You couldn’t have asked for a better day for the Elite Motorsports bunch.

Entering the 55th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway one-two in the championship standings, the elite Pro Stock team walked away securing that one-two finish in points while adding a win as Jeg Coughlin picked up his second win of the 2019 season and Erica Enders earned her third championship to cap a strong season for the organization.

“There was a lot of emotion today. The Elite team coming into the race with Erica holding a sizable points lead and me in second, but with a bunch of hounds hot on our heels not only for the championship, but also for second in the points,” Coughlin said. “We did one heck of a job orchestrating the car and it felt really good today to bring home the win. And it was a double win with Erica’s championship. It was a big day for our team.”

Coughlin guided his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro through a tricky field on Sunday, ending with a victory over Fernando Cuadra who was seeking his first win in the class. Cuadra left first on the veteran, but Coughlin battled back and coasted to the win with a 6.558-second pass at 210.54 mph. Cuadra started to drift out of the groove, but stayed in it for a 6.604 at 209.72 mph.

“When you are in the final round of the World Finals against Fernando Cuadra, he is not to be taken lightly. There is a lot of hype around him and that would have been his first win. We just had ourselves a good old fashioned drag race,” Coughlin said. “It felt good to get the win in the final and carry that through the winter.”

Coughlin added wins over Joey Grose, Aaron Stanfield and Bo Butner to reach his fourth final of the year and earn the 63rd Wally of his Pro Stock career.

Coughlin had little resistance in dispatching Grose and Stanfield in the first two rounds, but faced a tough race in the semifinals as he earned a holeshot victory over Butner with a 6.588 at 209.98 mph to Butner’s quicker and faster 6.582 at 210.64 mph.

“It was like a fishtail race today. Not one of the first three rounds was real smooth like our four rounds of qualifying,” Coughlin said. “The track was much hotter today and the air was much worse. The crew chiefs were earning their keep without question. We had our hands full the first three rounds and it is very gratifying for the team to get into the finals and secure the No. 2 spot in the points.”
 

The weekend also included a little bit of controversy as some of the Pro Stock teams attempted to manipulate the ladder to produce favorable matchups in an attempt to knock Enders and Coughlin from the race early and help the cause of their teammates.

One of those moments came in the first round when Enders faced veteran racer Greg Anderson after Anderson placed himself 15th on the ladder. Attempting to improve the stock of his KB Racing teammates, Anderson and Enders produced the best drag race of the entire afternoon with Enders earning the victory with a 6.570 at 210.41 mph to Anderson’s 6.575 at 210.31 mph.

“Obviously they had a strategy and they were trying to execute that strategy as best they could,” Coughlin said. “They didn’t feel like Greg had a shot, obviously, and it worked out well for them to line up next to Erica. I guess the best prevailed.

“As a team we were pretty stoked about it. They had one hell of a drag race. That is two champions just grunting it out together. It is always satisfying (beating KB Racing). They set the mark in the early 2000s and just had unbelievable resources and great talent and couple that together and they were extremely fast for a lot of years and they set the mark in a lot of ways. It is always an honor to race next to them and always great to beat them.”

That first round win helped pave the way for Enders to move through the ladder and secure her third Pro Stock world title. Enders also had a win over Chris McGaha before falling to Cuadra in the semifinals.

“I’m really proud to put a 3x by our name. The first one was epic coming down to the final round and winner take all, it is something we will never forget and being the first was amazing. Then the way that we did it in 2015 we locked it up before we left Las Vegas and coming to Pomona with no weight on our shoulders. This one means a lot because of the valleys that we have been through,” Enders said. “Switching manufacturers, switching rules to electronic fuel injection, it just was a challenge for us. On a personal level, I have struggled mentally in the car and I have struggled in my personal life. It is just an awesome feeling to be back on top and knowing that all of our struggles and all of those hardships, that is the reason that you don’t ever give up.”

Coughlin now enters the offseason riding the high of a race win and Enders will take her championship into the winter break as the pair revel in being the two best cars in a class that is seeing a true renaissance entering its 50th year as a class in the NHRA.

“It is exciting,” Coughlin said. “2020 is going to be the 50th year for Pro Stock. I think the class, right now, is looking extremely good. We’ve got some great talent in here and some great sponsors and I think the fans still enjoy their hot rods from Detroit. That is how the sport started and how Pro Stock started in the late 60s and still carrying over well today.”