| Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com / White Castle Pro Stock team return to Gainesville Raceway for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in hopes of once again dominating the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing series season opener.
En route to the 2023 victory, the JEGS.com / White Castle machine took the No. 1 qualifying position and battled through four rounds of racing to kick off the season in the points lead. Coughlin Jr. would finish the 2023 season with another win in Denver and a runner-up finish at the Vegas Four-Wide to take fifth place in the points standings.
“Coming into the season opener as the defending winner, that’s special. There might be a little added pressure to do well and maybe get that win again but this class is so competitive, you can’t think you’re going to be able to repeat at a track a year later. Team yellow and the whole group has worked relentlessly in the offseason on our entire package and I just need to do my job behind the wheel,” Coughlin Jr. said. “Just in the Elite camp, we have an absolutely stacked lineup of drivers and we’re all ready for eight months of battle. It’s definitely going to be a fight.”
Coughlin Jr. will be chasing the fifth Pro Stock win of his career and his second at the Gatornationals. To get there he’ll have to battle through a standout Pro Stock lineup including his teammates:
Jeg Coughlin Jr. returns to Pro Stock in the SCAG Power Equipment entry after a nearly three year hiatus and is looking to add to his two wins at Gainesville Raceway.
Six-time world champion and track record holder Erica Enders in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG car is looking for her first win at the storied racetrack.
Aaron Stanfield and his JHG / Melling / Janac Brothers hotrod, who finished fourth in the points in 2023, are hoping to add to their Gatornationals resume, they were the No. 1 qualifiers in 2022.
Jerry Tucker is in his sophomore season and will be driving Ender’s 2023 car branded with partners Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer and SCAG.
The Cuadra Family, representing the Cuadra, Corral Boots and Columbia Impex brands, return with three entries at the season-opener: Cristian Cuadra who qualified seventh at Gainesville Raceway in 2023, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and David Cuadra.
The mainstay of Elite Motorsports will also be joined by Kelley Murphy, a crew member on Troy Couhglin Jr.’s team who earned his Pro Stock license and will be debuting at Gainesville Raceway, making a lifelong dream come true.
Pro Stock competition at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 2 and 4:30 p.m. and Saturday at 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event will begin with qualifying Saturday at noon ET on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) and continues Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET on FS1 with eliminations shows at 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1. |
