ENDERS AND HER MARK INGERSOLL-TUNED , RICHARD FREEMAN-OWNED CAMARO PUT ON A
SHOW FOR THE SELLOUT CROWD IN ATTENDANCE , WHICH INCLUDED EXECUTIVES AND GUESTS FROM MUTUAL PARTNERS SCAG AND JHG . who was making his return to the Pro Stock driver ’ s seat wheeling a second GETTRX Camaro for KB Titan Racing driver Matt Hartford . The backstory behind the Enders vs . Connolly rivalry has been told elsewhere , but just know that there ’ s no love lost between the two .
“ Dave and I have a lot of history , obviously , and now it ’ s KB versus Elite and it will be until the end of time , or the end of Pro Stock , anyway – now more so than ever with the way the season ended last year ,” Enders said .
When the tree dropped , Enders was away first with an . 025 reaction time to Connolly ’ s . 034 . The red JHG Camaro kept pulling and crossed the finish line first with a 6.531 at 210.05 , which marked low E . T . of eliminations . Connolly ’ s scoreboard lit up with a 6.577 at 208.81 .
“ I ’ d be lying if I told you my heart rate wasn ’ t a little higher than normal ,” Enders said of the final round . “ Being a female , there ’ s a different emotional aspect to it . As much as I try to feel like a dude , the emotion creeps in , and that ’ s part of the mental toughness . I called my dad before that final round , and I ’ m like , ‘ All right , help me with my neuro program .’ We ’ ve been in way higher pressure situations than that one right there , but I had to disregard the emotion behind it because I just want to knock their teeth out . I just have to go up there and do what we do best . I know I have the best guys in the business standing behind me and it ’ s a group that I can trust . I cannot emphasize that enough . That means the world to me .”
The crowd standing behind Enders on the starting line erupted when the win light came on in her lane . From her sister Courtney to her Elite teammates and crew members , everyone was jumping and high-fiving .
“ I wish you could ’ ve heard the radio communication , not just before I staged , but in the shutdown area , as I ’ m slowing down and they ’ re screaming and saying how proud they are ,” Enders said . “ It means the world . That pressure right there , I ’ d put it up against a world championship because of who was in the other lane .”
Enders ’ team owner , Richard Freeman , also recognized the significance of the moment . He praised her ability to step up when all the marbles are on the table .
“ That round right there for her was a big deal ,” Freeman said . “ Her and Dave have history that didn ’ t end so well . It was her time . It was her turn . I can tell you when you put her back against the wall , she will come out swinging . I ’ ve been around a lot of drivers and I have a lot of good ones . I ’ ve never seen anybody who rises to the occasion like she does . The results speak for themselves . She ’ s great for our sport . She ’ s great for my program . This deal was awesome , right ? Nobody ’ s ever going to win the first one again . We love what we do .”
Enders left the PRO Superstar Shootout with a $ 125,000 check , the $ 10,000 low qualifier check from Lucas Oil , and a custom trophy from Cold Hard Art . She also gave herself and the world a reminder that she is one of the toughest drivers when it comes to pressure-packed situations .
“ Like my dad told me , you wear blinders on your helmet for a reason ,” Enders said . “ Pretend like it ’ s nobody over there . You just go up there and if you let the clutch out and you ’ re . 020 and you hit your shift points , they cannot beat you . That reinstalls the confidence in myself . Throughout my career , you learn to do that in certain situations . In other situations where it ’ s not as meaningful , you have to psych yourself out and make yourself get up for those . It works on both sides of the fence . That was huge for me personally and the entire organization at Elite .” DI
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