Thu, 24 Sep 2026, 21:11 PM Elite Motorsports Preview

Courtesy of Sara Slaughter, Elite Motorsports

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Elite Motorsports heads to Rockingham Dragway for the NHRA Nationals at The Rock with major momentum in the Countdown to the Championship. The power powerhouse team arrives at "The Rock" led by veteran Greg Stanfield sitting second in the Pro Stock points standings, alongside Troy Coughlin Jr., who vaulted five spots into fifth place following a dramatic Pro Stock victory.

Troy Jr., driver of the midnight JEGS Pro Stock machine, made one of the biggest moves of the postseason, surging from 10th to fifth in points after winning the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at US 131 Motorsports park in Martin, Michigan. Troy Jr. delivered a series of impressive passes, including a hole-shot victory over Greg Anderson and a final-round win against current points leader Matt Hartford to pick up his first win in 41 races.

"We celebrated for sure, enjoyed that victory, but the next day I was back in the simulator and getting ready for Rockingham," Troy Jr. said. "We're going to see how the tree is going to look, where the sun is going to come in, and we're going to study and prepare the absolute best that we can. We're going to go up and try and make really nice runs all weekend long, just like we did in Michigan.

"You can see the boost in confidence on my guys' faces. We had a blast on race day. And when we have a blast, you remember how fun this is because winning is hard,” Troy Jr. continued. “I can't even imagine having to tune a Pro Stock car. There are so many things to adjust, so many things that have to go right, and so many conditions that you have to see and study. A lot of experience really helps in cases with ever-changing conditions, but there's a lot of youth upstairs in our crew chief room. Look at Chase Freeman, Kyle Bates, Anthony Lum and you've got Timmy Freeman and Mark Ingersoll up there as the two seniors for guidance. You can't get any better guidance than that. The future of Pro Stock is really bright. We're really excited."

Greg Stanfield continues his impressive campaign driving the Janac Brothers Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Fresh off his eighth semifinal finish of the season at US 131 Motorsports Park, the Sonoma Nationals winner’s steady consistency has elevated him into the No. 2 position in the championship standings, keeping the pressure on the rest of the Pro Stock field heading into North Carolina.

Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. also reached the semifinals in Michigan, falling short of his second consecutive final round appearance to his nephew Troy Jr. With his runner-up finish at the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend, Jeg Jr. and the classic JEGS car started the Countdown seventh and have shifted into sixth heading to Rockingham.

Tony Stewart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team enter the weekend from third in points, one spot up from where they started the Countdown to the Championship, after they also reached the semifinals. Stewart also set his career best speed, 343.51 mph, during his second round victory over multi-time champion Antron Brown. Led by crew chiefs Mike Green and Joe Barlam, the R+L team has found some consistency. Their semi-final comes after Stewart reached the finals of the U.S. Nationals for the second consecutive year. The R+L team are now only 79 points out of the Top Fuel lead.

Qualifying for the NHRA Nationals at Rockingham Dragway begins with four rounds of qualifying Friday at 1 and 3:30 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. with elimination rounds set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a qualifying show Sunday at 11 a.m. ET followed by eliminations at 3 p.m. ET.