Elite Motorsports Ready For NHRA Countdown Battle At U.S. 131 Raceway Park

The NHRA regular season is over, the points have been reset, and now there’s only one objective for Elite Motorsports: win a championship.

The six-race NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship begins with the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Raceway Park. It’s the first of three consecutive race weekends to open the playoffs and marks the return of NHRA national-event racing to U.S. 131 after a 66-year absence.

Elite Motorsports will arrive with several drivers positioned to make a championship run. Greg Stanfield leads the organization’s Pro Stock contingent from third in points, Erica Enders starts fifth, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Aaron Stanfield are tied for seventh, and Troy Coughlin Jr. begins the Countdown 10th. Tony Stewart, meanwhile, enters the Top Fuel playoffs fourth in points.

Greg Stanfield has quietly put together one of the most consistent Pro Stock seasons in the Elite Motorsports camp.

The Janac Brothers Racing driver enters the Countdown third in points after winning the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, qualifying No. 1 at the Potomac Nationals in Maryland, reaching seven semifinals, and finishing runner-up in Seattle. Even more impressive, Stanfield has suffered just one first-round loss all season.

This weekend will also mark a career milestone as Stanfield competes in his 300th Pro Stock national event.

“I’m looking forward to the Countdown to the Championship. This whole year has been a dogfight. We’ve been lucky to come out on top a few times and to be entering the Countdown third in points is a great position to be in,” Stanfield said. “We aren’t getting too comfortable. Now the real work begins. With three back-to-back races, there’s no chance to let up, no one else is. If we want to stay at the top, we need to keep our heads down and keep working like we have been all year. All the long days, the extra testing, this is where it pays off. Hopefully we can make a splash early, create some separation after the points reset, and keep ourselves in the championship conversation until the very end.”

That consistency could become especially important now that the points have been compressed. A long day at the Countdown opener could immediately put Stanfield in the thick of the championship battle.

Tony Stewart enters the Countdown fourth in Top Fuel points, only 18 markers behind wife Leah Pruett in third.

Stewart picked up his first victory for Elite Motorsports at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona in April and enters the playoffs with momentum after reaching the U.S. Nationals final two weeks ago. U.S. 131 represents something different for the NHRA Mission Foods Series. With the track new to the current national-event schedule, teams don’t have the same notebook of recent NHRA runs they can lean on at many other facilities.

“I like things that stir the pot a little bit, and to see us go to a track that nobody’s been to yet, and for it to be the first race of the Countdown, nobody has historical data to go off of, so it’s absolutely the biggest equalizer you can ask for,” Stewart said. “With where this R+L car is at right now, I feel comfortable going into a new track like this. Mike Green and Joe Barlam and all our guys are in a good spot, our car’s in a good spot. When it comes to experience in the Countdown, I’m probably the youngest guy on tour, besides Maddi Gordon. So anything that’s different or has the potential to shake things up, I feel like it only helps us. I think it’s a great way to start the Countdown, and depending on what the racetrack gives us, things could get pretty exciting.”

Erica Enders knows a thing or two about winning when the pressure gets turned up.

The six-time Pro Stock world champion enters the Countdown fifth in points with her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/R+L Carriers team. Enders’ regular season included a runner-up finish to Stanfield at Sonoma, five semifinal appearances, and a No. 1 qualifying effort in Chicago.

The Elite Motorsports operation has been working through a significant race-car and clutch-program transition, but Enders isn’t discouraged by her starting position.

“We’re still trying to figure out the clutch program and our race car program. These are all new race cars, so it’s just going to take some time. To have such a strong group of drivers, like we have, is pretty important, especially at this point in the season,” Enders said. “If you had told me earlier in the year that we would be entering the Countdown fifth in points, it wouldn’t have made much sense. I think it’s a fine start. We’ve won championships from worse positions than that. After these next three in a row, we’ll have a really good idea of where we stand. We’ve just got to go out there and give it our all and play with all the heart we got.”

For Jeg Coughlin Jr., the Countdown opener isn’t just another new stop on the NHRA schedule. U.S. 131 Raceway Park is part of his family’s racing history.

Coughlin starts the Countdown tied for seventh with teammate Aaron Stanfield after a strong U.S. Nationals performance. He qualified 13th at Indy but raced all the way to the final round.

Now the yellow-and-black JEGS machine heads to a facility Coughlin remembers from childhood.

“As we enter round one of six of the Countdown to the Championship, we are heading to a new event for the NHRA tour at a venue that is very near and dear to my heart,” Jeg Jr. said. “I grew up at U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Michigan. I’ve ridden my bicycle on every single inch of that ground, the motocross track, everywhere on the racetrack, around the pits. It was one of those iconic spots in the 70s, always so cool to go to. My dad was racing an Alcohol dragster, and then later in Top Fuel. And it hosted one of the biggest meets outside of the national event in the late 70s called the Popular Hot Rodding Event, so cool. Let’s fast-forward to 2026 though, we’ve got some great momentum coming off of a nice showing at Indy. The new car is definitely continuing to respond to changes and fixes that we’re giving it. I’m really excited to unite with our Michigan fans and fans nearby in Indiana and Ohio. It should be an amazing event, and it’s coming at a great time of the year. This track usually has teeth on a bad day, so I’m sure it’s going to be really good for the NHRA tour.”

Aaron Stanfield enters the Countdown alongside Coughlin in seventh. His regular season included victories in Chicago and Norwalk, giving the JHG/Melling/Janac Brothers team proof that it has a combination capable of winning races.

Now all the testing, chassis changes, and long days at the shop have to pay off.

“It’s going to be a fight this year. It always is. This Elite Motorsports team probably hasn’t had a day off all year. These guys have been back in the shop, looking for changes and tweaks that can be made to get us ahead. Testing, changing chassis, all of it is for these last six races. The points have reset, and it’s really anybody’s championship to claim. These first three races, back-to-back the way that they are, could really help build momentum, but they’ll also start to show who is really making a run for the No. 1 spot. We plan to be right at the top, in contention until that last pass down the track in Pomona. Hopefully we’re surrounded by the rest of our Elite Motorsports teammates. It should be exciting, I know I’m looking forward to it.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. has more ground to make up, but the points reset keeps his championship hopes alive.

Coughlin begins the Countdown 10th, 110 points behind the leader. His regular season included a runner-up finish at South Georgia Motorsports Park and semifinal appearances in Maryland and Sonoma. The Sonoma race also produced the first all-Elite Motorsports semifinal round.

Coughlin believes his JEGS program has made progress at the right time.

“Heading into the Countdown is exciting. The points reset, and it really evens the playing field,” Troy Jr. said. “We’re entering with the same mindset as those sitting at the top of the leaderboard. We owe that to our partners, our teammates, and to ourselves. Elite has been working tirelessly to give us all the best shot at winning a title. This JEGS team is knocking on the door. We’ve turned some corners with our program, and I think we’re going to be some party crashers.”

Elite Motorsports has strength in numbers.

Stanfield enters third and has been remarkably consistent. Enders brings six Pro Stock championships worth of experience. Coughlin is coming off an Indy runner-up. Aaron Stanfield already has multiple victories this season. Troy Coughlin Jr. believes his program is beginning to turn the corner. Stewart arrives in Michigan fresh off his Top Fuel runner-up at the U.S. Nationals.

For Elite Motorsports, the work done throughout the regular season was about getting to this point. Now it’s time to see which of its teams can make that work pay off.