After a tremendous performance in Denver, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team will roll into Heartland Motorsports Park prepared to continue their hot streak this weekend at the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor. This will be the last time that the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competes at this iconic facility and everyone has their sights set on nabbing that final Wally.
Troy Coughlin Jr. leads the Elite Motorsports team in points as he’s currently sitting in third place thanks to a win in Denver in his JEGS.com / White Castle Camaro. He also won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge at the event, so he’s in a great position heading into the competition this weekend. Coughlin won the national event in Topeka last year and hopes to make it two in a row.
Five-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders has been on quite an upswing as of late. She got her second No. 1 qualifier of the season in Denver and she’s eager to parlay that momentum into a stellar performance in front of the midwest fans. Thanks to a semifinal finish in Denver, she will join her teammate Coughlin in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge during qualifying on Saturday.
Aaron Stanfield, driving the Janac Brothers Racing / JC3 Energy Services / Melling Engine Parts Camaro, and Bo Butner, the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro, have both been on the verge of nabbing a win this season. They feel positive after spending time fine-tuning their programs during a gap in their competition schedule. Their teammate, rookie driver Jerry Tucker, is looking for the same in his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro.
The Cuadra Boys, featuring patriarch Fernando Cuadra Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr., Cristian and David, will all be competing in their Corral Boots Mustangs. They spent time testing in Tulsa during the break, making runs as late as 1:00 AM in order to avoid the daytime heat. As they examined their runs, they found opportunities for improvement that they are excited to put into practice this weekend in Topeka.
There are only three races left in the regular season, so points are at a premium. The competition will be fierce this weekend and Elite Motorsports is as ready as they’ve ever been to face that competition head-on.
In the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the Patterson-Elite team is ready to show up in full force for an exciting weekend of racing. The team includes Jay Storey, who recently won in both Stock Eliminator and Super Stock at a Division 5 Points Meet in Topeka. Also competing in Super Stock are Aydan Patterson, A.J. Patterson, Ryan Montford and Tim Nicholson. Kent Claassen will compete in Stock Eliminator while Allen Firestone, Kyle Firestone and Mike Morehead are competing in the Top Sportsman category.
Competition for the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor will run from Friday, August 11 to Sunday, August 13 at Heartland Motorsports Park.
