There was nothing easy about Tanner Gray’s win on Sunday.

Dodging rain showers throughout the weekend leading to just one hit at the track over the first two days of racing, Gray and the rest of the Pro Stock drivers were left playing a guessing game on a brand new surface, on a green race track, on a strip that was, at times, 60 degrees cooler than at their previous race in Bristol.

And at the end of the day, Gray and his Gray Motorsports team adjusted best to the challenging conditions and came out on top Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

“I didn’t know if we would ever get here with the way this (weekend) started out. All of the guys at the engine shop, all of the guys that work on this car dug deep down and have put together a very good racecar for me. I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Gray, who collected his Pro Stock-leading third win of the season on Sunday. “We have tested and we have worked our butts off to get to where we are at and it is finally paying off. I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity to come out here and race.

“It speaks volumes for what our guys do over there. Having one hit at a track that just got resurfaced, not really knowing what it is going to throw at you, is pretty big. I can’t complain sitting here in the winner’s circle at the end of the day.”

Gray defeated Erica Enders in the finals on Sunday, posting a holeshot in one of the closest races of the day. Gray left first in his Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro with a .008 light and recorded a 6.615-second pass at 209.62 mph, overcoming Enders’ 6.608 at 208.30 mph.

It was the third time this season that Gray and Enders have met in a final round, with Gray taking the advantage over the Elite Motorsports driver 2-1.

“I felt pretty relaxed going into the final. Final rounds for me, for whatever reason, are always very relaxing,” Gray said. “I had a great racecar, but to be honest I didn’t expect them to run a 60. It kind of blows me away that they ran a 60. That is an awesome run on this track. I figured she would run a 63 or a 64 and all I really needed was to be in the 20s and I had the thing in the bag.

“I went up there and hit the tree and felt like I killed it when I went across. I looked out there in high gear and she wasn’t even in the window which was pretty awesome. She just missed it. That is the only thing I know how to say.

“I felt like I had, not struggled, but been missing it compared to where I should have been the first three rounds. I felt like there was more there and that is what I kept telling Dave (Connolly). I was missing it about a hundredth and right there I finally stepped up.

“Erica and I always step up against each other when we race for whatever reason. I just seem to get up a little more on the wheel against her and I think it showed. The thing I am most proud of is the racecar I have right now and the hard work those guys have put into it. That is the reason I am here.”

Gray added wins over Chris McGaha, Matt Hartford and Drew Skillman to reach his 11th career final round in only 36 races, recording his eighth win in the process.

After easy wins over McGaha and Hartford in the opening rounds, a potentially challenging semifinal matchup with Skillman was cut short when Skillman went red by -.107. Gray, meanwhile, was consistent throughout the afternoon with passes of 6.608, 6.600 and 6.610.

Enders had wins over Alex Laughlin, Jeg Coughllin and Bo Butner to reach her fifth final of the season.

“Everybody from Valvoline, Chevy, I can’t thank them all enough,” Gray said. “It is definitely a huge accomplishment. We struggled a lot at the beginning of the season and did a lot of testing and, from over there, we couldn’t really see where the hard work was because the results weren’t showing. It feels good to finally turn the corner and be able to see the hard work pay off. Davey works his butt off on the car and so do all of the guys over there. It is finally starting to make good, consistent runs and it is showing the same thing every run.”

With the win, Gray also took over the points lead after previous leader Greg Anderson, who had his lowest seeding of the season in the one and only qualifying session for the class, was eliminated in round one by Skillman. Skillman eliminated Anderson on a holeshot - a 6.607 to a 6.603.

“That is cool when you are leading the points, but at the end of the day, you know it is still early,” Gray said. “I don’t want to peak too soon. I just have to keep the momentum rolling and my goal is to be top three going into the Countdown. If we can stay up there like that and do what we need to do that shouldn’t be a problem for us.”