READING, PA – The Elite Motorsports team will field seven Pro Stock entries during this week’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa. The Elite team is the largest in professional drag racing and features Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner Racing, Fernando Cuadra and his two sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian. This week’s event in Reading marks the opening of the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoff to determine season champions. All seven Elite cars are in contention for the championship. Four-time world champion Enders is the leader followed by Stanfield (2), Coughlin (6), Cuadra Jr. (10), Butner (11), C. Cuadra (13), Cuadra Sr. (15). There have been 13 Pro Stock events so far this season and Team Elite has won 10 of them. Enders has six victories while Stanfield and Coughlin each have two. Elite cars have also appeared in 18 of 26 possible final rounds.
Four-time champion Enders is off to the best start of her career with six victories in eight final rounds during the regular season in her Melling Performance Parts / Elite Motorsports #Camaro. With a record of 34-7 during eliminations, Enders has the highest winning percentage (.829) of any NHRA pro this season. The Reading event is one of the few that Enders has yet to win although she was a runner-up at last year’s race. Maple Grove Raceway is one of just five current tracks where Enders has yet to win. During her professional career, Enders has competed in 328 races and has 39 victories in 69 final rounds. Her overall win- loss record is 418-238. Enders currently holds both the elapsed time and speed record for the NHRA Pro Stock class with best of 6.450-seconds and 215.55 mph.
Stanfield, driver of the Janac Bros / JC3 Energy Service, LLC. Camaro, finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed behind Enders thanks largely to victories in Phoenix and Bristol and four runner-up finishes in Pomona, Epping, Norwalk, and Denver. Stanfield has a record of 27-11 this season and six of those losses have come against teammate Enders. Stanfield has won six Pro Stock events in 12 career final rounds. He is also a two-time world champion in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. All told, Stanfield has 19 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 this year in Gainesville.
Troy Coughlin Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Camaro, finished the regular season as the No. 6 ranked Pro Stock driver. Coughlin recently scored his first professional wins with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka. JEGS Performance In addition to his two Pro Stock victories this year, the multi-faceted Coughlin has additional wins in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp, and Super Gas. He won back-to-back titles in in Reading in the Top Alcohol Dragster class in 2018-19. 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 130 national event titles. Coughlin’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.521-seconds and 211.93 mph, set this year in Sonoma and Gainesville, respectively.
Bo Butner is a two-time NHRA world champion in Pro Stock (2017) and Comp Eliminator (2006). He joined the Elite team this season driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. So far in 2022, Butner has a record of 7-13 in Pro Stock competition. He finished the regular season as the No. 10 ranked driver in the class. Butner has 28 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street. Recently, Butner won the 2022 U.S. Nationals title in Super Gas. 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 including Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian, joined Elite Motorsports this season with their three-car Corral Boots team. Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final round appearances at the 2019 races in Reading and Pomona. Cristian Cuadra was also the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. All three Cuadra entries will contend for the Camping World NHRA Pro Stock title during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Cuadra The Cuadra family has career best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.) and 6.528 (Cristian) all of them recorded at the 2022 Gainesville event. Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), and 210.73 (Fernando Jr.).
Collectively, the seven team Elite drivers have combined to win 97 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 58 in the Pro Stock class.
