When you’re chasing NHRA Pro Stock championships, standing still isn’t an option.
Elite Motorsports has built its reputation by making calculated decisions that keep its championship-caliber program at the front of one of drag racing’s most competitive classes. Now, with just two races remaining before the 2026 Countdown to the Championship begins, the team is making one of its biggest technical changes in years.
Beginning at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals on August 21-23, Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield, and Troy Coughlin Jr. will transition from Quarter-Max Racing RJ Race Cars chassis to Jerry Haas Race Cars, joining teammate Greg Stanfield, who has already proven the platform’s potential throughout the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Elite Motorsports Commits To A Major Chassis Change
Changing chassis manufacturers in the middle of a championship season is not a decision any top-tier team takes lightly. But Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman believes the timing is right.
The organization actually began planning the move well over a year ago.
“We’ve been poised to make this switch for a while,” said Richard Freeman, owner of Elite Motorsports. “We ordered the cars, me and Joe Janac who owns Aaron and Greg Stanfield’s cars, at the start of 2025 and got the last one delivered a few months ago. I thought we would wait until the hood scoops were back in 2027 to make the full team switch, but we’ve seen the elevated performance.”
Rather than waiting another season, Elite Motorsports has decided the on-track results justify accelerating the transition.
Greg Stanfield Became The Proof Of Concept
The biggest reason behind the move has been sitting in the opposite lane all season.
Greg Stanfield has quietly assembled one of the strongest campaigns in the Pro Stock category while driving a Jerry Haas chassis, giving Elite Motorsports plenty of real-world data to evaluate. He’s made six semifinal appearances, picked up a Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory, been in back-to-back final rounds, and won the NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Those results have vaulted Stanfield to third in the Pro Stock championship standings, putting him firmly in title contention with only two races remaining before the Countdown begins.
For Freeman, those performances made the decision increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It’s a big, risky move and we aren’t taking it lightly,” Freeman continued. “The proof is on the track. Greg’s success has changed our mindset. Making the switch now means all our cars will have a chance to compete for the championship.”
A Championship-Proven Platform
Jerry Haas Race Cars hardly needs an introduction within the Pro Stock community.
Over the past four decades, Jerry Haas has established one of the sport’s most successful chassis-building operations, earning 12 Car Craft Magazine All-Star Drag Racing Pro Stock Team Chassis Builder Awards dating back to 1986.
The company’s chassis designs have continuously evolved through years of competition and collaboration with some of drag racing’s most successful racers and tuners. Features such as Haas’ four-link rear suspension design have become hallmarks of the platform’s consistent performance.
The move wasn’t based on reputation alone, it was backed by months of data gathered from Greg Stanfield’s race-winning program.
Testing Before Brainerd
Before the new cars officially debut in national event competition, Elite Motorsports plans to conduct a private test session at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The closed-door testing program will allow the team to establish baseline setups before unloading at Brainerd International Raceway.
Freeman believes the organization already has enough information to accelerate the learning curve.
“It’s a big step, but the timing couldn’t be better,” Freeman said. “We have the data, we have someplace to start so we’ll test for a couple days and, based on what we know, we should see the difference almost immediately. It’s going to be an exciting end to this season.”
A Calculated Gamble
Changing chassis manufacturers with a championship on the line carries undeniable risk. The timing of the announcement is especially significant. Only two races remain in the NHRA regular season before points reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship. Any improvement in consistency or performance could dramatically impact Elite Motorsports’ championship chances.
If the Jerry Haas chassis delivers the same level of performance across the entire organization that Greg Stanfield has demonstrated this season, Elite Motorsports could become an even more formidable force during the championship stretch.
Rather than waiting until the offseason, Freeman and his team are betting that adopting the Jerry Haas platform now provides the best opportunity to compete for another NHRA Pro Stock championship.
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