After a 14-race regular season in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs, is officially here. Over the final races of the 2024 season, six Elite Motorsports drivers will have a chance to win the NHRA Pro Stock world championship.

As a team, Elite has won six of the last eight races and visited the winners circle a total of nine times in the regular season.

Leading the Elite Motorsports team into the Countdown to the Championship is Aaron Stanfield and his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing team. Stanfield has won four of the last six races and is coming off his first U.S. Nationals victory where he doubled up in Factory X, making him the first racer to double in the 70-year running of ‘The Big Go’.

With his latest performance, Stanfield moved into second in the points standings, just 25 behind Dallas Glenn after the playoff reset. This is Stanfield’s fourth playoff appearance. His best finish was fourth in 2023.

Six-time and reigning world champion Erica Endersand her JHG / Melling / SCAG Power Equipment team will compete in the Countdown to the Championship for the 13th time in her career. They are looking for their third consecutive Pro Stock world championship, and fifth in the last six years.

Enders will start the Countdown from the No. 4 spot, just seven points behind Greg Anderson and 40 from the lead. Enders won the season opening NHRA Gatornationals and followed it with a runner-up finish at the Winternationals. She was also runner-up to teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. at the New England Nationals and has five No. 1 qualifying positions on the year. 

Five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and the SCAG / Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer team are racing in Jeg Jr.’s 12th playoff appearance. In 2020, before a three-year retirement stint, Jeg Jr. finished the season third in points.

Jeg Jr. will start this year’s Countdown to the Championship sitting fifth in points, just 15 back from Enders and 55 from the lead. Jeg Jr. has had three wins this season and a No. 1 qualifying position. He most recently finished runner-up to Stanfield at the U.S. Nationals.

Troy Coughlin Jr. is taking the JEGS.com / White Castle vehicle into the Countdown sitting No. 6, only 12 points behind his uncle, Jeg Jr. This is Troy Jr.’s fourth playoff appearance. His best finish came in 2022 when he closed out the season in fourth.

Troy Jr. earned his spot with a win at the New England Nationals and a semifinal appearance at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle. He also had a Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty victory at the Sonoma Nationals.

In his sophomore season, this is Jerry Tucker’s second Countdown to the Championship appearance. In 2023, Tucker started and finished the Countdown from the No. 13 spot. Tucker and the Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer / SCAG team will start this year’s Countdown in the No. 7 spot, 15 points behind Troy Jr.

Tucker broke through for two No. 1 qualifying positions in 2024 as well as a runner-up finish to teammate Jeg. Jr. at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event.

Cristian Cuadra will carry the flag for Cuadra Boys Racing in the Countdown to the Championship for twin brother David and older brother Fernando Jr. Cristian, representing the Corral Boots, Cuadra and Columbia Impex brands, is entering his third Countdown to the Championship from the No. 8 spot, just 12 points behind Tucker.

Cristian started his season with a runner-up finish to Enders at the Gatornationals and has since made two semifinals appearances. Cristian’s spot in the Countdown was secured when he, David and Jeg Jr. picked up their first-round wins over Dallas Glenn, Mason McGaha and Eric Latino, respectively, at the U.S. Nationals just two weeks ago.

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship is set to kick off at this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, PA. It will be followed by two back-to-back races in Charlotte for the Carolina Nationals and St. Louis for the Midwest Nationals. The final three races will be the Texas NHRA FallNationals just outside of Dallas, the NHRA Nevada Nationals in Las Vegas and the season finale In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona, California.