There are plenty of stout drivers in the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock stable, led by five-time NHRA world champion Erica Enders.
On Saturday it was Jerry Tucker’s time to step into the spotlight.
Tucker clocked a 6.612-second elapsed time at 207.78 mph in Q3 and it was good enough for him to capture the No. 1 qualifying spot in his Camaro.
Tucker and Enders had identical elapsed times, but Tucker was awarded the No. 1 spot because he had a higher speed. Enders’ mph was 207.27.
“We knew we had it in us,” Tucker said. “Sonoma, we were probably the fastest car, and I let the team down and went over to Rock Falls and did some testing and we were faster than Jeg (Coughlin) and T.J. (Coughlin) and Erica, and when you’re that fast you have a good race car.”
This was Tucker’s second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the second of his Pro Stock career, which began at the 2023 Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. Tucker also was the No. 1 qualifier at the Las Vegas race in April.
Tucker claimed the No. 1 spot in qualifying in Brainerd while surviving through two lengthy rain delays.
“Those delays stunk because we were No. 1 qualifier and I didn’t care if I came back (for Q4),” Tucker said. “Greg Anderson and Erica Enders are not used to not being No. 1. We worked on the car and just hung out with the Outlaw Beer guys and the SCAG lawn mower guys. We did some autographs and the Mission tent, and it was a good day.”
In Sonoma, Calif., the most-recent race on the circuit, Tucker advanced to the semifinals before losing to Cory Reed.
“When the car is that fast, it puts a lot of pressure on a guy not to mess up the good deal,” Tucker said. “Erica drove that car for five years and there were no issues with the car. It is the fastest car.”
Tucker will face Mason McGaha in Round One on Sunday. Tucker arrived in Brainerd seventh in the point standings with a 10-11 elimination-round record. He has a runner-up finish in Las Vegas and three semifinal efforts.
“The Elite team is something that is hard to put your finger on because everyone is pulling in the same direction,” Tucker said. “You get this many egos and this many people, it is hard to keep everybody going in the same way. Erica Enders has been great to me and Jeg has been right beside me, and anytime you have that many championships keeping you in line it is kind of hard to mess up.
“It’s good team and the team that works on my car is good. It is really just up to the driver. No pressure at all.”
The Elite Motorsports team has won six races in a row, and Tucker would love to be No. 7.
“Winning one of these things is very, very difficult,” Tucker said. “Our team knows how to win; I just have to learn how to win. I have had the fastest car, realistically, three times probably all year and I can’t get it done. Aaron Stanfield (his Elite Motorsports teammate) said that if you just keep on dragging it up there enough times it will happen.
“Right now, we think we are the fastest car, and I have been the quickest car the last two outings, and I have to learn how to race the fastest car. I kind of had it down racing a slower car and there’s not much pressure, but when you have the faster car it is a lot of pressure. We have to learn how to win with a fast car, and our car is extremely capable of winning.”
