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BRADENTON, Fla. (Jan. 15, 2024) – Pro Stock standout Aaron Stanfield has a fever that not even Will Ferrell's cowbell could cure. It's shop fever – loosely defined as the itching agitation that a drag racer feels after spending too many days in the shop without getting out on the track to experience the rush of dopamine and adrenaline that only comes from the power of acceleration coursing through one's body.
"I tell the guys here (at Stanfield Racing Engines), we've been working in the shop for so long I'm starting to get shop fever," joked Stanfield. "I'm just ready to get back out there and get to racing."
Luckily for Stanfield, the wait is almost over. He will join his fellow Elite Motorsports Pro Stock teammates for the inaugural SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by Johnson's Horsepowered Garage, Feb. 8-10, at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
After winning the final NHRA national event in 2023 as well as his third Factory Stock Showdown world championship, Stanfield is poised to make a powerful performance when he hits the track in Bradenton. He's excited to get behind the wheel of his Johnson's Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro.
"This event is going to be a good way for everybody to do a little testing before the NHRA season gets kicked off," said Stanfield. "And the fact that we are racing for some big money increases the stakes. It's something to get the competition in your mind primed up and ready to go."
With $125,000 in prize money going to the Pro Stock winner, Stanfield knows what a significant impact that kind of money would make on his race program. But he's a true competitor at heart and he would likely be just as amped up to hit the track if they were racing only for the sport of it.
"For me, if we could win that money that would be a big help," shared the talented driver. "But any time I can make runs down the racetrack I should be getting better. It's an extra opportunity to get to go make some runs down the racetrack and also start getting our car dialed in before points start to matter."
While Stanfield has tested at the track at Bradenton in the past, this will be the first time the Louisiana-based driver will get to compete at the facility. It's an opportunity he's very much looking forward to experiencing.
"I've tested at Bradenton but I've never raced an event there," said Stanfield. "It's fast and from what I've heard they've been putting a lot of work into the facility. I know from the past just following the racetrack they put on a lot of great events so it's an ideal place to host something like this. We should have perfect weather and it should be really fast. I think we will see some quick numbers from all categories. So that's pretty cool."
Ultimately, for the racers participating in the PRO Superstar Shootout, it's as much about delighting the fans as it is about the competition itself, a sentiment that Stanfield strongly echoes.
"I think the fans should know this is something new and very different," said Stanfield. "We are going to be racing at a great racetrack. We are going to have all the big names in drag racing. This is the first event of its kind where all of the NHRA pro racers have stepped out of the NHRA assembly and tried to do their own thing, so to win and be a part of that history would be incredible. It's going to be a knockdown drag-out in every sense of the word."
The SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout presented by JHG, also featuring $250,000-to-win Top Fuel and Funny Car, will take place Feb. 8-10 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla. Tickets are now on sale at https://bit.ly/scagpro. Fans can also watch the entire race live through FloRacing at https://flosports.link/3t04gHk.
