CHANDLER AZ – On an unusually busy Saturday at Firebird Motorsports Park, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG Power Equipment/Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer machine qualified No. 1 for the NHRA Arizona Nationals while Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling performance/SCAG Power Equipment team won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and finished runner-up in the postponed NHRA Winternationals

Coughlin Jr. rallied to his first qualifying position of the season, 35th of his career and second at Firebird Motorsports Park with an impressive 6.517-second pass at 210.64 mph during the final qualifying session.

“Feels great to have this No. 1. It’s a big testament to the Elite team. We have eight cars on property, it’s one thing to keep them going straight but it’s another thing to have, as many of them as we do, running as well as they are,” Coughlin Jr. said. “To be on the poll in just third event back in the seat with this SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer car feels fantastic. I had my hands full on that first run but it was a good run. The car was amazing and was moving through all the gears. Continue reading →

CHANDLER, AZ – Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Pro Stock team have a unique opportunity to win three events in one weekend at Firebird Motorsports Park.

With only three qualifying sessions, the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and a postponed final round from the Winternationals, every run down Firebird Motorsports Park will count for Enders at this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals.

Enders will kick off the event with the first round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge where she’ll faceoff against Greg Anderson who she defeated in the NHRA Winternationals semifinals. The Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge features a rematch of the semifinalists at the previous event offering a bonus purse and bonus championship points. The second and final round of the Challenge will be contested Saturday during the second qualifying session.

The final session of qualifying could be a milestone for the six-time reigning world champion as she races against Dallas Glenn in the rain delayed NHRA Winternationals finals for her 50th national event win. She’ll then have the chance at a second Wally on Sunday for her 51st national event victory, 50th in Pro Stock. It would also be her third win at the Arizona Nationals.

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POMONA, CA – Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment team are one step away from the six-time world champion’s 50th career NHRA national event win. Enders reached her 82nd national event final round Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternatioanls at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip before the event was cut short due to consistent rain.

Enders, already the winningest female in motorsports history, is set to race against Dallas Glenn in the Winternationals final round that will be contested during the NHRA Arizona Nationals. It will be Enders’ 80th Pro Stock final and her 82nd career NHRA national event final.

Enders entered race day as the No. 2 qualifier with a 6.547 second pass at 210.73 mph during an abbreviated two sessions of qualifying. The JHG/Melling/SCAG team started their day driving past teammate Fernando Cuadra Jr. with a 6.679 second pass at 203.61 mph while F. Cuadra Jr. and his Corral Boots/Cuadra/Columbia Impex car had severe tire shake shutting off to coast to an 11.545 pass.

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POMONA, CA – It’s safe to say it’s been a good start to 2024 for six-time world champion Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment team. They enter this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip off the heels of Enders’ first victory at Gainesville Raceway’s Gatornationals.

Her win just two weeks ago was her 49th NHRA career national event victory, 48th in Pro Stock and already her second overall win of the year. Before the start of the Mission Foods NHRA Series, Enders’ year kicked-off with a $125,000 win at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Florida.

“Being undefeated with two races under our belts, this JHG/Melling/SCAG team is definitely looking forward to heading to Pomona for the Winternationals,” said Enders. “We debuted a new car this year and usually with that comes some growing pains, so we’re excited that we’re starting off on the right foot with our new Rick Jones Camaro. The weather forecast looks conducive for some fast runs so I’m hopeful we’ll have nothing but win lights again this weekend.”

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GAINESVILLE, FL – In her own words, reigning world champion Erica Enders got the gator off her back this weekend after she powered her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment hot rod to the winners circle Sunday at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway for the first time.

Enders would earn her 49th career win, 48th in Pro Stock, against teammate Cristian Cuadra and his Corral Boots/Cuadra/Columbia Impex car. Enders left the starting line first and had a solid 6.494 second pass at 211.93 mph. Cuadra, who was the No. 2 qualifier, would experience tire shake almost immediately coasting to the finish line in 18.386 seconds.

“Two Elite Motorsports cars in the final round, that’s pretty awesome. The Cuadra Boys, they are a huge asset to this team and to our sport. Those boys are going be a force to be reckoned with, I promise,” Enders said. “Cristian and I joked and talked on Thursday that we should meet in the finals and then we qualified one and two and I was like, we can really do this.

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GAINESVILLE, FL – Six-time world champion Erica Enders in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment Pro Stock car held onto the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway after qualifying for Pro Stock was cut short to only three sessions due to inclement weather.

Enders picked up the 35th No. 1 qualifier of her career, her first at the Gatornationals, with a 6.549-second pass at 208.10 mph on Saturday afternoon. Enders, who earned eight bonus points for her qualifying efforts, is hoping the firsts continue into race day as she hunts down her first win at Gainesville Raceway, the only facility on tour she has not yet won at.

“I definitely feel confident. We have a really great JHG/Melling/SCAG race car this weekend. We’re on the heels of winning a pretty big race a few weeks ago and it seems to be translating just fine. But there’s really great cars out there and a lot of really good drivers so we just have to put our heads down and go to work and hope for no crazy parts failures or weird things happen. Keep the Gator in the pond and try to park the car in the winners circle tomorrow,” said Enders who is referencing her first round loss to teammate Jerry Tucker after her car failed to fire up on the starting line. “I would like to do well here in Gainesville. We really haven’t had much luck.”

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WYNNEWOOD, OK – Kelley Murphy, who works on the JEGs.com / White Castle car of Troy Coughlin Jr. for Elite Motorsports, will be fulfilling a 28-year dream when he makes his Pro Stock debut at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 8-10.

Murphy, whose father Tim worked with Pro Stock legends Steve Schmidt and Mark Ingersoll in the 90s, finished his Pro Stock licensing process on Wednesday, February 21st with two full passes of 6.64 seconds at 188 mph and 6.63 at 190 at Tulsa Raceway Park.

“Rolling up there on Friday for the first time I’m definitely going to be excited. Probably going to be nervous as can be,” said Murphy who will have Mark Ingersoll and Tim Freeman tuning his car with Matt Hasara on the engine and Steven Hurley on the clutch. “I know that as long as I do what I did in Tulsa, I’ll be fine. Just need to take a breath and just do what we know how to do. There are a lot of people who would love to get the chance to do this, professionally race, and I have the opportunity. There are going to be a lot of eyeballs on us, its’ the season opener.”

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BRADENTON, FL – Erica Enders and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment rallied to victory Saturday at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout at Brandenton Motorsports Park. Their win at the inaugural event not only earns them bragging rights but a $125,000 pay day.

In the final round, Enders would race to the quarter-mile in a stout 6.531-seconds at 210.05 mph to take down rival Dave Connolly’s 6.577 at 208.11.

“We are so lucky to have partners like JHG and SCAG. They really dove into this event headfirst and supported this race, not just the race cars but the entire PRO Superstar Shootout. There’s such a sense of pride I feel having partners that believe in what we believe in. You can’t compare it to anything. So, it means a lot to be in that final round, to get that win. I would be lying if I told you my heart rate wasn’t a little higher than normal,” said Enders, who entered the day as the No. 1 qualifier and earned the $10,000 bonus from Lucas Oil.

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BRADENTON, FL – Six-time world champion Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/SCAG Power Equipment Pro Stock team landed the No. 1 qualifying position Friday at the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage at Brandenton Motorsports Park.

In the final qualifying session, Enders laid down an impressive 6.505-second pass at 210.21 mph to jump from the No. 12 qualifying position to the top spot earning the $10,000 cash bonus provided by Lucas Oil.

“We got here a week ago, and we did some testing and my race car performed awesome. Then we got to qualifying and we struggled. So I was a little nervous but I have a lot of confidence in my guys,” Enders said. “Going up there on that last run sitting No. 12, I asked my crew chief Mark Ingersoll, how do we look, and I could hear the confidence in his voice and then Jake Hairston, my tuner, came over and said we were fixing to go to the top. That gives me confidence behind the wheel.

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WYNNEWOOD, OK – Elite Motorsports, LLC announced today that Scott “Woody” Woodruff has been named the company’s Branding and Motorsports Director.

After a successful career at JEGS spanning nearly 25 years, Woodruff is eager to tackle his next challenge at Elite Motorsports, LLC. He’ll work closely with the litany of brands within the organization, including Elite Motorsports, Elite Performance, Elite HP, Patterson-Elite and Elite Cultivation, helping take each brand to a new level.

“I’m really excited about the new role and taking the things I learned the past 24 years and the relationships I’ve forged in the industry, and using a lot of that at Elite Motorsports, LLC,” Woodruff said. “I’m really looking forward to helping organize and streamline everything for all the different brands and companies, and making each program stronger and stronger.”

Woodruff has built an impressive reputation in the drag racing world, helping put the JEGS brand front and center in the sport for nearly a quarter-century. He’ll look to have a similar impact with the Elite Motorsports, LLC brand, which has enjoyed immense success in a number of different areas within motorsports.

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