The NHRA Brainerd Nationals could represent one of the most important weekends of Elite Motorsports’ 2026 season, and not simply because the Countdown to the Championship is looming.
After three weeks away from NHRA competition, the Wynnewood, Oklahoma-based operation arrives at Brainerd International Raceway with a postseason berth already secured for Greg Stanfield, a collection of proven Minnesota winners, and four brand-new Jerry Haas Race Cars ready to make their competition debut.
With only Brainerd and the U.S. Nationals remaining before the six-race Countdown begins, Elite isn’t waiting for the offseason to make a major technical move. Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield, and Troy Coughlin Jr. will all transition to Jerry Haas chassis beginning this weekend, joining Greg Stanfield, whose success with the platform helped convince Elite to make the change sooner rather than later.
Greg Stanfield Has Already Locked Into The NHRA Countdown
Greg Stanfield enters Brainerd with one major piece of championship business already handled.
The veteran racer has officially secured his place in the 2026 NHRA Countdown to the Championship after putting together one of Elite Motorsports’ strongest Pro Stock seasons.
Stanfield’s year has included only two first-round losses, a No. 1 qualifying position, six semifinal appearances, a Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win, and consecutive final-round appearances highlighted by his victory at the Sonoma Nationals.
That Sonoma performance helped put Stanfield firmly into the championship conversation and confirmed his postseason berth.
“It’s been a hard-fought season for everyone at Elite. Already earning a spot in the Countdown is a reflection of more than just the hard work of this Janac Brothers team but of everyone who works at Elite Motorsports,” Stanfield said. “Breaking through for a win in Sonoma, that was a true team win that wouldn’t have been possible without the motivation and grit of all these guys and girls. Moving forward, we’re going to continue to put our best foot forward and keep our momentum going. Now’s not the time to let up, the championship fight is just getting started, and I’m excited to see what happens.”
Making the Countdown is only step one. The real objective is showing up to the postseason with enough performance to win the whole thing.
Elite Motorsports Makes Its Jerry Haas Chassis Switch
Greg Stanfield’s success has also served as an extended test session for the direction Elite Motorsports will take going forward.
Stanfield has competed in a Jerry Haas chassis throughout the season. Beginning at Brainerd, most of the rest of Elite’s primary Pro Stock lineup will follow him. Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield, and Troy Coughlin Jr. will all debut new Jerry Haas Race Cars at Brainerd International Raceway.
That means five Elite entries will now operate on the same basic chassis platform.
The change represents much more than putting different tubing underneath the same engines. Pro Stock is a category where small improvements in chassis behavior, weight transfer, suspension response, and consistency can make a significant difference. When races are routinely decided by thousandths of a second, there isn’t much room to leave performance sitting on the table.
Indianapolis Test Gives Elite Confidence
The three-week break in the NHRA schedule gave Elite Motorsports something particularly valuable: time. Team members spent countless hours assembling, preparing, and refining the new cars before taking them to Indianapolis Raceway Park for a private test session.
According to Elite crew chief Chase Freeman, the early results were exactly what the organization hoped to see.
“Testing was successful. We absolutely have race cars that can qualify in the top half and win on race day,” said Chase Freeman, one of the crew chiefs at Elite Motorsports. “Plus paired with our driver lineup? Yeah, we’re coming”
The team believes it already has combinations capable of qualifying in the upper half of the field and contending for race wins. Now Brainerd will provide the first real test under national-event pressure.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. Knows How To Win At Brainerd
If you’re going to debut a new Pro Stock car, having one of the most accomplished drivers in NHRA history behind the wheel certainly doesn’t hurt.
Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has four career victories at Brainerd International Raceway, winning in 1999, 2002, 2007, and 2010. Few active Pro Stock competitors have been more successful in Minnesota.
Coughlin also understands what makes Brainerd different from virtually every other stop on the NHRA schedule.
“Brainerd has always been a very fun event. From my first time there in 1990 to present we’ve always enjoyed great success and had a blast with the fans. The famous Brainerd Zoo never disappoints. To have nearly 20,000 fans camping and enjoying NHRA racing is what makes this so unique. This year should be no different,” Jeg Jr. said. “Our friends and partners at Outlaw Light Beer will again have a huge presence in the Zoo and Troy Jr., the JEGS and JHG crews will look to live it up come Saturday afternoon.
“Team Elite has been working overtime to get myself and my teammates into new cars and our testing thus far feels very promising,” Jeg Jr. continued. “It should be an exciting weekend. I know I’m looking forward to it.”
Erica Enders Also Has Brainerd Hardware
Coughlin isn’t the only Elite driver with a history of success at Brainerd.
Six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders owns two victories at the Minnesota facility, coming in 2012 and 2015. That means Elite’s veteran lineup already possesses a significant amount of knowledge about how Brainerd International Raceway behaves throughout a race weekend. That experience could prove especially useful while sorting new cars.
A new chassis can look fantastic during a private test, but a national event introduces changing track temperatures, qualifying pressure, lane differences, and the need to make quick tuning decisions between rounds. Drivers such as Enders and Coughlin have seen virtually every situation Pro Stock can throw at them. That experience should shorten the learning curve.
Greg Stanfield already has his Countdown ticket punched, but the rest of Elite Motorsports still has plenty at stake. Brainerd represents an opportunity to improve playoff positioning, continue developing the new chassis package, and possibly put another Elite driver into the winner’s circle before the points reset.
You might also like
WAR At 304 Proves Grassroots No-Prep Racing Is Alive And Well
WAR at 304 was a true grassroots no-prep battle for the ages. Check out all the action from 304 Motorsports Park right here.
