The Miracle on Ice. The Drive. The Catch. The Guarantee.

All are iconic moments in sports history that will live on forever as examples of great individual and team success helping propel even the biggest of underdogs to championship glory.

Perhaps, one day, we can add the “11-minute engine swap” to that list as well.

While not a championship defining moment – yet – the frantic and darn near impossible-to-believe engine change made by the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team during the O’Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway was one of those moments that could, down the road, stand out as a defining moment in the attempted back-to-back championship run of ace driver Erica Enders-Stevens.

“The motor change going into the semifinals in Houston was probably one of the most amazing experiences in my professional career,” an elated Enders-Stevens said. “That environment in our pit, I can’t wait until people see the footage of it. It was absolutely incredible.”

And incredible it was.

Following a second-round victory over Vincent Nobile, the Elite Motorsports team, headed by team boss Richard Freeman and crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones, returned to the pits preparing to face Johnathan Gray in the semifinals.

Like any other between-round session, the team went to work preparing the car in a live television-shortened session brought about by the ESPN 2 broadcast. But with 15 minutes remaining, the team found something wrong with the car and was forced to into one of those “test your mettle” moments that all professional teams eventually must face.

And in the face of adversity, the team answered the call and managed a miraculous 11-minute engine swap that saved the round and, eventually, led to Enders-Stevens collecting her second consecutive Wally.

“There was 15 minutes left before we had to be in the water for live TV. We just manned up. Everybody threw in on the racecar,” Enders-Stevens said. “Drew Skillman’s guys got an engine out of the trailer, took the intake manifolds and carburetors, while my guys drained the water, and disconnected the motor in my car. There was one moment prior to deciding what we were going to do that one person said, ‘I don’t know if we have time,’ but I’m like ‘we have got to try.’

“That was it. Everybody pulled their weight, pulled together. Not only did they get the job done, but they got it done with zero mistakes. It was just such a cool environment to be in.

“Over the years I heard champions like Bob Glidden, Greg Anderson, Jason Line, Allen Johnson say, ‘you have got to learn how to win.’ This is one of those moments. We were able to get it done.”

Following the engine change, Enders-Stevens didn’t miss a beat, putting together a 6.570-second run at 211.03 mph to defeat Gray. Enders-Stevens would eventually win the event, her second in a row, with a victory over Chris McGaha.

While not a championship-defining moment just yet, as the season progresses, who knows what this moment will mean in the team’s hunt for a second Pro Stock championship. All Enders-Stevens knows, is that this moment reaffirmed to her what she knew all along – that this team can truly accomplish anything.

“I have all the faith in the world in my guys. I know that we all want it very, very badly and that everybody is trying their hardest every time we go up there,” Enders-Stevens said.

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