NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

BUY TICKETS

Lower seeds advance in E2 of Pro Mod at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

No. 16 seed Jose Gonzalez, alternate Erica Enders advance to Pro Mod semifinals in Bristol
16 Jun 2019
Jacob Sundstrom, NHRA National Dragster Associate Editor
Race coverage
Erica Enders

Erica Enders got a shot to race on Sunday as an alternate in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Services. She’s making the most of that opportunity and will race in the semifinals against Jose Gonzalez, the No. 16 qualifier. 

Enders took down Mike Castellana with a 5.92-second pass at 256.41-mph when the Frank Manzo-tuned car got loose past the 300-foot park. Castellana was forced to lift and Enders sped away to victory despite trailing through the early part of the track. Castellana grabbed an advantage of a hundredth of a second at the Christmas Tree, but it didn’t matter when his Pro Mod broke the tires loose. 

She’ll race Gonzalez, who hung on for a victory against Brandon Snider after getting off the starting line second. Gonzalez made a straight, true run while Snider began to drift towards the center line almost immediately after leaving the starting line. Snider hung with it but ran a 5.932 and was put on the trailer by Gonzalez. 

Sidnei Frigo beat Pro Mod leader Stevie “Fast” Jackson in the closest race of the round. Jackson grabbed a hundred off the starting line but that wasn’t enough at the stripe against the Brazilian. Frigo turned on the win light by .016-second and will race Bob Rahaim, who defeated Khalid AlBalooshi in the second round of action. 

AlBalooshi also left first but crossed the centerline before getting out of the throttle. Rahaim sped away to a 5.903 to reach the semifinals. He will not have lane choice against Frigo but will have a chance to reach the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals final. 

You can catch all the action live on NHRA.tv.