MADISON, Ill. (September 27, 2023) – Things are clicking at the right time for the talented drivers of Elite Motorsports, the largest professional team in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. They have their sights set on turning on multiple win lights this weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, just outside of St. Louis. As the Elite fleet rolls into the “Gateway To The West” this weekend for the third race of the Countdown, anticipation levels are at an all-time high, which is great considering that these drivers work best under pressure.
This is a pinnacle event in the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s version of the playoffs and five-time world champion Erica Enders is only four points out from the lead as she returns to one of her winningest tracks on the circuit. The reigning world champion has six Wallys from this facility including victories from the past four consecutive events. In her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Camaro, Enders has secured pole positions at every Countdown race so far, gathering valuable bonus points along the way. Her next win will make her the winningest woman in professional motorsports, an honor she would love to celebrate with the fans at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Troy Coughlin Jr.’s JEGS / White Castle Camaro has been powerfully consistent and the talented driver is eager to make some big moves this weekend. His teammate Aaron Stanfield is right behind him, literally and figuratively, as the two are currently fifth and sixth in points, respectively. Both skilled drivers have consistent cars and fans should expect standout performances from each of them.
Fan-favorite driver Bo Butner will not only be piloting his gorgeous Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro at the NHRA Midwest Nationals but he will also be competing in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Butner made an impressive qualifying performance last week demonstrating that the horsepower is there to push things forward in St. Louis.
Pro Stock rookie Jerry Tucker is enjoying every minute of his first time in the Countdown to the Championship behind the wheel of his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro. After making some of the best passes of his burgeoning Pro Stock career two weeks ago in Reading, Pa., he’s feeling more confident with each run he makes.
The Cuadra Boys just celebrated their first family win as David Cuadra earned his first victory in the ultra-competitive Top Sportsman category last week in Charlotte. D. Cuadra was also the low qualifier of the event and he’s in a great position to ride that momentum into the winners circle again in St. Louis. His father, Fernando Cuadra Sr., and brothers, Fernando Jr. and Cristian, are determined to duplicate D. Cuadra’s success in the Pro Stock ranks. Their Corral Boots Pro Stock machines have been improving tremendously all season long.
In the FuelTech Pro Mod category, Mason Wright is returning to action at the helm of his Elite Motorsports Camaro. The talented driver looks forward to competing at World Wide Technology Raceway for the first time.
The entire Elite Motorsports team is making an appearance at the St. Louis Cardinals game on Saturday evening after they’ve finished qualifying for the day.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday, September 29, and the final two qualifying rounds on Saturday, September 30 at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CT on Sunday, October 1.
Erica Enders
“I’ve said it for years… everything changes in St. Louis. We are to the point of the season where things really start to shape up for championships. Right now, considering the start we had this year, we are in an amazing spot. There’s only one round separating the top three with me chasing Hartford and I love competing when our backs are against the wall. Our team has shown we have the horsepower with all of the qualifying points we’ve gained in the Countdown so far; we just need a little luck to put it together on race day. World Wide Technology Raceway is one of my most successful tracks (along with Las Vegas) and I’m confident we will handle business as necessary this weekend like we always do. I absolutely love this track and the fans. We can’t wait to put on a show. I’ll say it again – everything changes in St. Louis.”
Aaron Stanfield
“We are bound and determined to park this hot rod in the winners circle this weekend! This crew has been working so hard and I know we can get it done. World Wide Technology Raceway is a fantastic facility and the Pro Stock fans here are incredible. Looking forward to a fast weekend.”
Troy Coughlin Jr.
“Mark and the boys have this car running awesome. I need to stay focused on the process and get up on the wheel and drive it! My wife Brenna and daughter Aubrey are coming with me this weekend, and there’s nothing that fires me up more than them being with me!”
Bo Butner
“We qualified fourth in Charlotte, and we made a pretty good run. When you see moments like that, it gives you a good feeling. We know our JHG car has potential, and If everything works as it is supposed to work, we’ll qualify well again and maybe we’ll go some rounds on Sunday. That’s the goal. The other good thing is that Randi Lyn and I will be back in the Sportsman cars for St. Louis, both the national and the divisional the following weekend. We’re going to have some real good racing coming up, and you like to have it like that. You hope it gives you some momentum to end the season on a high note.”
Fernando Cuadra Sr.
“My son David won last weekend in Charlotte and I think that momentum is going to give us a big boost in St. Louis. Now we are all eager to get that first Pro Stock win for The Cuadra Boys!”
Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“I’m confident that this car has more performance and power in it than we’ve seen so far. We just need to remain focused and motivated. This team is fantastic and we all want a win so badly we can taste it. Especially after seeing my brother David win in Charlotte. He inspired me to remember what’s possible. I know we can get it done!”
Cristian Cuadra
“Now that my twin brother has won a Wally in the Lucas Oil series, I am more determined than ever to be the first in our family to bring home a Pro Stock victory. I feel really confident in the car – my team is working hard to give me a fast hot rod. If I can do my job on the starting line, I think we have a good chance of moving up in the Countdown.”
David Cuadra
“Winning my first national event still feels a little like a dream. Getting that first win just makes me more hungry for another one. I’ve got two consecutive No. 1 qualifiers, so hopefully this weekend I can make it two consecutive wins as well!”
Jerry Tucker
“Last weekend less than eight-hundredths of a second separated the top of the Pro Stock ladder from the bottom. The competition is intense, but I’ve been learning from the best. This Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro is more powerful and consistent than it’s ever been before. I think we’re going to go some rounds this weekend.”
Mason Wright
“It’s late in the season and we are still looking to go rounds and pushing for that first win! ”
Pre-Race Notes
NHRA Midwest Nationals
World Wide Technology Raceway
Madison, Ill. (Sept. 29 – Oct. 1)
The Elite Motorsports team, the largest team in professional drag racing, has expanded for 2023 and will field a total of 10 entries for this weekend’s NHRA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill., just outside of St. Louis.
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. The event will also feature the FuelTech Pro Mod class where Mason Wright will compete in his Elite-powered Chevrolet Camaro. David Cuadra will compete in Top Sportsman.
In the 19 Pro Stock events contested last season, Team Elite won 15 times and appeared in 26 out of 38 possible rounds. In addition to Enders’ 10 wins, Stanfield collected three victories while Coughlin earned his first two professional victories.
In 2022, Enders had the most dominant season of her career with ten wins in 13 final round appearances and an astounding 55-9 record in elimination rounds. This season, Enders’ impressive roster of supporters includes Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, Melling Performance, SCAG Power Equipment, PeopleLease and Mark Stockseth.
During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 45 wins in 76 final rounds and has a round-win record of 459-252 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 20-12 record in elimination rounds this season.
Enders reached the semifinals of last week’s event in Charlotte, and as a result, she’s currently second in the points standings, only four points behind the leader, Matt Hartford.
All eight Elite drivers are eligible to win the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock title. In addition to Enders, Coughlin is in fifth place and Stanfield is sixth, while C. Cuadra is tenth.
Enders has won at least one Pro Stock event at 17 different NHRA venues including World Wide Technology Raceway. She has six wins here including consecutive victories at the last four events. She has a 20-0 record in elimination rounds here since 2019. In the previous two seasons, Enders defeated Dallas Glenn in the final round.
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.
Following an impressive fourth-place finish in 2022, Troy Coughlin Jr. is in his fourth full season behind the wheel of the familiar yellow and black JEGS / White Castle Camaro. Coughlin enjoyed a breakout season last year with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka. He also went to final rounds in Phoenix, Reading and Las Vegas.
Coughlin heads to St. Louis as the No. 5 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, a semifinalist in Reading, has an 18-12 record in elimination rounds this season. He is just 64 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.
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 Service 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.
Last season, Stanfield collected victories in Phoenix, Bristol, and this fall event in Charlotte to go with four runner-up finishes in Pomona, Epping, Norwalk and Denver. Stanfield finished the season with a 38-16 record in elimination rounds.
So far this season, Stanfield has four semifinal and seven quarterfinal finishes to his credit and he’s the No. 6 ranked driver in the class, 85 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, following his most recent win at Maple Grove Raceway.
All told Stanfield has 23 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 / Jim Butner Auto Group / Summit Racing Equipment Camaro.
Last season, Butner drove to a ninth-place finish in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series standings. He enters this race as the No. 11 ranked driver.
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.
Butner recently 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.
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 but has yet to win at World Wide Technology Raceway. He had runner-up finishes at this facility in Super Stock in 2013 and Pro Stock in 2016.
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 the Cuadra brands.
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. raced to the final round of the prestigious U.S. Nationals last month. Cuadra Jr. is the sport’s No. 12 ranked Pro Stock driver.
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 146-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, recently claimed the first win for the family when he won the Right Trailers Top Sportsman title last week at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Charlotte. He will once again be competing in the Top Sportsman class this weekend.
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. 13 in the standings. Last week in Reading, Tucker made the quickest pass of his career when he went 6.535 at 210.14.
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.
Mason Wright will be in action this weekend in the FuelTech Pro Mod category presented by Type A Motorsports. Wright has qualified solidly at several events this season and successfully returned from an on-track incident earlier in Chicago.
Wright, of Odessa, Texas, is also a graduate of the Top Sportsman class. Justin Elkes of Modern Racing is Wright’s crew chief this season.
It was recently announced that Pro Mod will be a part of the NHRA on FOX Sports television broadcasts from each event.
Collectively, the nine current team Elite drivers have combined to win 109 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 67 in the Pro Stock class.