Aaron Stanfield and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brother’s Racing team finished the 2024 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season with a semifinal appearance at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Stanfield came up short to eventual race winner and newly crowned six-time world champion Greg Anderson. Stanfield would have a 6.510-second pass at 211.03 mph to Anderson’s 6.488 at 211.43. The semifinal appearance was Stanfield’s third of 2024, a season that will go down as his career best. He tallied six victories in ten final round appearances and only had a first-round exit three times. In the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs, Stanfield visited the final round at four events with two wins.
“I am so incredibly proud of this team. My guys, these Elite Motorsports guys, they are the best out here. Being part of this team has been an amazing experience, this season has been like no other. Having JHG, Melling and the Janac Brothers on board, I appreciate the trust they put in me, I just wish we could have capped it off with a championship,” said Stanfield who finished third for the second time in his career.. “That’s racing though. We had a great year, nothing to hang our heads about. We’ll just have to get it done next year and with the guys I have, I know we’ll be right back in it.”
Stanfield entered the weekend as the points leader and came into race day with a 28-point lead after qualifying No. 4. He kept his championship hopes alive by first defeating teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in the first round with a 6.500 at 210.18 to Troy Jr.’s 5.591 at 210.50. In the quarterfinals, Stanfield outran Matt Hartford going 6.513 at 210.24 while Hartford squared the tires for only an 8.243 pass at 132.41.
Stanfield was joined in the semifinals by reigning six-time world champion Erica Enders, she faced off against eventual race runner-up and second in points Dallas Glenn coming up short after squaring the tires. As the No. 6 qualifier, she reached the semis by defeating Eric Latino (6.523 at 210.08 def. 6.628 at 209.23) and Camrie Caruso (6.543 at 211.20 def. -.025 redlight).
Elite Motorsports will celebrate the end of the 2024 season at the NHRA Awards Banquet Monday night before celebrating the holidays and preparing for the 2025 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season.
This story was originally published on November 18, 2024. 
