NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS: ELITE MOTORSPORTS EVENT PREVIEW

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2026) — As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into World Wide Technology Raceway for the 13th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, Elite Motorsports arrives at a pivotal juncture in the season. Serving as race three of three back-to-back events, St. Louis officially marks the midway point of the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship—and Elite Motorsports is aiming for a clean sweep to kick off the postseason.

The team’s dominant stretch began at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, where Troy Coughlin Jr. snapped a 41-race win drought at the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals. Troy Jr. and the midnight JEGS team put together a pristine race day, capped off by outrunning Matt Hartford in the final round for his sixth career Pro Stock victory.

“I love the history of drag racing, it’s something that’s in my blood and I couldn’t be prouder to be racing with this Elite Motorsports team,” Troy Jr. said. “Everybody at Elite Motorsports, from top to bottom, they work extremely hard. They work themselves to exhaustion to give us the best that they can and be the best individuals they can be, and it bleeds into the driver seat. My job is to stay staged shallow, let the clutch out, bang for the gears, keep her in the pipes, and just really stay within my side of the fence. I’m really, really lucky. I’m probably the luckiest driver here to have such a wonderful group of guys working on the JEGS machine.”

Building on Troy Jr.’s victory, veteran driver Greg Stanfield and his Janac Brothers Racing team kept the momentum rolling in Rockingham, North Carolina. Stanfield put together a clutch performance at Rockingham Dragway, taking down Cody Anderson on a holeshot in the final round to capture the event win, his second of the season, and take over the Pro Stock points lead.

“Anybody can win in this class right now. It is incredible how tight it is, so the points battle is going to go all the way to the end. It’s going to come down to who makes a good run at the right time,” Stanfield said. “If we can just keep surviving and try to close out when we should it’s going to be a good end of the year.”

The win carried double significance: it marked Stanfield’s fourth career victory in the Countdown to the Championship, tying him with his son and Elite teammate, Aaron Stanfield, for the seventh-most Countdown wins in Pro Stock history.

“Anytime you can hold a Wally, it’s a great day, you know, especially against all the tough competitors we have in the class. I’m blessed to be here, thankful to be here, and humbled to be here, doing what I get to do the way that we get to do it,” Stanfield said. “Back in the day we did it all ourselves, now, with Elite, I can just really try to focus on my part behind the wheel and I’m not trying to crew chief it myself, build the engines, drive the car, and drive the truck from race to race. It’s nice not having to worry about what the next call is. I’m enjoying it. I love racing with Aaron, so, I’m having a blast.”

With Stanfield holding the top spot in points and the entire team riding a two-race winning streak, Elite Motorsports enters World Wide Technology Raceway with a single target in sight: finishing off a sweep of the Countdown’s opening swing and solidifying their lead as the championship race heats up.

Noteworthy:

• Erica Enders is the winningest professional driver, past or present, at World Wide Technology Raceway. She is looking to tally victory No. 7 in her JHG / Melling / R+L Carriers Pro Stock machine. She previously won in 2022–2019, 2013, 2012.
• Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be racing for his third victory in St. Louis and a chance to snap a 35-race winless streak with his JEGS team. His wins at the Midwest Nationals came in 2009 and 2002.

Competition at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for 10:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins with qualifying shows Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will air Sunday on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) at either 2 or 2:30 p.m. ET (check your local listings).