Erica Enders will be gunning for her third consecutive NHRA Pro Stock championship in 2016.
Yet, if she fails, Elite Motorsports will have a second bullet in the gun in the form of five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. Both will be racing Dodge Darts as Elite Motorsports makes the switch to Mopar power.
Between them, Enders and Coughlin have won the past three NHRA Pro Stock championships, with Coughlin’s latest title coming in 2013.
While Coughlin is making his full-time return to the Pro Stock series, Enders is coming off of a dominant 2015 season, taking nine victories and clinching the title at the penultimate round.
However, 2016 is full of changes in Pro Stock, with the class making the switch to fuel-injected engines with a 10,500-rpm limit.
With the addition to the team’s switch to Mopar, Enders is aware that these changes could pose a few obstacles that could threaten her chances at pulling off the three-peat.
“I'm excited to get the season started, to get a feel for where everybody’s at,” Enders said. “We’ve beaten all the changes into the ground talking about them, but it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. It’s definitely going to be a tough year.
“It’s going to be a real tall order this year, for sure, with all the changes involved and the new program that we’re building, but we’ll get there. It’s going to take time, but we’re going to be fine. I always say it, but my money’s on us. We’ve got the best group, the best crew chiefs, the best team owner, the best chassis builder, the best drivers. Game on.”
Coverage of the 56th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona starts with qualifying at 10:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS1 and 1 a.m. ET Sunday on FS1. LIVE racing will be shown beginning 5 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1.
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