Story By: SARA SLAUGHTER / ELITE MOTORSPORTS – NORWALK, OH – Aaron Stanfield and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing powered to their second victory of the season Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.
Stanfield, who won the Virginia Nationals just seven days ago, rallied to the 10th Pro Stock victory of his career, first at Summit Motorsports Park with a 6.539-second pass at 208.91 mph defeating rival Dallas Glenn after he rattled the tires and coasted to a 16.851 at 69.89.
“All I’ve got to say is I just had a really good car in Pro Stock today. It was bad fast and I didn’t drive as good as I did last weekend but I guess I drove good enough to get the job done. Definitely hats off to all my guys,” Stanfield said. “Mark Ingersoll, Tim Freeman, Jake Hairston, Kyla Bates, they really put their heads together and figured out what my car has been lacking. They figured it out during the semifinals in Virginia and it’s been bad fast since. Hopefully we can keep that momentum and keep it rolling.”
Stanfield picked up the victory just minutes after coming in runner-up in the Factory X class.
“It was a very busy race day. I’m still trying to process everything because it was happening really fast after we got going in both cars,” Stanfield said. “It’s normally not a distraction, I feel like we lost a final round we should have won in Factory X car. It bothers me but you have to have a short memory when you’re doing it like we are. Just shake it off and get in the other car and make sure you come away with a win in at least one of them.
“It’s the third time I’ve reached the final round in both of them, and I really wanted to pull off the double,” continued Stanfield. “It didn’t happen today, but I still have a couple more chances to do it this year.”
Stanfield started race day from the No. qualifying position setting him up with a first-round race against Chris McGaha. McGaha would stumble to go only 7.161 seconds at 151.95 mph while Stanfield and the JHG / Melling machine had a 6.561 pass at 208.97. In the second round, Stanfield would take down Deric Kramer with a 6.563 run at 207.94 to Kramer’s 6.582 at 208.33.
In the semifinals, Stanfield would take on teammate Cristian Cuadra. Cuadra would rally through teammate Erica Enders on a holeshot (.033, 6.564 at 207.05 def. .063, 6.559 at 209.54), before ending teammate Troy Coughlin Jr.’s day in the quarterfinals (6.585 at 208.17 def. 6.608 at 209.75). Side-by-side, Stanfield would have the better race going 6.563 at 209.10 to Cuadra’s 6.584 at 208.49.
Racing Glenn in the finals was a rematch of the Virginia Nationals where Glenn was also finished runner-up to Stanfield. The two have a shared a friendly rivalry through the season with Stanfield having lost to Glenn in eliminations three times previously before now brining the score to 3-2.
“He’s a tough competitor and it feels good to turn the win light on against him,” Stanfield said. “We’re both hard working people and we’ve really grinded to get to the position we are. He’s bad to the bone and I know I have to be on my best to beat him.”
In Pro Stock, Elite Motorsports now has a four-race winning streak that began with Troy Jr.’s win at the new England Nationals, then Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s win at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee before Stanfield won back-to-back in Richmond, Virginia and now Norwalk, Ohio.
Stanfield was joined in the winners circle at Summit Motorsports Park by Royce Freeman, older brother to Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman. Royce picked up his first career victory in Comp Eliminator by just five thousandths of second over Robert Bailey.
“Well first of all I have to thank my wife back home, she’s been watching and that was pretty cool, my three sons, my brother Richard and my brother Robert at home,” Freeman said. “That group at Elite Motorsports is pretty special. When I have a problem, they’re there helping me solve it. This is not easy, it doesn’t just happen, it’s kind of hard. Without those guys behind me, my brothers, my wife, my sons, my family, none of this is possible.”
The Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season continues July 19-21 with the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway, the first of two races on the NHRA’s famed Western Swing.