Reports of Erica Enders’ demise were greatly exaggerated.

After the first six races of the season, Enders had a 2-6 elimination round record and was 14th in the points standings.

Those aren’t normal numbers for the five-time and reigning Pro Stock world champion.

Enders silenced her doubters Sunday at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. Enders captured her first win of the season, clocking a 6.680-second lap at 204.08 mph in her Elite Motorsports Camaro to defeat Deric Kramer’s 6.727-second run at 197.05 mph in the finals.

The win was Enders' 44th in NHRA Pro Stock competition, and she won from the No. 1 qualifying position.

“It's super gratifying and I don't know if people truly understand what it means,” Enders said. “I mean, yes, we've won a lot of races, but to finish the year that we had last year in the fashion that we did and then to start the year as horribly as we did is a real gut check and just one of those things
that you have to battle through. My team owner (Richard Freeman) always reminds us that winning races doesn't define us, that we're winners off the racetrack, too. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work. I said it in my top end interview, but I
want to reiterate it here is how hard my guys work, not just my Chevy Camaro, but all nine of our cars that we have. We have almost 60 people on the road full time and it's a little bit of controlled chaos, but I wouldn't take
anything for any of the guys that we have.

“They are truly amazing. They're a talent. The two guys who are working on my car this weekend, Connor has won with J.R. Todd before, but Declan is new to drag racing, so it's his first win and our first win as the new Team Red, so I could not be prouder of them and their hard work. They didn't ever get discouraged or give up. That's what it's all about is just trying to remain as positive as possible and just go to work and shut the naysayers up.”

On Sunday, Enders ousted Mason McGaha, Kyle Koretsky, Greg Anderson and Kramer in that order.

“Okay, so go to that final round and then have the reaction time you did and win on a holeshot. What does that mean for you?

“I mean, we've struggled with our race car, but I've struggled mentally as a driver as well,” Enders said. “It definitely takes a toll on you, and you
question a lot of things, and you lose your confidence and maybe a little of your swagger. I talked to my dad right before that final round. He's like, ‘Remember who you are. Just put your head down and do it. You're a five-time champ.’ So, the encouragement from him, the encouragement from my sister (Courtney), who's the ultimate hype girl ever in the history of the world, it's refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, and I just have to remember to believe in myself. Honestly, I was 21, I think, on the tree second round. I had a competition bye when Greg broke in the semis, so we threw that reaction time out.

“But I sped my pedal up a little bit and I thought that I could be 12 to 16 on the tree and we were right in there at 15. I finally did my job, and we were able to park our JHG Chevy Camaro. ... I don't know what I'm saying. I haven't done this in a while. In the winner's circle. But Jason and Nikki
Johnson are here. They've sponsored Bo all year last year. They brought us on board as well. So, this is the first Wally that we get to hand to them, and it's pretty significant.”

Enders knows all too well what it is like to go on a heater to a dry spell in the world of Pro Stock. She won world titles in 2014-15 and then didn’t win
again until 2019 and 2020 and last year.

“The last one was excruciating,” said Enders about going without a title for three years. “This one has just been slightly painful because knowing what
we had every weekend, if there were 16 cars on property, we weren't going to qualify. So that was how sucky our 2016 season was, but we were a new program. It was the year that all the rule changes came out for Pro Stock, switching from carburetors to electronic fuel injection, the rev limiter, and then we switched manufacturers on top of that. So, it took a toll on our team, and it was a two-year deal. They opted out and we opted out as well, so we went back to our Chevy power plant and went to work. It took us a couple of years to recover. We really struggled. I only won one race in 2017, but we rallied. So, the lessons are that you don't give up. It's horsepower and win lights are a really great deodorant for underlying issues.”

Enders was quick to credit her team to come all the way back reclaim championship glory.

“It just shows that what would tear most teams apart makes us stronger,” she said. “I started in 2014 with Elite Motorsports and there were eight people on my team, including myself, and now we have almost 60. I think it speaks volumes for our leadership. I think it speaks volumes for the kind of work ethic that the guys have and their never give up attitude. But it's easy when things are not great to just get down and get negative and want to quit. I'm not going to say I didn't say I was retiring 47,00,000 times this  year, but I'm not, so we're good.”

Although the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis aren’t until Labor Day weekend, Enders realizes it is never too early to start marching up the standings.
Enders moved up from 14th to a tie for eighth in the points standings with Cristian Cuadra.

“It's definitely crucial, now that we're closing in on Indy,” Enders said. “It's hard to believe that we're already in the month of June, let alone getting close to the Countdown. So, we've got to go to work. I think we entered Bristol in 14th or 15th in the points position, which is the lowest ever since I drove a Ford. It's been challenging, but all you have to do is be there when it counts. That's something that my guys are tremendous at. When our backs are against the wall, they perform, I perform and we get things done, so I'm not worried. 

"I said it on Friday when we qualified on the pole here, it doesn't matter until the Countdown. Now if you race all the races, you get a participation trophy and you get in the Countdown anyway, so we're solid. We'll be just fine. I wouldn't want to go to battle with anybody other than the guys that I have that stand behind me. I'm a blessed girl, but we got some work cut out for us, and we'll just keep going at it. You know how we roll.”