The Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team turned up the heat this weekend in front of sellout crowds at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. They are leaving World Wide Technology Raceway with a runner-up finish, a No. 1 qualifier and the points lead in the Countdown to the Championship. Standout Pro Stock driver Aaron Stanfield reached his first final round of the season against Greg Anderson.
“We’ve been working hard to get this hot rod into a final round,” said Stanfield. “I definitely wanted to end the day in the winners circle but I couldn’t be more proud of my team. They did a great job on the car all weekend long and I’m feeling a lot more confident after getting this runner-up finish.”
The largest professional team in drag racing started the weekend out strong as five-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders landed her third consecutive No. 1 qualifier as she charged her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Camaro to the top of the ladder with a pass of 6.549 seconds at 210.05 mph.
With seven of its powerful Pro Stock machines making the field for eliminations, there was only one all-Elite pairing in the first round. Bo Butner made his fastest and quickest pass of the event as he raced his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro to a 6.53 at 210.90 against his teammate Cristian Cuadra who went red.
Fernando Cuadra Jr. outpaced Dallas Glenn with a margin of victory of approximately 13 inches to turn on the win light. His Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield got the starting line advantage against Camrie Caruso and his Janac Bros. / Melling Engine Parts / JC3 Energy Services Camaro never trailed for the win.
Enders defeated Eric Latino as she made the quickest and fastest pass of the round, 6.514 at 210.90. Her teammates Jerry Tucker and Troy Coughlin Jr. made early exits in the first round of eliminations against Greg Anderson and Mason McGaha, respectively.
Stanfield got the jump on C. McGaha in the second heat of eliminations and his teammate Butner defeated M. McGaha, advancing both talented drivers to face each other in the semifinals. Enders bested her teammate F. Cuadra Jr. in the final matchup of Round Two.
Cutting another fantastic light, Stanfield defeated Butner with a holeshot win to advance to his first Pro Stock final round this season and the 14th of his career. As Enders lined up against Anderson for the 53rd time in her career, her car shook at the launch and she had to let off early. However, her advancement to the semifinal round propelled her to the top of the Countdown to the Championship points standings. Anderson defeated Stanfield in the final round of competition.
In the FuelTech Pro Mod Series, Mason Wright outpaced himself in each of his qualifying laps to earn the No. 11 spot on the ladder. Despite an impressive reaction time of .009 seconds, he did not have enough to hold off Mike Castellana in the first round of eliminations.
Jay Storey brought home a Wally for the Patterson-Elite team at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. He powered his Super Stock COPO Camaro to win his first national event title in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
The next stop for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will be the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, October 12-15 in Ennis, Texas, just south of Dallas.
This story was originally published on October 2, 2023. 
