Gainesville: Erica Enders Friday summary

Enders enjoying first pro visit to Gainesville Raceway

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The good news is that Erica Enders learns something about her Cagnazzi Racing Chevy Cavalier everyday.

The bad news is that the 21-year-old Pro Stock rookie isn't qualified for the NHRA Gatornationals--yet. But she has two more qualifying attempts on Saturday and she's ready for both opportunities.

Enders' best run of the day was a 7.313-second pass at 152.95 mph.

"We were just trying some news things on the car and some things worked well and some things didn't," Enders said. "On the second pass, the car was moving to the right and I was trying to bring it back but as soon as I hit fourth gear, I knew it wasn't working, so I had to get out of the run.

"This team isn't going to lose any sleep tonight because we know we have two more qualifying sessions on Saturday and we'll be ready. One of the things I like most about this team is our ability to stay positive and work hard for better results."

The positive attitude may have been contagious. Enders was one of several NHRA drivers that were able to make a visit to the Shand's children's clinic in Gainesville on Thursday. The drivers handed out gifts, took photos and signed autographs during the afternoon visit that was organized with General Motors and Shand's Hospital.

"We met some amazing kids at Shand's and I'm real happy I wore my green St. Patrick's Day stickers so I didn't get pinched," Enders said. "We had so much fun with those kids and I'm glad I was able to hang out with them for a while. Their smiles have already made this trip a big success."

Qualifying continues Saturday with pro sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are set for 11 a.m. on Sunday. ESPN2 will air coverage of qualifying on March 20 at 12:30 a.m. (ET) and final eliminations at 5 p.m. (ET) Sunday.