By: Elite Motorsports
SONOMA, Calif. (July 25, 2024) – The NHRA’s largest professional team enters this weekend’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway on a five-race win streak and with seven wins in the first 11 events on the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series 20-race schedule.
Three of those seven wins and two in the streak of five belong to six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Mile Hi Beer team. Jeg Jr. came out of retirement to return to Pro Stock competition at the beginning of this season after three years away. “The Natural,” as he’s been nicknamed, has indeed made the return look natural picking up his first win of the season at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. Jeg Jr. then won the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee and enters this weekend with a chance to sweep the “Western Swing” after racing to victory from the No. 10 position at Pacific Raceways near Seattle.
“Elite Motorsports has done well as a whole. It’s a testament to our team, our stamina, our abilities, our people and our crew chiefs. The cars have become efficient, consistent and have been printing better time slips so a tip of the hat to our crew chief bank for making this happen. They’re really working hard and trying to keep us upfront,” Jeg Jr. said. “Mark Ingersoll, Tim Freeman, Chase Freeman, Kyle Bates, Anthony Lum, Jake Hariston, Richard Freeman, our entire team really gets a big high five. They made fine tune changes in Seattle and when the car should have been slowing down in those second and third rounds, we were pecking at it and making it quicker. Hopefully we can carry that over and keep the streak going in Sonoma.”
Jeg Jr. has three victories at Sonoma Raceway, 2003, 2010 and 2018, that he’ll hope to add to this weekend.
Jeg Jr. may have the most wins for Elite Motorsports thus far this season, but the tone for the season was set by six-time and reigning world champion Erica Enders and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG team. They started the year winning the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Florida and the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida and remain third in the points standings, leading the Elite Motorsports drivers. Enders is chasing her second win of the season, a victory that will mark her 50th national event win, 49th in Pro Stock.
“I just want to win, I just want to be back in the winners circle. March was a long time ago and when you start off on fire like that, winning the PRO Superstar Shoot out going to Gainesville and winning that race then your hopes are very high. But on the good side of things, we have seen a number of different winners this year, my teammates have won a lot, Jeg Jr., Aaron Stanfield, Tory Coughlin Jr. That part is exciting but I am hopeful we get that 50th off our back,” said Enders who has one win at the Northern California facility that came in 2022. “We’re a big family at Elite. I think it speaks volumes for our program. Something Richard really focuses on is when you look at other teams, their lead car is the only one that really performs on Sundays, it’s not like that at Elite Motorsports, all of our cars perform and I think that speaks volumes for our character.”
Aaron Stanfield and the JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers have had mid-season success for Elite. They, like Jeg Jr. and his team, have had two wins in the five race streak. Stanfield rallied to his first win of the season in Richmond Virginia where he qualified fifth and had a dominating Sunday performance. Stanfield wasted no time returning to the winners cicrlce picking up a second consecutive win at the Summit Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. For each of his wins, Stanfield also reached the final round in the Factory X class. He’ll have four more opportunities to double-up in the two classes. Stanfield is currently fourth in Pro Stock but leads the Factory X category. He’ll be looking for his second win at the Sonoma Nationals, his first came in 2021.
Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com / White Castle team round out the five race win streak. They made their first journey to the 2024 winners circle at the New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire. Troy Jr. is coming off a semifinal finish at the Northwest Nationals and will join his uncle Jeg Jr. competing in Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Troy Jr. and the JEGS.com / White Castle team are currently sixth in points and looking for their first win at Sonoma Raceway.
In his sophomore season, Jerry Tucker has gotten tantalizingly close to securing his first Pro Stock win. At the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals he landed the Outlaw Mile Hi Lite Beet / SCAG machine in the No. 1 spot for the first time in his career. He would go on to finish runner-up to teammate Jeg Jr., the best finish of his career.
Racing in just her second event with Elite Motorsports, Sienna Wildgust, the youngest female Pro Stock driver in history having just turned 18 in June, is coming off a No. 15 qualifying position and first round exit at the Northwest Nationals as she continues to integrate herself into #TeamElite. She’ll continue to race the Corral Boots / Columbia Impex / Cuadra car representing her Cuadra Boys teammates who are away on business.
Competition at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway kicks off with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 4:30 and 6:45 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with Pro Stock first round at 11:30 a.m. Television coverage will begin with coverage of the Mission Foods #sFast2Tasty NHRA Challenge of qualifying will be Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) while eliminations will be on FOX Broadcasting Network (FOX) Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
