GAINESVILLE, FL – Elite Motorsports enters this weekend’s Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, the first of 20 events on the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule, with their stable of six Pro Stock cars and the debut of their Top Fuel dragster program.

The Elite Motorsports R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster will make its competition debut at the season opener with motorsports legend Tony Stewart at the wheel. Stewart is in his third season as a Top Fuel pilot. He earned two victories in 2025 and secured the regular season championship before finishing fifth in points. Last year at Gainesville Raceway he had a quarterfinal exit after qualifying 11th.

“I’m about as ready as I’m going to be for the Gatornationals, and I mean that in a good way. Testing has been great, we’ve put up some impressive numbers that have this whole R+L team pretty pumped for the weekend,” said Stewart who laid down a 340-mph run on the last day of testing. “When you see numbers on the board like that, you can’t help but feel optimistic. This whole crew has been working hard so it’s going to be nice to see it officially pay off once we get the Gatornationals started. We’re definitely going to start the season strong, I’m excited about it.” Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports, NHRA’s largest professional team in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series, will field a seven car professional team heading into the 75th Anniversary season of the NHRA.

For the first time, Elite Motorsports will have a Top Fuel dragster compete in the full 20-race season with motorsports icon Tony Stewart at the wheel and R+L Carriers as the primary sponsor. Veteran crew chiefs Mike Green and Joe Barlom will lead the Top Fuel program.

“It’s been an interesting and busy few months getting ready for NHRA’s 2026 season. I think everyone’s pretty anxious, it’s a new Top Fuel program for Elite which means a new crew trying to get their bearings, new parts, new programs and then the added factor that I’m racing against my own team. It took some getting used to, my trailer and gear being at the Elite shop down the street,” said Stewart who owns Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) and fields Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett and Funny Car driver Matt Hagan. “Mike Green and Joe Barlam really took advantage of testing, not just to figure out the car, but to figure out our routine, get the guys all on the same page and make sure we’re as ready as possible for the season opener. I won’t say we’re going to be perfect but if we can replicate some of what we did at testing we’ll definitely be ready to hold our own. Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports is proud to announce Seth Wadley Auto Family, Oklahoma’s premier stop for a diverse selection of new and used vehicles, as a new partner heading into the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season,

As part of this relationship, Seth Wadley Auto Family, which operates 9 dealership locations across Oklahoma, has outfitted Elite Motorsports with the Ford Super Duty F-350 Dually that will haul The Official Line – the Tony Stewart Racing / Elite Motorsports merchandise trailer, to all 20 NHRA national events. The team is also equipped with a Dodge Durango GT Blacktop AWD HEMI V8 supported through Seth Wadley Auto Family, to serve as the tow vehicle for the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster driven by Tony Stewart.

Adding to the partnership’s strength, Royce Lee Freeman, brother of Elite Motorsports President Richard Freeman, will serve as the on?site liaison for Seth Wadley Auto Family at NHRA events, supporting partner relations, customer engagement, and trackside coordination throughout the season. Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports is pleased to announce Performance Diesel Inc. (PDI), a prominent manufacturer of engine parts for heavy-duty diesel engines, as a new partner heading into the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season.

“I’ve known Jerad [Wittwer], PDI’s owner, for a while, it was only a matter of time before we got them out here. PDI fits naturally into the heart of this sport,” said Richard Freeman. “With access to our new hospitality, they’ll be right in the middle of the people who run diesel rigs every day, the buyers, the operators, the teams who rely on this equipment to keep their programs moving. That’s the environment where real decisions get made, and it’s exactly where PDI belongs.

“We built PDI on hard work, integrity, and engineering that stands up to real-world demands,” said Jerad Wittwer, owner of PDI. “Elite Motorsports represents that same mindset — preparation, precision, and performance under pressure. We’re proud to stand behind a team that values excellence the way we do.” Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports is proud to announce a partnership with HBOT4Heroes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to veterans and first responders suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), post?traumatic stress (PTSD), and other invisible wounds of service.

“HBOT4Heroes is doing life?changing work, and we’re honored to help amplify their mission,” said Richard Freeman, Owner and President of Elite Motorsports. “The NHRA community includes countless veterans and first responders. Supporting an organization that is actively saving lives is something we’re proud to stand behind.”

HBOT4Heroes provides access to HBOT, an evidence?supported therapy that delivers oxygen in a pressurized environment to help stimulate cellular repair, improve blood flow and reduce symptoms associated with TBI and PTSD. HBOT4Heroes’ mission is rooted in a critical and urgent reality: an estimated 44 veterans die by suicide each day — a number far higher than the traditional cited 17-22 per day —  and a driving force behind the organization’s work to expand access to care. Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – As Elite Motorsports continues to solidify its standing as the largest professional team in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series, the organization has stayed dedicated to maintaining and building relationships with its longtime partners.

Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, the very best in custom cars, trucks and crate engines, Melling Performance Parts, a top manufacturer of the newest cutting edge performance parts, CTech Manufacturing, a leader in premium aluminum carts cabinets and drawers, Outlaw Light Beer, the fastest growing domestic light beer in the U.S., and Competition Trailers, a manufacturer of custom specialty trailers, have renewed their partnerships with the team, continuing their role as significant contributors through the 2026 season.

“There’s been a lot of expansion at Elite Motorsports, we’re growing, it’s a good thing. The best part is that our already amazing partners are choosing to grow with us,” said Richard Freeman, owner and President of Elite Motorsports. “We have some of the best partners who happen to have some of the best people in this sport. JHG, Melling, CTech, they’re all either family businesses, or know how to treat their employees and partners like family, just like Elite. Having them onboard isn’t great just because they are quality brands with exceptional products, but because they get it and they want to be part of what we’re doing.” Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports LLC, the largest professional drag racing team in NHRA Championship Drag Racing, has announced Sander Racing Wheels, a leader in manufacturing high-performance wheels across motorsports, as their newest partner.

In what will prove to be a long-term relationship, Sander Racing Wheels, headquartered in Madera, California, will supply the wheels for all of Elite Motorsports’ fielded entries beginning in the 2026 NHRA Drag Racing Series season. This includes Pro Stock machines driven by six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., the Top Fuel dragster that will be driven by motorsports icon Tony Stewart and the growing Pro Mod program headlined by Mason Wright.

“We’re excited to bring Sander Racing Wheels on board with Elite. We focus on partnering with companies that share our vision of elevating the sport, and that’s exactly what they do,” said Richard Freeman, owner and President of Elite Motorsports. “We’ve had the opportunity to run their wheels in the past and we’re looking forward to exclusively showing their product on track and bringing more visibility to their brand. Ultimately, we want to help spread their brand across all categories of the sport which is why we’ll be using Sander Racing Wheels across the board in Pro Stock, Top Fuel, the Pro Mod programs and on my brother’s [Royce Lee] Competition Eliminator car.” Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – Elite Motorsports enters the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, the finale of the 2025 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season, with momentum. With points-and-a-half up for grabs at historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip the Pro Stock powerhouse is poised for a strong close, spearheaded by Aaron Stanfield in the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brother’s Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

Stanfield has navigated a challenging 2025 season with resilience, transforming early inconsistencies into late-season reliability. Stanfield will be chasing his first victory of the season to avoid his first winless year since competing in Pro Stock fulltime in 2020. The Elite standout has notched 20 round wins across 17 events, including runner-up finishes at the Sonoma Nationals where he came up short to father, Greg Stanfield, and the Texas FallNationals. He also visited the final quad of the fall Four-Wide Carolina Nationals and has five semifinal finishes on the season.

Sitting fourth in the Pro Stock championship points standings, Stanfield is only 38 behind third-place Matt Hartford and enters Pomona with a chance to tie a career best points finish of third (he previously finished third in 2024 and 2022). Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Beer team led Elite Motorsports at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, advancing to the semifinals Sunday at the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals.

Jeg. Jr., a five-time Pro Stock world champion, qualified in the No. 10 spot with a 6.613-second pass at 207.5 mph. In the opening round, Jeg Jr. faced Eric Latino and despite leaving the starting line second, made up the difference pulling ahead for a 6.617 pass at 207.05 to defeat Latino’s 6.677 at 207.72.

The quarterfinals brought a tricky pedal-fest against teammate and No. 2 qualifier Aaron Stanfield in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing machine. Both drivers battled tire shake, but Jeg Jr. recovered first for a 6.672-second pass at 207.05 mph while Stanfield went 6.715 at 207.62. Stanfield made it to the second round after defeating teammate Cristian Cuadra in the first round (6.595 at 208.17 def. 6.642 at 206.99).

In the semis, Jeg. Jr. matched up with Matt Hartford. Holding a 12–5 record over Hartford in prior meetings; Jeg Jr. left the line first and ran a 6.668-second pass at 206.45 but it wasn’t enough for Hartford’s 6.603 at 207.40. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Elite Motorsports storms into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with sights set on a statement-making weekend at the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals. Leading the charge is Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment machine who have turned Vegas into a kingdom where she’s reigned supreme, boasting more wins than any NHRA professional.

With 10 total victories at the facility, six at the fall Nevada Nationals and four at the spring event, Enders enters the penultimate event of the 2025 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series not with excuses, but with unyielding resolve. Despite a season where the points have fallen short of expectations, the winningest female in motorsports with 50 national event titles—49 of them in Pro Stock— has transformed adversity into motivation.

“The amount of work that has gone on at Elite Motorsports in 2025 is unfathomable,” Enders said. “There’s a striking difference between us and our competitors. When we are behind, we put our heads down and go to work. And that’s exactly what we’ve done this season. The way the points are panning out is nothing short of an embarrassment but at the same time, we use it as fuel to motivate us in the future. Continue reading →