WYNNEWOOD, OK – Veteran racer Mike Coughlin will celebrate 40 years of having an NHRA license by driving a Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock entry for Elite Motorsports during the 2025 JHG NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock season.

“Richard [Freeman, owner of Elite Motorsports] and I had been talking for a couple years now. Our families have dealt with each other for a long time in the drag racing space,” Coughlin said. “Being involved with Elite, it’s a highlight. The team is really second to none. Everything is done right and if it’s not right, they make it right. That’s just the way they roll. I’m looking forward to being around and associated with that level of professionalism and for the chance to represent Jason and Nikki Johnson of JHG.”

Coughlin, who will be joining his brother six-time world champion Jeg Jr. and nephew Troy Jr. racing under the Elite banner, began his racing career in 1985 driving in the Super Gas class. His first NHRA national event victory came in Pro Stock Truck in 1999 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.  With six wins in Pro Stock Truck, including two at the prestigious U.S. Nationals in 1999 and 2001and the final event of the now defunct Pro Stock Truck class at the NHRA Finals in 2001, Mike is familiar with the five-speed transmission. Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – 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.” Continue reading →

POMONA, CA – Aaron Stanfield and his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing team enter this weekend’s In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip with the Pro Stock points lead.

Coming off a win at the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, Stanfield earned a 32-point lead heading into the finale of the 2024 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season. No matter the outcome on Sunday, 2024 is a career best season for Stanfield.

He and his JHG / Melling team have made 10 final round appearances in 2024 and have turned six of those finals into victories, including two in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race Playoffs.

Since his first final round appearance of the season at the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals in April, Stanfield has not dropped below fifth in the standings. He had a streak of four consecutive final round appearances beginning at the prestigious U.S. Nationals that went through the first three races of the Countdown and he has been to the final round in four of the five Countdown races contested. Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Stephen Bell, a seven-time winner in NHRA’s Factory Stock Showdown (FSS), will break into the professional Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series ranks at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida March 7-9. Bell will compete for a minimum of 10 races under the Elite Motorsports banner in 2025.

“I could not be more excited. To get to race Pro Stock as part of Elite Motorsports, I know the car is going to be awesome. I’m going to be the weak link in the equation and it’s going to take time to get my craft up to speed, I’m not delusional about that,” said Bell who will have 1320 LLC, the company that houses his umbrella of motorsports interests, represented on the side of his Pro Stock hot rod. “We’ll race in chunks, so hopefully I can make some real progress with consistent time behind the wheel and who knows, maybe we’ll add on some races.”

Bell has had a passion and admiration for the sport of drag racing long before he was able to get in the driver’s seat during competition.

“I grew up around racing but had no real ability to afford to race for a long time,” said Bell who also competed in the Factory X class in 2024. “In 2008 Ford came out with the Cobra Jet and then there was the Drag Pak, COPO and then by 2010, Factory classes started forming. I was fortunate enough to be able to break into the community that way. I feel like I’ve checked the box on the Factory racing so when [Elite Motorsports team owner] Richard Freeman and I started talking earlier this season, the idea of making the change really stuck.” Continue reading →

WYNNEWOOD, OK – Longtime NHRA drag racer and newly crowned Factory X world champion, Greg Stanfield will return to NHRA Pro Stock racing in 2025. Greg will race under the Elite Motorsports banner alongside his son, 2024 championship contender, Aaron Stanfield.

Greg has put together a multiyear deal to represent Janac Brothers Racing and The Rod Shop along with associate sponsors PJQ and Roasters as well as the rest of the Elite Motorsports family of partners beginning at the season opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 7-9 in Florida.

“I’m excited. To have the opportunity to race professionally with my son, that’s something I can’t pass up,” Greg said. “Richard Freeman (Elite Motorsports owner) has created such a good foundation for racers at Elite Motorsports. When I raced before, everyone had their own engine program. This takes the pressure off trying to build engines, tune them, race them. This way I get all the fun and less of the worrying.

“Everyone is really excited about this. Aaron was a huge advocate for me getting back into Pro Stock racing,” Greg said. “Joe and David Janac are so supportive and of course are already part of the Elite family. We are also thankful for the support of Rick and Gil Kirk of the Rod Shop along with Pat Quinn and Craig Gaultiere. Knowing how much everyone has rallied around this decision makes me all the more excited.” Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – Aaron Stanfield and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing team took over the Pro Stock points lead in the process of winning sixth race of the season Monday at the postponed Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Stanfield defeated Elite Motorsports rival Greg Anderson on a holeshot in what was his 10th final round appearance of the season on Monday. Stanfield left the starting line in .023 seconds and laid down a his 6.606-second pass, his quickest of the weekend, at 206.13 mph that was enough to defeat Anderson’s 6.591, which was the quickest of the entire event, at 206.39 with a .043 reaction time.

“I have the greatest guys out here at the track, I have all the confidence in them. We had some different conditions today with it being a little cooler and really windy. These Pro Stock cars can be tricky when there’s not as many cars out on track,” Stanfield said. “I have to thank JHG, Jason and Nikki Johnson, the Melling Brothers who are here this week and we’re going to visit at SEMA tomorrow, Joe Janac, all the Elite boys. This was a big win for us.” Continue reading →

LAS VEGSA – Erica Enders, driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment, is the winningest driver in NHRA history at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She’s hoping lady luck will again be on her side this weekend for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.

Between the spring Four-Wide Nationals run in April and the fall NHRA Nationals that is always contested on Halloween weekend, Enders has won at The Strip 10 times, more than any other professional NHRA driver in any category.

Enders is sitting fourth in points, only 111 behind the lead. With one win this season and three runner-up finishes, the six-time world champion is looking for her 50th career national event victory, 49th in Pro Stock while she chases her seventh world title.

“This is a really important race, we are definitely looking for a win to make sure we keep the door open for a seventh world title,” Enders said. “We’ve been working hard to get acquainted with our new car and unfortunately it takes time. But we’re excited to be coming back to a track we have a lot of success at.” Continue reading →

ENNIS, TX – Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG Power Equipment / Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer team picked up their fourth win of the season Sunday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals. It was Jeg Jr.’s second win at the Texas Motorplex, his first came back in 2002.

Jeg Jr. defeated longtime rival Greg Anderson in the final round when he laid down a 6.593-second pass at 208.10 mph that bettered Anderson’s 6.603 at 210.13. It was Jeg Jr.’s 120th final round appearance and 69th career victory.

“This feels fantastic. I was looking through some of our family stats and race wins and I realized it’s been some time since I won here. It’s great to renew my vows at the Texas Motorplex. Billy Meyer and his family put a lot of heart and soul into not only this event weekend but the whole week of Stampede of Speed,” Jeg. Jr. said. “We had our JEGS Allstars this weekend, as well, and the 80 racers who competed in that event seemed like they had a really nice weekend and we crowned 10 great champions. For me, the cherry on top was for Justin Ashley and I to get our first double together as SCAG teammates. I’m really eager to go celebrate with our team; it should be a big one.” Continue reading →

ENNIS, TX – Just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the Elite Motorsports’ headquarters in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex just outside of Dallas acts as a home race for the eight-car stable. It seems only fitting that Texas native and Texas Sports Hall of Fame nominee, six-time reigning world champion Erica Enders would be looking to win the event for the third consecutive year.

Ahead of FallNationals competition, the Texas Motorplex offers a unique experience for race fans. The Stampede of Speed is a week-long festival style event with concerts, fan experiences and plenty of drag racing culminating with the Texas NHRA FallNationals that starts with Friday night racing and a chance at a cash prize for being quickest of the day and ends with the event champions wearing custom cowboy hats.

“The Stampede of Speed is always such a fun week. What the Meyer family does for this event and our sport is second to none. I’ve been racing at this track since I was eight years old, and it holds a special place in my heart,” Enders said. “We’ve won here a handful of times including the last two years and we are looking to defend our home turf again this year. The championship is within reach, but we have to get to work. A win here in Dallas, would catapult us to exactly where we want to be, rolling into another favorite of ours, Vegas. I have all of the faith in the world in this team and what an honor it would be, to win for Mark Ingersoll this weekend.” Continue reading →

MADISON, IL – Aaron Stanfield and his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing team raced to their ninth final round appearance of the season Sunday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Stanfield has now made final round appearances at the last four consecutive events, visiting the winners circle twice. He’ll leave the St. Louis area sitting second in points by only 31 with three events left in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

In the finals, Stanfield and the JHG / Melling boys took on season rival Dallas Glenn. Stanfield would have a solid 6.586-second pass at 206.01 mph down World Wide Technology Raceway but it wouldn’t be enough for Glenn’s 6.577 at 207.82.

“It’s been a good three-in-a-row, really it’s been a good second-half of the season for us. Of course, today, not the result we wanted, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes, that’s racing. Dallas and I are both really hungry to win right now. Today he made the better run but it’s far from over,” Stanfield said. “There’s still three races left, and I just might as well win all three of them.” Continue reading →