LAS VEGAS (October 25, 2023) – After securing a milestone win at the most recent NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event in Dallas, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team plans to parlay that positive momentum into further success this weekend at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Not only is Pro Stock star Erica Enders leading the points in the Countdown to the Championship, but Pro Stock legend Jeg Coughlin Jr. is coming out of retirement to race for the Elite Fleet, adding even more excitement to the fiercely competitive Pro Stock field as they enter the penultimate event of the season.
Reigning five-time world champion Enders became the Winningest Woman in Motorsports two weeks ago as she clinched her second consecutive victory at the NHRA Texas FallNationals, furthering her points lead in the process. This year has been full of peaks and valleys for the fan-favorite driver and her comeback story has the entire drag racing community talking. Enders has more wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway than any other professional driver, so it’s no wonder that this is one of her favorite stops on the tour.
Jeg Jr.’s return to Pro Stock under the SCAG Power Equipment banner has also been a hot topic in drag racing news. The talented five-time Pro Stock world champion made several test passes in the new RJ Race Cars Pro Stock Camaro earlier this week in Tulsa and everything went well which means that fans will be in for a treat when he takes to the track. His nephew, Troy Coughlin Jr., is entering the competition this weekend from the No. 6 position in the points standings. Although he experienced a smoke-filled cockpit due to an engine issue during eliminations in Dallas, Troy Jr. tested alongside Jeg Jr. and all systems were a go in his JEGS.com Camaro.
Elite Motorsports standout Aaron Stanfield has been improving as of late and he knows that his Janac Bros. / Melling Engine Parts Camaro has what it takes to make a great performance in Las Vegas. He is also close to clinching his third consecutive world championship in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown category. Stanfield’s teammate Bo Butner knows what it takes to win in Las Vegas as he’s managed to earn victories at this legendary facility across several categories including two wins in Pro Stock. His Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro has been performing well and he’s eager to advance the powerful machine into the Top Ten. Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage recently launched a new website at www.jhgarage.com featuring merchandise and additional company info.
Pro Stock rookie Jerry Tucker is making huge strides in his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro. In Texas, the talented driver raced to a personal best elapsed time and put down the fastest mph of any Pro Stock driver all season long, a scorching 213.09 mph.
The Cuadra Boys, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian are still looking for the first Pro Stock win in their fleet of Corral Boots vehicles. C. Cuadra is currently No. 10 in the points and he’s focusing all of his energy on finishing the season on a high note. F. Cuadra Sr. will return to his black Corral Boots Mustang this weekend. David Cuadra recently secured his first national event win in the Top Sportsman category and they are eager to duplicate his success to bring a professional win to their home in Leon, Mexico.
Mason Wright will be behind the wheel of the Elite Motorsports Pro Mod machine. This is the first year for the talented driver to compete in Pro Mod and his confidence in piloting this powerful vehicle is growing with every pass. He’s looking forward to a strong performance this weekend.
Racing action will begin on Friday, October 27 with two qualifying passes at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Pacific, and two additional rounds of qualifying on Saturday, October 28 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 11:00 a.m. Pacific on Sunday, October 29.
Erica Enders
“It’s hard to believe that the season is coming to a close already. On the heels of our career-best year in 2022, this season didn’t necessarily start the way we wanted. To come from the bottom of the heap and rise to the top with the odds stacked against us? That’s the stuff that dreams are made of! I could not be more proud of my group’s tenacity and don’t-stop attitude through our struggles. We have made an incredible comeback and we aren’t done yet. Vegas has been very good to us in the past with nine previous wins and we hope to add another one this weekend. We just have to keep our heads down and go to work, one round at a time. We have been in this position before and I’m thankful for our past experiences that will help us to execute as perfectly as possible.”
Aaron Stanfield
“While consistency is good and it’s helped us maintain a solid position in the points, this team is bound and determined to get a win this weekend! My guys have worked tirelessly and I know we’ve got a car that can get the job done. It would be awesome to shake up the standings in a big way in a city that does everything big. Can’t wait to hit the track!”
Troy Coughlin Jr.
“Team Yellow absolutely thrashed to get this JEGS.com Elite machine ready for Vegas! Their hard work is impressive and I want to do my job behind the wheel. We had a great test at Tulsa with Uncle Jeg and we’re going to stay focused on the task of making awesome laps!”
Bo Butner
“We love this racetrack, and really, we just love this place. Las Vegas is where we doubled in 2012 (Comp and Stock Eliminator), and we’ve got a few other wins here, but what we think about most this time around is that Randi Lyn and I got married in Las Vegas last year. It was a week we won’t ever forget, and being able to do well here this weekend, especially with the JHG Pro Stocker, would just be the icing on the cake. It’s important for us to make some big moves if we want to finish in the top 10 in Pro Stock, so that’s where a lot of our focus will be. We won this race in 2018, then we won the Spring Vegas race in 2019. We know how to win here, and this would be a very good time to do it again.”
Jerry Tucker
“After running the best mph of the season in Dallas, I feel like everything is coming together at the right time. Qualifying in the top half of one of the fastest fields in Pro Stock history gave us a big confidence boost. This Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro is bad to the bone and we are ready to turn on some win lights in front of the fans in Vegas!”
Jeg Coughlin Jr.
“It’s an honor to be pulled out of the “dugout” to test and run Erica’s new car for these last two races of the season. It’s been a quick three-year hiatus and I was amazed at how Richard, Mark and the entire Elite team were able to make this happen and pull it off so smoothly. I haven’t missed many runs the team has made in that time and also look forward to racing again with Troy Jr, Erica, Aaron and with new teammates in the Cuadra family, Bo and Jerry Tucker.”
Fernando Cuadra Sr.
“We continue to learn new things out there and we are excited to compete in front of the fans in Las Vegas. It’s going to be a great event!”
Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“After reaching a new career-best elapsed time in Dallas, we are all excited to race in Las Vegas. This track has been good to my family over the years. It was the first race my dad ever qualified at back in 2004 and it’s the setting for Cristian’s first final round. We love it here and I’m confident that we can turn on some win lights this weekend.”
Cristian Cuadra
“The Pro Stock category is so competitive right now. Our Corral Boots team is doing everything we can to remain in the Top Ten. I raced to my first final event in Las Vegas so this track is really special to me. I can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans!”
Pre-Race Notes
NHRA Nevada Nationals
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas (October 26-29)
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 Nevada Nationals in Las Vegas
At this event, the Elite Pro Stock team will feature nine 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 mark the return of five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
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 Troy Jr. 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, Peoplease and Mark Stockseth.
At the most recent NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event in Dallas, Enders made history with her 47th career victory, making her the winningest female driver in NHRA history. She had previously been tied with three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Angelle Sampey.
Enders defeated Dallas Glenn in the Dallas final to extend her lead in the Countdown to the Championship points standings to 85 points over rival Greg Anderson and 93 points over Glenn.
During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 46 wins in 77 final rounds and has a round-win record of 465-253 for a .648 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 47 national event victories.
Enders won three events so far this season in Bristol, Topeka and Dallas. She defeated Deric Kramer in the Bristol final and topped Greg Anderson in Topeka. She currently has a 26-13 record in elimination rounds this season.
Enders has won at least one Pro Stock event at 17 different NHRA venues including The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Enders is the defending event champion, having defeated Troy Coughlin Jr. in last year’s final. Statistically, Las Vegas is Enders’s best track as she has 10 overall victories at this facility. In addition to Fall wins in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020 and 2022, she’s won the track’s Spring event in 2014, 2015, 2021 and 2022.
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.
Recently, the Elite team announced the return of five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. for the final two events of the 2023 season. Jeg Jr. will be driving an RJ Race Cars Camaro branded with the colors of SCAG Power Equipment.
Jeg Jr. is easily one of the sport’s all-time greats with 84 career wins including 65 in Pro Stock. He elected to take a break from the sport following the shortened 2020 season. He has competed in 457 Pro Stock events with 65 wins in 115 final rounds. He has also been the low qualifier 34 times and has a round-win record of 689-376 (.647 average).
Jeg Jr. has also been successful in Las Vegas with six wins including five in Pro Stock. He won in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, and also won the Super Comp title in 2012.
Following an impressive fourth-place finish in 2022, Troy Coughlin Jr. is enjoying similar success in his fourth full season behind the wheel of the familiar yellow and black JEGS.com Camaro. Troy Jr. 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.
Troy Jr. heads to Las Vegas as the No. 6 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. Troy Jr., a semifinalist in Dallas, has a 20-14 record in elimination rounds this season. He is just 145 points out of first place.
Earlier this season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix, Troy Jr. 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 Troy Coughlin Jr. has additional wins in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp and Super Gas.
Troy Jr.’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.
Troy Jr.’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.476-seconds and 212.56 mph, set at the last event in Dallas.
Aaron Stanfield has also returned to the Elite team for another season behind the wheel of the Janac Bros / Melling Engine Parts 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.
Stanfield went to the final round at the recent race in St. Louis and he has five semifinal finishes to his credit this year. He’s currently the No. 5 ranked driver in the class, 73 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. Stanfield currently has a 79-point lead over Stephen Bell in the Factory Stock standings and is likely to win his third title this weekend.
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 Camaro.
Last season, Butner drove to a ninth-place finish in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series standings. He enters the Las Vegas 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 including The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has six wins. Butner won Pro Stock titles in Las Vegas in 2018 and 2019. He also has wins in Comp (2001, 2007, 2012) and Stock (2012).
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.
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.
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 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 6.500 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.), 6.500 (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. At the last event in Dallas, Tucker qualified a season-high No. 4 and also set career bests with an elapsed time of 6.486 seconds and a speed of 213.09 mph.
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 team Elite drivers racing in Las Vegas have combined to win 112 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 68 in the Pro Stock class. Adding the return of Jeg Jr., those numbers swell to 196 wins including 133 in Pro Stock.
Mason Wright will be in action this weekend in the FuelTech Pro Mod presented by Type A Motorsports series. Wright has qualified solidly at several events this season and successfully returned from an on-track incident 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.