As they prepare for what will surely be a bittersweet weekend, the Elite Motorsports team, the largest professional team in drag racing, is focused on turning on as many win lights as possible as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series takes to the track at Bandimere Speedway for the last time. At this weekend’s Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock fleet will be joined by its two Mountain Motor Pro Stock entries as well as several sportsman participants in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
This weekend also marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of Royce Freeman Sr., the patriarch of the Freeman family, including Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman. All drivers will be giving it their all as they remember the man whose dedication to the sport of drag racing left a larger-than-life legacy that continues to flourish.
Pro Stock rookie Jerry Tucker will be competing at Bandimere Speedway for the first time. The talented driver will have a new sponsor on board this weekend as Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer will be featured prominently on his Camaro.
“After seeing the rendering last week, I can’t wait to see the car with the Elk on the hood and the Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer logo on the side when I get to the track,” said Tucker.
Scott Woodruff from Elite Motorsports collaborated with Scott Brown Designs on the layout, and the CEO of the company was thrilled with the rendering. The entire team is excited to welcome the folks from Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer to the track this weekend. Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer can be found in Colorado, Kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Montana, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.
Aaron Stanfield was the No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at the Mile-High Nationals last year, and he’s looking forward to turning up the heat on the competition in his Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro this weekend. Interestingly, the skilled driver will be competing in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty specialty race against Matt Hartford, who won the final round against Stanfield in Denver last year. Troy Coughlin Jr. will also compete in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge against Dallas Glenn. This race-within-a-race offers semifinalists from the previous event a rematch during qualifying on Saturday.
Bo Butner, the 2017 Pro Stock world champion, is eager to get a win this season for his sponsor, Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage. His powerful Camaro has been performing consistently, and Butner knows what it takes to compete in the unique conditions this track presents.
Five-time and current world champion Erica Enders has her eye on the prize as she prepares to take the mountain that has previously eluded her in her Pro Stock career. Bandimere Speedway is one of only a handful of facilities wherein Enders has yet to win in the Pro Stock category. The seasoned driver has demonstrated time and again that she performs best under pressure so she feels good about her chances of clinching the final win of the Bandimere era.
Enders will also be competing in Mountain Motor Pro Stock along with team owner Richard Freeman. These powerful machines were built to handle the atmospheric challenges of Denver, and Freeman won the last Mountain Motor Pro Stock event in Chicago.
The Cuadra Boys, Fernando Cuadra Sr., Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Cristian Cuadra, will be competing in their fleet of Corral Boots / Cuadra Pro Stock Mustangs, hoping to bring a win back to their home in Leon, Mexico. David Cuadra will be participating in the Top Sportsman category.
Other Elite and Patterson-Elite entries in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series include Allen Firestone in Top Sportsman; Aydan Patterson, Ryan Montford, James Kunkel and Tim Nicholson, all in Super Stock; as well as Jay Storey, who is competing in Stock and Super Stock.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals will feature two rounds at 3:30 and 7:00 p.m. MT on Friday, July 14, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, July 15, at 2:30 and 6 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. MT on Sunday, July 16. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, and then eliminations on FOX at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
