AARON STANFIELD EYES CHAMPIONSHIP PUSH AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE CAROLINA NATIONALS

Aaron Stanfield

By: Elite Motorsports (Photo Courtesy Elite Motorsports)

CONCORD, N.C. (September 18, 2025) – Aaron Stanfield and his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing Pro Stock team are set to storm zMAX Dragway for the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals, the second of six races in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. As the inaugural four-wide event in the playoffs, this weekend’s competition provides Stanfield with a dynamic platform to narrow the gap in the Pro Stock points standings and keep his title hopes alive.

Stanfield enters the event fourth in the Pro Stock points standings with a runner-up finish to his father Greg Stanfield at the Sonoma Nationals in July as well as four semifinal appearances throughout the regular season. Aaron is coming off a quarterfinal exit at the NHRA Reading Nationals where he qualified No. 2 for race day. He and teammate Erica Enders led Elite Motorsports with their second-round exits.  

“We haven’t started the Countdown exactly how we wanted but five races left is still a lot of time to recover,” said Stanfield. “We’ve had success at zMAX in the past, so we’re hoping we can capitalize on that. As the first four-wide event ever in the Countdown, I’m especially looking forward to it. Feel like I have something to prove after the performance from the spring. All in all, we’re feeling confident and we’re definitely ready.”

Stanfield has one victory at zMAX Dragway that came in the fall of 2022 but the three-time Factory Stock Showdown world champion was runner-up at both the spring NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and the fall contested NHRA Carolina Nationals in 2024. He also picked up his first career Pro Stock No. 1 qualifying position at the fall race in 2021.

Enders and her JHG / Melling / SCAG Power Equipment team will be looking for her third win at the zMAX Dragway facility, she picked up victories in the spring of 2018 and in the fall of 2015. She was also runner-up in the spring of 2012 and 2013. Earlier this season, Enders was the No. 16 qualifier but made her way the quarterfinals. Last year, Enders earned the No. 1 qualifying position for the third consecutive year at the fall event.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG / Outlaw Light Beer team enter the weekend ninth in points and will be chasing their first win of the season second at zMAX Dragway for Jeg Jr. He won in the Four-wide format in 2013 at the facility.

Repping the black and yellow of JEGS.com, Troy Coughlin Jr. is on the hunt for his first win of the season and first at zMAX Dragway. He currently sits 12th in the points standings, just 33 points back from the top 10.

Greg Stanfield, handling the driving duties of the Janac Brothers Racing / The Rod Shop machine, is currently 11th in points, three points away from the top 10, as he looks for his second win of the season, first at zMAX Dragway.

Stephen Bell and the 1320 LLC team return to action at this weekend’s Four-Wide Carolina Nationals. Bell, racing a partial season in his rookie debut, sits outside the championship hunt but is still hungry for his first career Pro Stock victory.

Also returning to competition is the Cuadra family. Fernando J., Cristian and David Cuadra have special memories at zMAX Dragway. At the 2024 spring Four-Wide Nationals, the three boys had the opportunity to line-up four-wide with their father, Fernando Sr., as he retired from not just drag racing, but running the family business. They will each be vying for the first Cuadra Boys Racing national event victory.  

Competition at the NHRA Four-Wide Carolina Nationals begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 4 and 6:15 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 and 3 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at 11:30 a.m. with Pro Stock first round at 12:15 p.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Sunday at 10 a.m. ET and eliminants at noon ET.