After winning their first Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals last year, Erica Enders and her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment team are looking for another memorable victory at Gainesville Raceway as they chase national event win No. 50 for the six-time world champion.
“Checking Gainesville off the list last year was awesome. The Gators are a really prestigious race, so it was cool to finally win that. But, that’s the last race I’ve won. Having said that and with the way we finished last year, I feel like we have a lot to improve upon with my car and with me as a driver,” said Enders, the winningest female in motorsports history. “I think going into 2025 I’m going to try to have the same mindset I did in 2022. With the way we lost the championship in 2021 I came out pissed off and ready for battle. ‘No more nice Erica,’ is what I said. I think I’ll have some of that mindset this year.
“Obviously, our biggest goal, and the one that really slipped away last year, is to finally check win No. 50 off. If we could start the season doing that, it would really be starting the season with a bang,” continued Enders who has 48 Pro Stock victories but won her first national event in Super Gas. “I feel like it’s a first win situation where it takes so long for it to come and then once it does, the rest of them just start to fall. We need to get rid of No. 50 and move on and hopefully have many more wins to follow.”
In preparation for the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Enders and her Elite Motorsports teammates tested and competed in the second running of the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park. After a successful test session, Enders, who was the No. 1 qualifier and won the event in 2024, qualified No. 5 and had an early race day exit.
“I feel like testing and the PRO Superstar Shootout went pretty well. We’re operating missing three key players, Mark Ingersoll, Jake Hairston and Robert Freeman,” Enders explained. “Everybody has stepped up and are carrying heavy loads. With the position we are in, I think we’re doing awesome and I’m proud of our guys. Ultimately, we want to make Mark, Jake and Robert proud.”
Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com team gave all of Elite Motorsports something to be proud of when they rallied to victory at the PRO Superstar Shootout. Troy Jr.’s win kept the specialty event title in the Elite Motorsports family.
“Team Yellow is in a great place coming off an awesome win at Bradenton Motorsports Park,” Troy Jr. said. “I’m really proud and beyond humbled to drive for this team. We love what we do and we’re ready to begin our journey in quest for a Mission Foods NHRA world championship. Gainesville has so much history for our sport, so the excitement is always piqued.”
Troy Jr. is looking for his second win at the NHRA Gatornationals, he first won in 2023 defeating Mason McGaha in the final round. In 2024, Troy Jr. qualified No. 5 and had a first round exit.
Coming off a championship chase and a career best season, Aaron Stanfield and the JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers Racing team are looking to carry over their success from 2024 where Aaron captured six wins in 10 final round appearances. The second-generation racer will also be taking on tuning duties A win this weekend would be the first for Aaron at the historic facilty, last year he qualified eighth and came up short to Enders in the quarterfinals.
Making his return to the Pro Stock class, Greg Stanfield, Aaron’s father, will be making his debut with Elite Motorsports at the Gatornationals representing Janac Brothers Racing. Greg has 18 wins in Pro Stock but will be racing for his first win at Gainesville Raceway.
Jeg Coughlin Jr. returns for his second full season representing SCAG Power Equipment and Outlaw Light Beer. He’ll be looking for his third win at the historic facility. He previously won in 2001 and 2008. In 2024 he was the No. 7 qualifier and had a quarterfinal exit to eventual runner-up Cristian Cuadra.
Not racing at the season opener despite being on the entry list are the Cuadra Boys. The brothers, Fernando Jr., Cristian and David, who took over the family business during the 2024 season, have unexpected business obligations taking their attention.
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals weekend starts with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 2 and 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4:15 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled to being Sunday at 11 a.m. with Pro Stock first round at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and eliminations Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
This story was originally published on March 6, 2025.
The post Erica Enders, Elite Motorsports Looking to Knock Off Another Milestone at Gatornationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.