JOLIET, Ill. (May 18, 2023) – Whilst there may have been a two-week break in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, there was no rest for Elite Motorsports as the largest professional team in drag racing worked nonstop to improve performance in all areas of its robust racing program.
To prepare for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, the team utilized an AVL system to monitor engine behavior in real-time during testing. The system provided additional data that will contribute to tuning decisions made at the track. Armed with this additional information, the Elite Pro Stock fleet is primed for competition at the iconic Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago. The series returns to traditional side-by-side racing after having completed back-to-back four-wide races.
This race will be a pinnacle event this season as four Elite Motorsports Pro Stock drivers will compete in the Pro Stock All-Star Callout, a race-within-a-race that will take place during qualifying on Saturday. Current Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders will compete in the Callout with her teammates Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Cristian Cuadra. Additionally, four KB-powered Pro Stock drivers – Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford, Kyle Koretsky and Camrie Caruso – will vie for victory in this specialty race. Drivers will have the opportunity to call out their competitors and, if similar competitions in Top Fuel and Funny Car are to serve as any indicators, there will likely be several side bets increasing the level of heated competition. The Pro Stock All-Star Callout will be televised in a specially dedicated broadcast on NHRA on FOX.
The Elite Motorsports team has a solid history at Route 66 Raceway. Enders achieved one of the most memorable milestones in the sport during the 2012 season when she defeated Greg Anderson in the final round to become NHRA’s first female Pro Stock winner. She also appeared in final rounds in Joliet in 2005, 2011, 2017, and 2019, the last time NHRA held a national event at the facility. Coughlin is looking forward to continuing his family’s legacy of success in Chicago. His uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., has won more than any other professional driver at Route 66 Raceway.
Former Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner has been gaining traction all season long and plans to make some big moves over the course of the next few weeks in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. His teammate, rookie Jerry Tucker, will be competing for the first time at Route 66 Raceway and his team is also primed and ready for a successful performance.
The Cuadra Boys, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his sons, Fernando Cuadra Jr., Cristian Cuadra and David Cuadra, have become a force to be reckoned with in the Pro Stock ranks. This talented drag racing family is poised to bring their first victory back to their home in Leon, Mexico.
Mountain Motor Pro Stock will take to the track for the first time this season at Route 66 Raceway. Elite Motorsports driver Pete Berner will be making his Mountain Motor debut with his teammate Enders. Both talented drivers are eager to compete in this exciting category.
In the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Mason Wright will once again compete behind the wheel of his Elite-powered Pro Mod machine. He is within striking distance of the top ten and is looking to make some big moves this weekend.
Stanfield will not only be competing in Pro Stock, but he will also race in the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.
Qualifying opens on Friday, May 19 at 5 p.m. CT, leading into qualifying at 1 and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, May 21. The opening round of the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout takes place at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, followed by the semifinals at 3:15 p.m. and the final round at 4:55 p.m. CT.
Erica Enders
“Route 66 Raceway is so special to me because it was where I became the first woman in the history of the NHRA to win a Pro Stock national event. It’s also where I made my first final-round appearance in 2005. In those 11 years since my first win, we’ve come so far and I’m excited to return to the place where it all began. We also have the Pro Stock All-Stars Callout this weekend so that’s going to be very exciting and add something to the normal race weekend. I’m also pumped to play double-duty and compete in not only 500” Pro Stock but Mountain Motor Pro Stock as well. The Elite Motorsports team is ready to give it their all!”
Aaron Stanfield
“I’m pumped up about the All-Star Callout. It is something new for our class and we look to do good! Chicago has been good to me in other categories in the past. We will see if our luck can continue.”
Troy Coughlin Jr.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Chicago! There’s a lot of great racing on tap with the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout. Team Yellow is loaded and ready for any and all that comes our way!”
Bo Butner
“I’m thrilled to get to return to Route 66 Raceway. It’s been too long and I’m ready to see all of these fans again! This JHG Camaro is ready to give them a great show.”
Fernando Cuadra Sr.
“The Cuadra Boys are making our mark on Pro Stock. All of my sons are doing very well and I’m so proud of them. We can’t wait to compete this weekend!”
Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“After the Charlotte race we found some stuff in my race car that we think will benefit all the Elite cars so I feel really excited about Chicago. Plus I’m looking forward to returning to Route 66 Raceway because the first time I raced there I didn’t qualify.”
Cristian Cuadra
“I’m excited to compete in Chicago and I’m really looking forward to the NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout. It’s going to put a great spotlight on Pro Stock.”
David Cuadra
“I’m feeling confident as I enter my second Pro Stock event. Pro Stock is very complex and I have a lot to learn. I’m just excited to get more time behind the wheel.”
Jerry Tucker
“Two weeks without drag racing is two weeks too long! I’m really looking forward to competing at Route 66 Raceway. It’s such an iconic track with a lot of history. This whole team is ready to perform and hopefully, we can give the fans a good show.”
Pre-Race Notes
Elite Motorsports: Pre-race notes
Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance
Route 66 Raceway
Joliet, Ill. (May 19-21)
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 Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance in Joliet, Ill. The Elite Pro Stock team features nine drivers including reigning and five-time world champion Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his three sons, Fernando Jr., Cristian, and David, as well as newcomer Jerry Tucker. Mason Wright will also make his third start in the Pro Mod class with his Elite-backed Camaro. Pete Berner and Enders will compete in the highly-anticipated Mountain Motor Pro Stock season opener.
Team Elite will have four drivers in this weekend’s NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout, a special bonus race that will be held on Saturday. Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Cristian Cuadra, and Erica Enders have qualified for the special event as the No. 4, 5, 6, and 7 seeds.
In the 19 Pro Stock events contested last season, Team Elite won 15 times and appeared in 26 of 38 possible final rounds. In addition to Erica Enders’ 10 wins, Aaron Stanfield collected three victories while Troy Coughlin Jr. earned his first two professional victories.
Enders is coming off the most dominant season of her career that produced 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 Gallagher Insurance.
During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 43 wins in 74 final rounds and has a round-win record of 441-245 for a .643 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 44 national event victories.
Enders made history at Route 66 Raceway during the 2012 season when she defeated Greg Anderson in the final round to become NHRA’s first female Pro Stock winner. She has also appeared in final rounds in Joliet in 2005, 2011, 2017, and 2019, the last time NHRA held a national event here.
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 four events 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 43 professional wins.
Following an impressive fourth-place finish in 2022, Troy Coughlin Jr. has begun his fourth full season behind the wheel of the familiar yellow and black JEGS.com Camaro. Coughlin enjoyed a breakout season last year with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka. Coughlin also went to final rounds in Phoenix, Reading and Las Vegas.
Coughlin heads to Joliet as the No. 3 ranked driver in the championship after a dominating win at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and a runner-up at the Four-Wide event in Las Vegas.
Earlier this season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix, Coughlin became the first winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, a special event open to the four semifinal finishers from the previous event. Coughlin 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 three career Pro Stock victories, the multi-faceted Coughlin has won 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 132 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/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.
Last year, Stanfield earned Pro Stock wins in Phoenix, Bristol and the Fall Charlotte race 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 three quarterfinal finishes and one semifinal finish to his credit and he’s the No. 6 ranked driver in the class. Stanfield has also qualified No. 3 at the Pomona and Las Vegas events.
Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown class in 2020 and 2021. He will continue to drive his Janac Bros.-owned COPO Camaro in that class and will also continue to race in the Wright Trailers Top Dragster class.
The 2017 Chicago event will always be memorable for Stanfield as he not only won the Super Stock title but also raced his father, Greg, in the final round.
All told Stanfield has 21 career wins in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, Super Stock, and Top Dragster. He’s enjoyed previous success in Las Vegas with back-to-back Factory Stock titles at the track’s fall events in 2020 and 2021.
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 Pro Stock standings.
Butner is now ranked No. 9 in the Pro Stock standings but is just seven points behind eighth-place Kyle Koretsky and 10 points behind seventh-ranked Greg Anderson.
While he did not win a Pro Stock event last year, the multi-talented Butner did earn a pair of victories in the Super Gas class in Indy and Reading.
Butner has 29 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street. Butner has also 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 facilities but has never won at Route 66 Raceway. Butner was a runner-up in Stock Eliminator in 2012 and went to the final of 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 including Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr., Cristian, and David, have returned to Elite Motorsports again this season and recently expanded to four Pro Stock machines backed by Corral Handcrafted Boots and Cuadra. The Cuadra family will race Ford Mustangs under the Elite banner.
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 and he was a semifinalist at the recent four-wide event in Las Vegas. He comes into this weekend as the No. 10 ranked driver in Pro Stock.
David Cuadra is making his second start in Pro Stock after recently upgrading his Top Sportsman license. David is a three-time finalist in the Top Sportsman category including his most recent runner-up at the 2022 Dallas event.
The Cuadra family has career-best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.) and 6.527 (Cristian) – all of them recorded in Gainesville. Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), and 210.73 (Fernando Jr.).
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.
New to the Elite Pro Stock team this year is Jerry Tucker, who enjoyed a memorable debut in Gainesville. Tucker qualified his Elite Camaro in the No. 15 spot with a 6.573 and won the first round after teammate Enders encountered a mechanical issue. Tucker also advanced past the opening round of the recent four-wide race in Charlotte. He is currently ranked No. 14 but is well within striking distance of the Top 10.
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 expected to be one of the leading contenders for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award.
Collectively, the nine current team Elite drivers have combined to win 104 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 64 in the Pro Stock class.
Mason Wright will return to action this weekend in the FuelTech Pro Mod class presented by Type A Motorsports. Wright has qualified solidly for the first two events in Gainesville and Charlotte.
Wright is currently ranked No. 16 in the Pro Mod standings but after one event, he’s just six points out of the Top 10. Wright, of Odessa, Texas, is also a graduate of the Top Sportsman class.
Justin Elkes of Modern Racing will serve as Wright’s crew chief this season. It was recently announced that Pro Mod the class will be part of the NHRA on Fox Sports television broadcasts for each event.