NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) and Elite Motorsports have announced that they are forming a sales, marketing, and hospitality alliance in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. The partnership will allow both teams to combine assets, offering partners additional opportunities within the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Competition eliminator, and Pro Mod classes.

Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., TSR fields two entries in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Stewart, a championship-winning race-car driver who has successfully transitioned to being a championship-winner team owner, formed the TSR nitro team in 2021, with 2022 marking the team’s first season in competition. Matt Hagan pilots the Funny Car, and Tony Stewart took over driving duties in 2024 for wife Leah Pruett in the Top Fuel Dragster as they started a family. It was announced earlier this week that Pruett will be returning to Top Fuel competition for TSR in 2026. Hagan is a four-time Funny Car champion (2011, 2014, 2020, and 2023) and 53-time event winner. Stewart has earned two Top Fuel victories thus far in 2025. He also won the 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year and 2025 regular-season championship titles.

“Our partnership with Elite Motorsports and Richard Freeman and his group is unique,” said Stewart. “It’s taking all of our assets that we have with TSR and Elite Motorsports with the Pro Stock, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Competition eliminator, and Pro Mod teams and creating a situation where we have a lot to offer partners and potential partners down the road. We will be pooling our assets together and working together to try to fund these race cars. This is a unique strategy that Richard came up with, but I really buy into the concept, and I think it’s already beneficial in the short amount of time that we’ve already started working together. We see the benefits of this, and it can continue to make both of our organizations bigger and stronger down the road. I’m excited to work with Richard and his group. Richard and I have a great friendship, and I think that’s what great partnerships start out as. He has a great organization with great people, and I feel like putting our two teams with our great people together is just going to make for a very strong alliance and a partnership that will be beneficial to both organizations.” 

Elite Motorsports operates the largest Professional drag racing team in the NHRA, featuring Pro Stock drivers Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield, Greg Stanfield, Stephen Bell, and the Cuadra family race team. The team also fields a Mountain Motor Pro Stock team driven by Mike Coughlin. Royce Freeman represents Elite Motorsports in Competition eliminator and Mason Wright drives in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. 

"This alliance just makes so much sense,” said Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman. “Tony and I have become good friends, and we've realized that we're a lot alike. We have similar visions and share a desire to build basically a super team that can offer our partners the most and best options. Being able to offer the most to our partners, that’s really what it's about. Taking care of the brands and people we have and being able to offer opportunities for those relationships to grow while having the capacity to bring more into the fold. I'm excited about this, we all are."

It was announced yesterday that Elite Motorsports purchased Josh Hart’s Top Fuel program. Through this alliance, Elite Motorsports and TSR are actively pursuing sponsorships and partners for the Top Fuel operation. They will be looking for the right people and team to run the program once it is fully funded. No driver has been announced at this time.