BRADENTON, Fla. (Feb. 06, 2025) – Elite Motorsports ended 2024 with six drivers inside the NHRA top 10 championship points standings and wins at 13 of 21 events. The first event to play host to an Elite winners circle? The SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout where six-time world champion Erica Enders rallied to victory. The nine-car team will look to make the same splash at this year’s event held once again at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Enders, driving for Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, Melling Performance and SCAG, comes into the event looking to defend her victory from 2024 where she was also the No. 1 qualifier. The momentum carried over to Enders’ NHRA season where she won at Gainesville Raceway for the first time in her career at the season-opening Gatornationals.
“Our sport, like a lot of sports, is all about momentum. I took a lot of pride in winning that first SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout race, the atmosphere was electric. I don’t like the word epic, but that’s what it was for me,” said Enders who ended the 2024 NHRA season sitting fourth with championship hopes all the way to the Finals. “The way that the fans were involved and engaged; coming back from the top end after we won the finals in Bradenton there were, like, just hundreds of people lined up giving me high fives as I went by. It gives me goosebumps to talk about. I loved starting the year off like that.”
Representing SCAG Power Equipment for the second year, Jeg Coughlin Jr., who made his return to Pro Stock last season after a three-year hiatus, is looking to build off his 2024 momentum. At last year’s SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout, Jeg Jr. made it to the semifinals after qualifying No. 7, he was cut short of the final round by his teammate and eventual event winner Enders. Jeg Jr. went on to pick up four victories in the 2024 NHRA season finishing fifth in championship points.
Aaron Stanfield, in the JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers hot rod, is looking to pick up right where he left off. While 2024’s PRO Superstar Shootout had Stanfield being handed a second-round loss to Enders, the 2024 NHRA season would be a career best for the versatile driver. Six wins in 10 final rounds had Stanfield in championship contention up until eliminations at the NHRA Finals. Stanfield would ultimately finish third in points for the second time in his career.
Troy Coughlin Jr. and the familiar JEGs.com yellow and black hot rod will also be hitting the Bradenton Motorsports Park drag strip in hopes of building momentum for their NHRA season. Troy Jr. will be looking to improve on his No. 10 qualifying spot and first round loss from last year’s SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout. In his NHRA season, Troy Jr. picked up his fifth career Pro Stock victory and finished out the season ninth in points.
Cuadra Boys Racing will return to competition with a bit of a new look. The three brothers, Fernando Jr., Cristian and David Cuadra, will be promoting their tequila brand, Corral Tequila, on the sides of their hot rods in 2025.
The SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout kicked off what turned into a successful season for Cristian who qualified third and made his way to the quarterfinals coming up short to Jeg Jr. Cristian would go on to finish the NHRA season seventh in points, a career best.
David qualified 13th and had a first-round loss to Enders at Bradenton last year, he ended up 14th in the NHRA points with his first career semifinal finish at the fall Nevada Nationals. Fernando Cuadra Jr. had a similar fate at the pre-season specialty race, qualifying eighth but making a first round exit to Cristian. He would finish the NHRA season 15th.
Two additions to the Elite Motorsports team in 2025, Greg Stanfield and Stephen Bell, will both be competing at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout.
Joining his son, Aaron Stanfield, Greg is officially making his return to Pro Stock coming off a championship in the Factory X category. Greg will be representing Janac Brothers racing and The Rod Shop for 2025.
Newly licensed, Bell will get his first taste of Pro Stock competition at the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout ahead of making his official NHRA debut at the Gatornationals in just a few weeks.
The PRO Superstar Shootout will feature some of the biggest names in drag racing vying for bragging rights and momentum headed into the 2025 NHRA season. For the second year in a row the three-day event will feature two days of qualifying on Thursday and Friday followed by a day of elimination rounds and exhibition runs on Saturday. The event will feature autograph sessions, driver Q&A’s and additional fan-friendly entertainment elements. The specialty event will once again be broadcast on FloRacing all three days.