.” 

Caruso’s version of what happened was that she thought she and Enders pulled their parachutes at the same time and that “I think she [Enders] veered toward me. When we got up there [at the shutdown area, they [Safety Safari personnel] had their hands up, so I stopped. And it didn’t go as planned.”

She said, “The race car’s going to get fixed. It’ll be all good. It’ll be ready for race day.” 

The top-qualifying distinction, she said, “means the world to me and my team. I’m super-grateful for the opportunity. I never would’ve thought we could’ve achieved such a cool thing so soon.”