Mopar and Elite Motorsports Break Up After Difficult Season

Mopar and Elite Motorsports Break Up After Difficult Season

 

Elite Motorsports and Mopar will terminate their partnership when the 2016 racing season ends. Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders, Elite Motorsports drivers and multi-time world champions, both competed with Mopar-backed Dodge Darts in 2016.

“We really wanted to light up the scoreboards this year with our Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart, but we couldn’t quite get it running where it needed to be,” Coughlin said. “I salute everyone at Mopar and thank them for the effort. We wish them well in 2017 and beyond.”

“Mopar has been wonderful to work with,” Enders agreed. “It seems we were chasing it all year and never really got the cars where we could challenge for wins. Hopefully, we can start writing a new chapter and everyone will move forward into a better situation, including Team Mopar. We wish them nothing but the best because they’ve been great partners.”

Enders won the 2014 and 2015 Pro Stock titles with Elite Motorsports, while Coughlin finished top of the class in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008 and 2013, prior to his time with Elite Motorsports. Now that Elite Motorsports is no longer partnered with Mopar, it’s uncertain which vehicles the two drivers will race next season. Enders had quite a lot of success with a Chevy, and while her lack of wins this season could just as easily be due to the new Pro Stock rules as to the change in vehicle, only time will tell whether she’ll return to her previous mainstay or continue on to something new.

“I want to thank everyone at Mopar and Dodge, from the top executives to the engineers on to the people helping us at the races for their hard work and dedication,” said Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman. “My guys should be commended. They basically worked around the clock with pretty much zero days off for the entire season, busting their butts to try and give Erica and Jeggy competitive racecars. We look forward to a fresh start into 2017.”

“We thank the entire Elite Motorsports team, including owner Richard Freeman and drivers Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. for serving as superb ambassadors of our brand,” said Pietro Gorlier, Head of Parts and Service (Mopar), FCA – Global. “The drivers and team handled themselves with professionalism and class, constantly working hard to break into the winner’s circle. We commend them for their dedication and never-quit attitude, and wish the team, Erica and Jeg nothing but success in their future endeavors.”

3 Comments on Mopar and Elite Motorsports Break Up After Difficult Season

  1. I just can’t help but remember what Fiat did to American Motors, Allis Chalmers and their own brand every time they came to the U.S. It seems that they will probably end up tanking Mopar, too. Fiat seems to do well elsewhere in the world, but can’t quite get a good handle on what Americans want or need. I guess only time will tell this time around.

  2. So glad to see that they came to their senses and will be able to quit flogging a DEAD horse trying to make those Hemi’s competitive!!!! When their team mates in Elite GM powered cars consistently out qualify and outrun them on a weekly basis they knew that they were years behind their competition in being competitive again!!!! Erics IS one of the best if not the best drivers out there and she would have been the champion again if they had put her in one of their GM cars!!!! When you routinely qualify 10th or worse week in and week out but yet have the best average reaction times of any racer out there but can’t get past the first round because of being flat out outran something stinks and in this case it was the rotten performance of those mopars!!!! And to confirm my thoughts when you have a multiple time world champion getting the same results driving an identical car that confirms it!!!! Good riddance and look forward to Erica and Jeg coming out and kicking a#$ at the Winter Nats in a Camaro and dominating the rest of the season!!!!!!

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