Never count out Erica Enders.

And especially don’t doubt her publicly.

With comments swirling on social media and in the headlines that Enders had lost some of her passion and wasn’t the same racer that she once was, the 38-year-old used that talk as bulletin board material in starting the new year with a chip on her shoulder.

Enders dominated every aspect of the season-opening Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, taking the pole position and easily dispatching of her competition in earning the 34th win of her career and the 900th win in the all-time history of the Pro Stock category at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

“Today was awesome. It was really challenging when I looked at the ladder this morning and I had my teammate in the first round, two juggernaut KB cars in the second and third rounds and my teammate Aaron Stanfield in the final. It was not a walkthrough by any means,” Enders said. “At the end of the day, we were able to park the Melling Performance hot rod in the winner’s circle and we were able to secure that 900th Pro Stock victory with that special trophy, which is awesome.”

Enders got it done all day in her trademark style, dominating on the tree and piloting good clean runs. In the final, however, Enders missed on the tree for the first time all day, but was bailed out when her teammate and final round opponent Aaron Stanfield suffered tire shake and had to press in the clutch.

With Stanfield out, Enders cruised to a 6.559-second pass at 210.31 mph in her Melling Performance Camaro for the easy win.

“I had some interesting stuff happen out there today. In the semifinals, the track was really loose for both Greg (Anderson) and myself and I guess he was just a little bit looser. In the final, Aaron had to change an engine before the run. But in that final, when I prestaged I always take a deep breath before the run and with the way the weather changed my glasses got completely fogged up,” Enders said. “I was scared of going red, so I missed the tree. I wanted to keep my lights under 20 today, but three out of four is not bad.”

After the race, an emotional Enders talked about the motivation brought about by the offseason talk as the four-time champion enters her 17th season behind the wheel in the Pro Stock category.

“You listen to all of the talk from your competitors and it adds fuel to the fire,” Enders said. “I told my guys that there is no more nice Erica this year. We don’t need any more friends and I am going for it. You never know which season is going to be your last, and if this is my last I want it to be something that I can proudly hang my hat on. The fire is lit under my entire team and we are ready to go.”

Enders was especially proud of the performance by her Elite Motorsports team as she and Stanfield drove to the top two spots on the ladder in qualifying and then matched up in an all-Elite final on race day. And after watching Greg Anderson and KB Racing celebrate a championship at this same track just three months ago, it was an encouraging start to the year.

After opening the day with a win over Cristian Cuadra, Enders collected wins over KB Racing drivers Dallas Glenn and Anderson to reach the final. In that much-anticipated semifinal matchup, Enders got away cleanly and never trailed for the win as Anderson ran into issues on the top end and had to get out of the throttle. Enders advanced to her 62nd Pro Stock final with a 6.569 at 209.43 mph.

Stanfield, the defending winner of the Winternationals, had wins over Troy Coughlin Jr.,Roger Brogdon and Fernando Cuadra Jr. behind the wheel of his Janec Brothers Camaro.

“Aside from that final round and not cranking the tree the way that I wanted to, it was a great day,” Enders said. “To put the Elite Motorsports cars in the one and two positions after qualifying, this is how we wanted to finish and we were both able to work our way to the final round. Coming in here with just two test runs since the World Finals, I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.”

Enders was presented a special trophy for her win in Pomona on a historic day celebrating the 900th race in the Pro Stock category. And for a driver that grew up idolizing the class and dreaming of one day just being able to compete, Enders was emotional reflecting on just how far she has come in the sport.

“Most kids when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, aside from astronauts and lawyers and doctors, if you are talking about drag racing, it is always Top Fuel. But for me, it was Pro Stock,” Enders said. “I loved the fact that you left with a clutch and you had to shift the car. Driving in junior dragsters for nine years and racing in the Lucas Oil series for five years before coming into Pro Stock, we have accomplished way more than I ever thought we would be able to. To be able to leave our mark on the class, no matter how long this career lasts, is something that is really special to me. You treat every race day the same, but this 900th victory for Pro Stock means a lot to me.”

Enders continued by reflecting on just how much the class has changed since she arrived in the sport back in 2005, watching Pro Stock evolve from a club of veteran racers to the youthful class that is dominating headlines today.

“When I rounded that corner for my first qualifying session in 2005, I will never forget that feeling that I had racing against a bunch of older guys,” Enders said. “Now there is Greg Anderson and myself taking on this class of kids. Pro Stock has always been your factory hot rod, old guys deal. Now we have all of these kids interested in the class and it is growing.”

Enders will try to keep the momentum going when the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action in one week in Phoenix.