TOPEKA, Kan. (August 9, 2023) – After a tremendous performance in Denver, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team will roll into Heartland Motorsports Park prepared to continue their hot streak this weekend at the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor. This will be the last time that the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competes at this iconic facility and everyone has their sights set on nabbing that final Wally.
Troy Coughlin Jr. leads the Elite Motorsports team in points as he’s currently sitting in third place thanks to a win in Denver in his JEGS.com / White Castle Camaro. He also won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge at the event, so he’s in a great position heading into the competition this weekend. Coughlin won the national event in Topeka last year and hopes to make it two in a row.
Five-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders has been on quite an upswing as of late. She got her second No. 1 qualifier of the season in Denver and she’s eager to parlay that momentum into a stellar performance in front of the midwest fans. Thanks to a semifinal finish in Denver, she will join her teammate Coughlin in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge during qualifying on Saturday.
Aaron Stanfield, driving the Janac Brothers Racing / JC3 Energy Services / Melling Engine Parts Camaro, and Bo Butner, the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro, have both been on the verge of nabbing a win this season. They feel positive after spending time fine-tuning their programs during a gap in their competition schedule. Their teammate, rookie driver Jerry Tucker, is looking for the same in his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro.
The Cuadra Boys, featuring patriarch Fernando Cuadra Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr., Cristian and David, will all be competing in their Corral Boots Mustangs. They spent time testing in Tulsa during the break, making runs as late as 1:00 AM in order to avoid the daytime heat. As they examined their runs, they found opportunities for improvement that they are excited to put into practice this weekend in Topeka.
There are only three races left in the regular season, so points are at a premium. The competition will be fierce this weekend and Elite Motorsports is as ready as they’ve ever been to face that competition head-on.
In the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Patterson-Elite team is ready to show up in full force for an exciting weekend of racing. The team includes Jay Storey, who recently won in both Stock Eliminator and Super Stock at a Division 5 Points Meet in Topeka. Also competing in Super Stock are Aydan Patterson, A.J. Patterson, Ryan Montford and Tim Nicholson. Kent Claassen will compete in Stock Eliminator while Allen Firestone, Kyle Firestone and Mike Morehead are competing in the Top Sportsman category.
Competition for the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor will run from Friday, August 11 to Sunday, August 13 at Heartland Motorsports Park.
Erica Enders
“Topeka has been good to me and our team in the past. It’s close to our shop in Oklahoma, so we always have a lot of friends, family and Elite racers competing in this event, in all classes. The summer swing is winding down and it’s time to get serious. Topeka would be a great race for us to get our second win of the season, to set the pace for the rest of the year. Being the last race at Heartland Motorsports Park, it would make a win that much more special as well. We’ve had a bit of time and my guys and I are fresh and ready. We’ve tested, spent time in the engine shop, and are ready to go show the world why we are Team Elite.”
Aaron Stanfield
“We’ve been working hard during this break in the schedule and we are ready to give it everything we’ve got in Topeka. This part of the season gets really heated as everyone is trying to get a spot in the Countdown to the Championship. I’m looking forward to the competition.”
Troy Coughlin Jr.
“Team Yellow is ready and excited as always! A lot of hard work has been done during the time off and we’re ready to put it to use! We love the process and the journey! Hopefully, we can repeat what we did in Topeka last year and land this JEGS.com Camaro in the winners circle!”
Bo Butner
“Last year, we almost got the win in Topeka in Super Gas, and Randi Lyn [Stock Eliminator racer and wife] has been to the final here a couple of times. It seems like this is a track that almost wants us to win, but there’s always been something holding us back at the national events. This is our last time coming here, so of course you want to win. You always want to bring home the trophy, and we’ve been waiting for our Pro Stock win for JHG a long time. It’s been coming, and it would be great to get it done this weekend. Topeka is a track we need to check off our list before it’s gone, and this is our last chance, so a win there would be very special.”
Fernando Cuadra Sr.
“Much of this break was spent on testing, trying to learn new things and improve our performance. I’m feeling positive about Topeka and I think it’s going to be a great weekend!”
Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“We’ve been learning a lot this season and the time we spent testing during this break has definitely helped us. It went so well, that now I’m feeling really excited about putting it all into action this weekend. I’m like a kid on Christmas morning!”
Cristian Cuadra
“I’m currently in ninth place in the points. But I’m going to have to work hard to stay in the Top Ten as the competition is getting intense. Our crew is amazing and I’m excited to do my job on the track.”
David Cuadra
“Going back and forth between Top Sportsman and Pro Stock has given me a really unique perspective. I intend to use that to my advantage in Topeka. The competition is going to be tough but I’ve got a positive mindset and we are ready to go far.”
Jerry Tucker
“I’m feeling more comfortable behind the wheel with every round, and this crew is absolutely phenomenal. It’s getting down to crunch time right now and everyone is hustling to land in the Top Ten. It’s an honor to have Outlaw Beer riding with us once again as we roll into Heartland Park.”
Pre-Race Notes
Elite Motorsports: Pre-race notes
Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor
Heartland Motorsports Park
Topeka, Kansas (August 11-13)
The Elite Motorsports team, the largest team in professional drag racing, has expanded for 2023 and will field a total of nine entries for this weekend’s Menards NHRA Nationals in Topeka, Kan. At this event, the Elite Pro Stock team will feature nine 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., Cristian, and David, as well as newcomer Jerry Tucker.
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.
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 44 wins in 75 final rounds and has a round-win record of 448-248 for a .644 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 45 national event victories.
This season, Enders won the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. After qualifying No. 1, Enders defeated Deric Kramer in the final round. Enders also set the low E.T. and top speed of the event with a best of 6.627 at 206.95. With this victory, Enders moved into the Top 10 for the first time this season. She is currently ranked No. 6 following a semifinal finish at the most recent Pro Stock event in Denver.
Enders has won at least one Pro Stock event at 17 different NHRA venues including Heartland Motorsports Park. In 2015, she defeated Greg Anderson in the final round. Enders was also a runner-up to Deric Kramer at the 2018 Topeka event.
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 three more 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 44 professional wins.
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.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 Topeka as the No. 3 ranked driver in the championship after posting wins at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and the recent Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals in Denver to go with a a runner-up at the Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. Coughlin has a 14-7 record in elimination rounds this season.
Coughlin and his Elite teammate Enders will also take part in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Topeka. The special event will be held on Saturday and features a race between the semifinalists of the previous Pro Stock event in Denver. Coughlin and Enders will be joined by Dallas Glenn and Camrie Caruso.
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 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 season, Stanfield collected victories 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 semifinal and four quarterfinal finishes to his credit and he’s the No. 5 ranked driver in the class. Stanfield has also qualified a season-best of No. 2 at the most recent race in Bristol.
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.
All told Stanfield has 22 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 Pro Stock standings.
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 is now ranked No. 11 in the Pro Stock standings, but is just 17 points out of the Top Ten.
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 not won in Topeka. At the 2022 Topeka event, he was a runner-up in the Super Gas class to Don Nichols.
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., Cristian and David. The Cuadra family is backed by Corral Handcrafted Boots and will continue to 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 Bristol race. He comes into this weekend as the No. 9 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.
David Cuadra has raced in both Pro Stock and Top Sportsman this season. He made his Pro Stock debut in Charlotte and has also competed in Chicago and Bristol.
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 Elite Camaro in the No. 15 spot with a 6.573 and won the first round after teammate Enders encountered a mechanical issue. Tucker is coming off his first semifinal finish at the recent Chicago race and is No. 12 in the standings, just 22 points out 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 one of the leading contenders for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award.
Collectively, the nine current team Elite drivers have combined to win 107 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 66 in the Pro Stock class.