Written by Mary Lendzion
Photos by NMRA Staff
Joel Greathouse is as courteous as they come, but he is also as competitive as they come.
He smiles and shakes hands when he is not on the track, but he gets after it and gives it everything he has when he is on the track, and that has made him the accomplished and admirable racer that he is.
The Kentuckian who earned the NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade championship in 2020 and 2021 wanted, more than anything, to back those up with another championship in 2022, and he certainly had the competence, the car and the crew to be able to do that.
Piloting Jeremy Wolf’s Mustang set up with an 8.2 deck small-block Ford by Bennett Racing Engines, billet 76mm turbocharger by Hart’s Turbo and Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission, he pushed to a 4.56 to qualify in the second spot at the NMRA Spring Break Shootout in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. He clocked a pair of 4.61s to win the first and second rounds of eliminations, and picked up to a 4.56 on a solo pass in the semifinal round of eliminations before taking his place in the NMRA Winner’s Circle with a 4.55 against Kieffer Simpson. As icing on the cake, he set a class record with a 156.63 mph, and it still stands.
He qualified in the second spot with a 4.57 at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport in April at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. He won the first round of eliminations with a 4.61, followed by the second and third rounds of eliminations with a 4.67 and 4.64. From there, he secured his second win of the season with a 4.61 against Becki Cram. As a bonus, he set a class record at the event with a 4.576, and it still stands.
Greathouse kept gunning to lead qualifying with a 4.60 at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. He won the first round of eliminations with 4.62, and then wheeled to a 4.60 on a solo pass in the second round of eliminations. It took a 4.58 for him to win the third round of eliminations and a 4.59 to win the semifinal round of eliminations, and amazingly, he arrived at another 4.59 to win in the final round of eliminations against Keith Ciborowski.
He made the trip from his home in Kentucky to Ohio for the NMRA Ford Performance Nationals in June at Summit Motorsports Park, where he set the pace in qualifying with a 4.60. What he unleashed next was a 4.63 in a solo pass in the first round of eliminations, followed by a 4.62 to win the second round of eliminations and a 4.64 to upset Jason Riley in the final round of eliminations.
After arriving in the Great Lakes State for the Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by TorqStorm Superchargers in July at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan, Greathouse qualified in the fourth spot with 4.64, won the first round of eliminations with a 4.62 and the second round of eliminations with a 4.61. When rain came, the decision was made to finish the final rounds of eliminations at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine in August at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio or the Whipple Superchargers NMRA Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival in late September, early October at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky, and Greathouse wrapped up the win for the make-up Michigan race at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine in August at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio with a 4.56 against Bill Trovato.
Really ready to put the exclamation mark on an exceptionally exciting season, Greathouse headed to the highly anticipated Whipple Superchargers NMRA Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival in late September, early October at Beech Bend Raceway in his home state of Kentucky. He was strong from the start, and set the pace in qualifying again, this time with a 4.52, and won the first through third rounds of eliminations with a 4.55, 4.59 and 4.57 before finishing as the runner-up against Shawn Pevlor with a 4.58.
On a grander scale, Greathouse was crowned the 2022 NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade champion.
In addition to the NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade championship, Greathouse also earned the NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street championship, and a story about that can be read at www.NMCADigital.com or www.RacePagesDigital.com.
“The best and most fortunate thing that happened was winning five out of six NMRA races,” said Greathouse. “Our maintenance program is very strict, so I believe that helped us maintain a high level of success at all the races. Also, the friends and family who have stood beside us along the way are unmatched. It is very hard to win with stiff competition everywhere we go. These are truly two championships that I will cherish and never forget. Justin McChesney, Ben Thomas, Jeremy Wolf and I want to thank our wives and families for letting us chase our racing dreams. Missy, Michelle, Buffy and Tiffany have supported us along the way, and our kids have enjoyed tagging along as well. We also get amazing support from our KBX Team. We have developed lifelong friendships with John Kolivas, Jon Bennett, and others, and their support this year is unmatched. None of this year could have been accomplished without the car owner and true friend, Jeremy Wolf, giving us the opportunity.”
Greathouse also expressed gratitude to his sponsors, whom he referred to as “second to none” and identified as KBX Performance, Bennett Racing, Young's Performance, ProTorque Converters, RPM Transmission, Hart’s Turbo, Menscer Motorsports, VP Racing Fuels, RC Components, Matukas Motorsports, Lyons Custom Motorsports, FuelTech, TBM Brakes, Motion Raceworks, Weldon Pumps, Florida Wholesale Performance, Beech Bend Raceway, Jeremy Wolf, Gordon Harlow, Alan Felts, Jessie Coulter, Larry Harper. He also recognized Total Venue Concepts for providing professional track prep all season long.
Greathouse and his fellow champions will be honored at the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals Awards Ceremony, held during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, Dec. 9, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center, and in the upcoming Champions Issue of Fastest Street Car.
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Photos by NMRA Staff
Joel Greathouse is as courteous as they come, but he is also as competitive as they come.
He smiles and shakes hands when he is not on the track, but he gets after it and gives it everything he has when he is on the track, and that has made him the accomplished and admirable racer that he is.
The Kentuckian who earned the NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade championship in 2020 and 2021 wanted, more than anything, to back those up with another championship in 2022, and he certainly had the competence, the car and the crew to be able to do that.
Piloting Jeremy Wolf’s Mustang set up with an 8.2 deck small-block Ford by Bennett Racing Engines, billet 76mm turbocharger by Hart’s Turbo and Turbo 400 by RPM Transmission, he pushed to a 4.56 to qualify in the second spot at the NMRA Spring Break Shootout in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. He clocked a pair of 4.61s to win the first and second rounds of eliminations, and picked up to a 4.56 on a solo pass in the semifinal round of eliminations before taking his place in the NMRA Winner’s Circle with a 4.55 against Kieffer Simpson. As icing on the cake, he set a class record with a 156.63 mph, and it still stands.
He qualified in the second spot with a 4.57 at the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport in April at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. He won the first round of eliminations with a 4.61, followed by the second and third rounds of eliminations with a 4.67 and 4.64. From there, he secured his second win of the season with a 4.61 against Becki Cram. As a bonus, he set a class record at the event with a 4.576, and it still stands.
Greathouse kept gunning to lead qualifying with a 4.60 at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab in May at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. He won the first round of eliminations with 4.62, and then wheeled to a 4.60 on a solo pass in the second round of eliminations. It took a 4.58 for him to win the third round of eliminations and a 4.59 to win the semifinal round of eliminations, and amazingly, he arrived at another 4.59 to win in the final round of eliminations against Keith Ciborowski.
He made the trip from his home in Kentucky to Ohio for the NMRA Ford Performance Nationals in June at Summit Motorsports Park, where he set the pace in qualifying with a 4.60. What he unleashed next was a 4.63 in a solo pass in the first round of eliminations, followed by a 4.62 to win the second round of eliminations and a 4.64 to upset Jason Riley in the final round of eliminations.
After arriving in the Great Lakes State for the Arrington Performance NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by TorqStorm Superchargers in July at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan, Greathouse qualified in the fourth spot with 4.64, won the first round of eliminations with a 4.62 and the second round of eliminations with a 4.61. When rain came, the decision was made to finish the final rounds of eliminations at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine in August at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio or the Whipple Superchargers NMRA Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival in late September, early October at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky, and Greathouse wrapped up the win for the make-up Michigan race at the NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Magazine in August at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio with a 4.56 against Bill Trovato.
Really ready to put the exclamation mark on an exceptionally exciting season, Greathouse headed to the highly anticipated Whipple Superchargers NMRA Ford World Finals presented by Competition Clutch featuring the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival in late September, early October at Beech Bend Raceway in his home state of Kentucky. He was strong from the start, and set the pace in qualifying again, this time with a 4.52, and won the first through third rounds of eliminations with a 4.55, 4.59 and 4.57 before finishing as the runner-up against Shawn Pevlor with a 4.58.
On a grander scale, Greathouse was crowned the 2022 NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade champion.
In addition to the NMRA VP Racing Madditives Renegade championship, Greathouse also earned the NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street championship, and a story about that can be read at www.NMCADigital.com or www.RacePagesDigital.com.
“The best and most fortunate thing that happened was winning five out of six NMRA races,” said Greathouse. “Our maintenance program is very strict, so I believe that helped us maintain a high level of success at all the races. Also, the friends and family who have stood beside us along the way are unmatched. It is very hard to win with stiff competition everywhere we go. These are truly two championships that I will cherish and never forget. Justin McChesney, Ben Thomas, Jeremy Wolf and I want to thank our wives and families for letting us chase our racing dreams. Missy, Michelle, Buffy and Tiffany have supported us along the way, and our kids have enjoyed tagging along as well. We also get amazing support from our KBX Team. We have developed lifelong friendships with John Kolivas, Jon Bennett, and others, and their support this year is unmatched. None of this year could have been accomplished without the car owner and true friend, Jeremy Wolf, giving us the opportunity.”
Greathouse also expressed gratitude to his sponsors, whom he referred to as “second to none” and identified as KBX Performance, Bennett Racing, Young's Performance, ProTorque Converters, RPM Transmission, Hart’s Turbo, Menscer Motorsports, VP Racing Fuels, RC Components, Matukas Motorsports, Lyons Custom Motorsports, FuelTech, TBM Brakes, Motion Raceworks, Weldon Pumps, Florida Wholesale Performance, Beech Bend Raceway, Jeremy Wolf, Gordon Harlow, Alan Felts, Jessie Coulter, Larry Harper. He also recognized Total Venue Concepts for providing professional track prep all season long.
Greathouse and his fellow champions will be honored at the Holley NMRA Ford Nationals Awards Ceremony, held during the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show, Dec. 9, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center, and in the upcoming Champions Issue of Fastest Street Car.