| FAN FAVORITE ELITE MOTORSPORTS PRO STOCK TEAM READY TO OUTPACE THE COMPETITION IN LAS VEGASPoints Leader Erica Enders Has Chance To Clinch Championship At Penultimate Event |
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| Elite Motorsports Pre-Race Preview |
| NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series LAS VEGAS (October 26, 2022) – With a 165-point lead in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, Pro Stock standout Erica Enders is experiencing the best season of her illustrious career that includes four Pro Stock world championships to date. As the talented driver seeks her fifth championship, she knows that she enters the penultimate event of the 2022 season with a target on her back as many of her fellow competitors including several of her Elite Motorsports teammates will seek to overtake her lead this weekend at the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Las Vegas has been good to Enders in the past, including earlier this year when she walked away victorious at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas earlier this year, making her the winningest professional driver in the track’s history. Enders has picked up nine wins this year, tying her career-best for a single season, with two races remaining. “I’m really excited to head to Las Vegas,” Enders stated enthusiastically. “We have had a ton of success at The Strip and we are looking forward to what could potentially be an amazing weekend. I feel really great about my Melling Performance Chevy Camaro and the guys I have in my corner. This has been a tremendous season for us and we are going to do our best to finish strong. With just two races remaining, we have no plans on letting up on our competition. We will put our heads down and go to work like we always do! We will keep our eyes on the prize and let the others worry about the rest.” Enders’ Elite Motorsports teammates Aaron Stanfield (currently in second) and Troy Coughlin Jr. (currently in fourth) are prepared to make moves in the points standings this weekend in what will be an exciting and action-packed weekend of drag racing competition. In order to clinch the world championship this weekend, Enders will need to advance one more round than Stanfield. “I love racing in Vegas, it’s a great racetrack and we would love to get a win,” said Stanfield. “I’m feeling confident about my hot rod. The guys have been working hard to make sure we finish the season strong, I just need to focus and do the job. As the season is coming to a close I think as a whole, the Elite team has been very strong and I am thankful to be part of it.” Coughlin is also feeling positive as he prepares to compete in his JEGS.com Camaro. The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a favorite for the young racer. “The fall Vegas race is always one of the coolest races for me,” said Coughlin. “I won my first national event in Super Comp at this race when I was 19 in 2009. The boys have been hard at it on the dyno pretty much seven days a week so I have all the confidence in the world! I’m as proud as ever to wear the Elite Motorsports and JEGS colors and we’re ready to finish strong.” Additional members of the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock drag racing team, the largest professional race team in the NHRA, include Bo Butner and the Cuadra Boys – Fernando Sr. and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian. Bo Butner is currently just a few points away from the No. 8 spot in the Countdown to the Championship and as a former world champion, this highly-skilled competitor will certainly be one to watch this weekend in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. He’s been a strong presence throughout the Countdown and he tends to shine in times of intense pressure. The Cuadra Boys continue to compete amongst each other to determine who will be the first to bring a national event Pro Stock victory to their home in Leon, Mexico. NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competition kicks off this Friday, October 28 with the first session of qualifying at 12:30 p.m. local time. *** |
| Elite Motorsports Stats And Facts For Countdown Contention |
| The Elite Motorsports team will field seven Pro Stock entries during this week’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Elite team is the largest in professional drag racing and features Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra and his two sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian. This week’s event in Las Vegas marks the fifth round of the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoff to determine season champions. Four-time world champion Enders is the leader followed by Stanfield (2), Coughlin Jr. (4), Butner (9), Cuadra Jr. (12), C. Cuadra (13), Cuadra Sr. (15). Two weeks ago in Dallas, Erica Enders won her ninth event of the season by beating Greg Anderson in the final round. As a result, Enders has a 165-point lead over teammate Aaron Stanfield in the battle for the championship. Enders can wrap up her fifth NHRA Pro Stock title by advancing one more round than Stanfield this weekend. Enders has won nine of the 17 events contested so far this season and has appeared in 11 of 17 possible final rounds. Out of the 17 Pro Stock events so far this season, Team Elite has won 14 of them. Enders has nine victories while Stanfield has three and Coughlin has two. Elite cars have also appeared in final rounds 24 times, as more than once, the final round has come down to two Elite-powered machines. |
 Erica EndersFour-time world champion Enders is experiencing the best season of her career with a record of 48-8 during eliminations, Enders has the highest winning percentage (.857) of any NHRA pro this season.Enders has enjoyed tremendous success in Las Vegas with eight victories including the Four-Wide event held earlier this season. She won the Fall events in 2014-15 and again in 2019-20. She was also a runner-up in 2013, 2018 and 2021. During her professional career, Enders has competed in 332 races and has 42 victories in 72 final rounds. Her overall win-loss record is 432-239. 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. |
 Aaron StanfieldStanfield, the driver of the Janac Bros/J3 Energy 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 is currently No. 2 in the Pro Stock class, 165 points out of first place following his most recent win in Charlotte and a semifinal finish in Dallas.Stanfield has a record of 35-14 this season and six of those losses have come against teammate Enders. Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown in 2020-21 in Las Vegas. Stanfield has won seven Pro Stock events in 13 career final rounds. He is also a two-time world champion in the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown. All told, Stanfield has 20 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.Troy Coughlin Jr., the driver of the JEGS.comCamaro, finished the regular season as the No. 6 ranked Pro Stock driver but is currently fourth after his runner-up finish in Reading and semifinal finishes in Charlotte and Dallas. Earlier this year, Coughlin scored his first professional wins with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka.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. 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 ButnerBo 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 an 8-17 round win record in Pro Stock competition. He is currently the No. 9 ranked driver in the class but is just eight points out of eighth place. Butner has 29 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has multiple wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street to his name. Recently, Butner won back-to-back events in Indianapolis and Reading in the Super Gas class. Butner has also enjoyed tremendous success in Las Vegas with six victories including Pro Stock titles in 2018 and 2019. In 2012, Butner joined the short list of drivers who have doubled at a national event when he won Stock and Comp on the same day. 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 BoysThe Cuadra family including Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian, joined Elite Motorsports this season with their three-car Corral Boots/Cuadra team.Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final round appearances at 2019 races in Reading and Pomona. Cristian Cuadra was the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. All three Cuadra entries will contend for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock title during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. 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 103 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 62 in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category. |