CONCORD, N.C. (September 20, 2023) – The Elite Motorsports team is looking forward to the second race of the Countdown to the Championships, the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, just outside of Charlotte. Not only will the eight Elite Motorsports Pro Stock entries be taking to the track in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, but two Mountain Motor Pro Stock machines piloted by Erica Enders and Richard Freeman will compete as well. Not to mention, David Cuadra in Top Sportsman.
After securing the top three qualifying positions last weekend in Reading, Pa., Elite Motorsports, the largest professional team in drag racing, aims to continue making big moves in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s version of the playoffs.
Reigning five-time Pro Stock world champion Enders had a phenomenal performance in qualifying, She was the low qualifier of all but one qualifying round, gaining her valuable bonus points. Troy Coughlin Jr. also had a solid qualifying performance and was the low qualifier of the one round that Enders did not get. Both talented drivers moved up a position in points. Enders was the No. 1 qualifier at this event last year and she’s won the event two times. After a few setbacks earlier in the season, the fan-favorite driver is more motivated than ever to land her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Camaro in the winners circle again.
The Pro Stock field is packed with heavy hitters and the competition is ferocious. Aaron Stanfield won the fall race at zMAX last year and he’s looking for his first win of the season. He’s gaining consistency and valuable momentum coming into this event. As is his Elite Motorsports teammate Bo Butner.
Having made the fastest pass of his career during qualifying last week in Reading, Jerry Tucker is turning up the heat at the right time. The Pro Stock rookie laid down a stout run of 6.535 seconds at 210.14 mph and he’s eager to ride that momentum into this week’s event in Charlotte. While this may be his first season in Pro Stock, his performance in his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro keeps getting better, not unlike his teammates, The Cuadra Boys.
Fernando Cuadra Sr. made consistently smooth runs throughout qualifying in Reading, each pass faster than the last. His sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian, are also finding more speed and consistency. In the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, David Cuadra is coming off of a No. 1 qualifier and looks to amp things up this weekend.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 22, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 24. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and then eliminations on FS1 at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Erica Enders
“Our goal is to come into the Countdown with as much momentum as possible. After qualifying No. 1 and having the car to beat, the semifinals in Reading showed cards we couldn’t have seen coming. But the end goal is still intact. We’ve moved from 15th to second in the championship points and that’s nothing to hang our heads about. That said, we know we left something on the table there and we are ready to redeem that in Charlotte. My guys have been working so hard to give us the best and I will do nothing less than the same for them. Charlotte is a big race for us and our sponsors. We would love nothing more than to show them what Elite Motorsports is all about – getting it done when it matters. As I always say, my money is on us.”
Aaron Stanfield
“We made some decent runs last week in Reading and ended up qualifying third, so we know that we are headed in the right direction. Those bonus points add up and we will certainly take all we can get. I won this event last year and we will do everything we can to get this Janac Bros. / Melling Engine Parts / J3 Energy Camaro back in the winners circle this weekend. I’m glad that we are moving on to another race without a week off because we won’t have time to overthink things or lose any momentum. This category is so competitive right now, I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
Troy Coughlin Jr.
“My goal as a driver is to stay focused on the process it takes to make the best runs I can and get up on the wheel every single run regardless of what round or session. We want to get all we can out there!”
Bo Butner
“We made some moves in the right direction in Reading, and our JHG Chevy has shown a little bit of what we hope it’s capable of. For this team, seeing a win light on Sunday feels like winning the race, but we really want the trophy in Pro Stock. We like racing in Charlotte, and we haven’t won there yet in any class. I think we can change that this weekend. To win during the Countdown would be awesome. We aren’t really in the championship chase this time around, but we think we have a car that can win at least one race if everything goes in our direction. I’d like to cross this one off the bucket list.”
Fernando Cuadra Sr.
“Every pass we made last weekend in qualifying was an improvement on the run before. That’s very encouraging! We have a consistent car that’s getting faster. And this is the time we need to boost our performance so we are excited to visit zMAX this weekend!”
Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“We’ve learned a lot about this Camaro over the past few weeks and I think we have found a good combination. My goal is to have solid passes in all rounds of qualifying so we can utlize that data for our performance in eliminations. As a driver, I’ve got to do my best to be consistent as well, nailing the tree and my shift points to maximize all of the hard work that this team puts into creating a fast hot rod.”
Cristian Cuadra
“The competition in Pro Stock right now is so crazy, I don’t think I know the right words to describe it! It’s really exciting to see, but I have some big goals for this season and that includes finishing better than where we finished last year. I believe we have the right team and the right car to get there. We are determined, persistent and we are becoming more consistent. This is going to be a great weekend!”
Jerry Tucker
“We’ve started to gain some momentum and it feels good! I made the quickest two passes of my career last weekend at Maple Grove. The only problem is, everyone else is picking up the pace at the same time. The competition is really intense right now. So I’m just going to focus on my performance behind the wheel of this hot rod I’m lucky enough to get to drive. The Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer team has been working so hard to get to this place and I want to do my best to make them proud out there.”
Pre-Race Notes
Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
Maple Grove Raceway
Reading, Pa. (Sept. 15-17)
The Elite Motorsports team, the largest team in professional drag racing, has expanded for 2023 and will field a total of eight entries for this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.
At this event, the Elite Pro Stock team will feature eight Pro Stock drivers including reigning and five-time world champion Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian, as well as newcomer Jerry Tucker.
During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 45 wins in 76 final rounds and has a round-win record of 455-250 for a .645 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 46 national event victories.
Enders won two events this season in Bristol and Topeka. She defeated Deric Kramer in the Bristol final and more recently, topped Greg Anderson in Topeka. She currently has a 16-10 record in elimination rounds this season.
The Reading event marks the start of the Countdown to the Championship and all eight Elite Pro Stock drivers are eligible to win the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock title. Enders is ranked No. 3 and is just 32 points behind leader Dallas Glenn and 7 points behind No. 2 Matt Hartford.
Enders has won at least one Pro Stock event at 17 different NHRA venues including Maple Grove Raceway. She is the defending event champion, having defeated teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in the finals last year. Enders was also a Reading finalist in 2021, giving her a round-win record of 7-1 over the last two seasons.
Enders currently holds both the elapsed time and speed records for the NHRA Pro Stock class with bests of 6.450-seconds and 215.55 mph. The elapsed time record was set at the 2022 Gatornationals.
If Enders wins one more event this season, she will surpass three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey as the sport’s winningest female driver. Sampey currently has 46 wins while Enders has 45 professional wins and one sportsman win, tying her with Sampey.
Troy Coughlin Jr., the driver of the JEGS / White Castle Chevrolet Camaro, heads to Reading as the No. 4 ranked driver in the championship points standings after posting wins at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals in Denver to go with a runner-up at the Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. Coughlin has a 16-10 record in elimination rounds this season. He is just 41 points out of first place.
Earlier this season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix, Coughlin became the first winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. He defeated Greg Anderson in the final with an elapsed time of 6.57, compared to Anderson’s 6.60, to capture the inaugural event victory.
In addition to his four career Pro Stock victories, the multi-faceted Coughlin has additional wins in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp and Super Gas. He captured back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster titles in Reading in 2018 and 2019.
Coughlin’s father, Troy Sr., is a 15-time national event winner in Pro Stock, Pro Mod and Super Gas. Including his uncles, John, Mike, and Jeg Jr., the Coughlin family has combined to win 133 national event titles.
Coughlin’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.515-seconds and 212.29 mph, set earlier this year at the season opener in Gainesville.
Aaron Stanfield has also returned to the Elite team for another season behind the wheel of the Janac Bros / Melling Engine Parts / JC3 Energy Camaro. Stanfield, the son of five-time Super Stock world champ Greg Stanfield, is coming off a season where he was the third-ranked driver in Pro Stock.
So far this season, Stanfield has four semifinal and six quarterfinal finishes to his credit and he’s the No. 6 ranked driver in the class, 60 points out of the lead. Stanfield has also qualified a season-best of No. 2 at the race in Bristol.
Stanfield was recently named the overall season Pro Stock winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge, a specialty event that featured a rematch between the semifinalists from the previous event.
Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown class in 2020 and 2021, and he is the current championship leader in that class, which will be contested at Maple Grove Raceway.
All told Stanfield has 22 career wins in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, Super Stock, and Top Dragster.
Stanfield’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.457-seconds and 213.47 mph, both set in Gainesville 2022.
Bo Butner is a two-time NHRA world champion in Pro Stock (2017) and Comp Eliminator (2006). He joined the Elite team last season as the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro.
Earlier this season in Phoenix, Butner drove to a runner-up finish in Pro Stock, reaching the final for the first time since the 2019 Richmond event. Butner defeated Erica Enders, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Kyle Koretsky to reach his 26th career Pro Stock final.
Two weeks ago, Butner won his 30th national event title when he claimed the Super Gas victory at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. Butner also won the Super Gas title at Indy in 2022 and won again in Reading, so he enters this event as the defending champion.
Butner has 30 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street. Additionally, Butner has enjoyed success as a big-money bracket racer with a victory at the K&N Spring Fling Million in Las Vegas in 2021.
Butner has won at least one national event title at 14 different venues including Maple Grove Raceway. He won the Super Gas title last year and also won in Pro Stock in 2017, defeating Greg Anderson in the final.
Butner’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.475-seconds and 214.28 mph, set in Dallas (2015) and Gainesville (2017), respectively.
The Cuadra family includes Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian. The Cuadra family is backed by Corral Handcrafted Boots and will continue to race.
Fernando Sr. and Cristian will continue to race Ford Mustangs under the Elite banner while Fernando Jr. recently made the switch to a Chevy Camaro. Fernando Jr. is driving an Elite entry previously raced by five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final-round appearances at the 2019 races in Reading and Pomona.
Fernando Jr. enters Reading on a high note after racing to the final round of the prestigious U.S. Nationals two weeks ago. Cuadra Jr. is the sport’s No. 12 ranked Pro Stock driver and enters the Countdown 128 points behind the leader.
Cristian Cuadra was also the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 four-wide event in Las Vegas and he was a semifinalist earlier this year at the Bristol race. He comes into this weekend as the No. 10 ranked driver in Pro Stock, facing a 108-point deficit.
Earlier this season in Phoenix, Cristian Cuadra became the first Mexican-born NHRA racer to qualify No. 1 in a pro category when he drove his Elite-powered Corral Handcrafted Boots Mustang to a 6.552 pass. C. Cuadra is one of just 11 non-U.S.-born drivers to qualify No. 1 in a professional NHRA class and the only one to accomplish the feat in Pro Stock.
The third Cuadra brother, David, will be racing in the Right Trailers Top Sportsman class this weekend in his new Mustang. David has raced in both Pro Stock and Top Sportsman this season. He made his Pro Stock debut in Charlotte and also competed in Chicago, Bristol, Topeka, and Brainerd.
The Cuadra family has career-best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.), 6.527 (Cristian) and 6.578 (David). Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), 210.73 (Fernando Jr.) and 209.39 (David).
New to the Elite Pro Stock team this year is Jerry Tucker, who enjoyed a memorable debut in Gainesville. Tucker qualified his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer / Elite Motorsports Camaro in the No. 15 spot with a 6.573 and won the first round after teammate Enders encountered a mechanical issue. Tucker has a semifinal finish from Chicago and is No. 12 in the standings, just 138 points out of the lead.
Tucker, of Lindsay, Okla., has spent the last 30 years racing everything from Sprint cars to Midgets and has also enjoyed success in drag racing. Tucker previously raced in the Top Sportsman class. Tucker is one of the leading contenders for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award.
Collectively, the eight current team Elite drivers have combined to win 109 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 67 in the Pro Stock class.