NHRA Sportsman Racer Greg Kamplain Ready for His 38th Year of Drag Racing
- Mar 29, 2010
Every racer has a special story they keep close to their heart and Kamplain's was one of instant success that of course, immediately had the young man hooked. "I had a factory 4-speed Camaro that I drove to high school and it's the first car I took out to the track," reflected Kamplain. "Back then they ran Stock Eliminator on a weekly basis at the local track. At that point I really didn't know too much of what was going on. I went out and they put me in a class, which I believe was F Stock. There were seven cars in my class and somehow or another, I ended up winning my class and got a trophy."
"I was so excited after I won that trophy that I went home. I didn't know you were supposed to stay and run eliminator after that for money," Kamplain laughed. "I just took the trophy and headed home. I was only a junior in high school, so that pretty much set the hook in me." Now beginning his thirty-eighth year of drag racing, Kamplain's long road has been paved with experiences in numerous NHRA sportsman classes. "I competed in Stock until I made the move to Super Street in the early eighty's and was NHRA Div champ twice before switching to Super Gas," notes Kamplain. "Once my son, Josh, was old enough to make the move from juniors to a full size car, we ran Super Gas and Super Comp for a while. After winning the 2003 Div title in Super Comp, we sold the Super Gas car and made the move to two dragsters in 2004 by adding the Comp car." While competing in Super Gas and Super Comp is very similar, and can sometimes only help a driver by competing in both, one might think the differences in procedures between Super Comp and Comp Eliminator could be somewhat hindering. Not so according to K&N racer Kamplain. "While there are differences in the tree between the two classes, one being pro and one full sportsman, I use a blinder so it's kind of the same thing where I get to react the same in both cars," Kamplain explains. "I hide all of the tree, but the last bulb." "I also feel that all my racing in Super Gas and Super Comp has helped my Comp racing at the finish line," he continued. "In Comp, you are always trying to win and save your index. Because there are many times where you are just trying to win and not by anymore than you have to. I feel that has given me a leg up on the guys that have run Comp for years since in those other two classes you get a lot of practice trying to take the stripe by mere inches or thousandths." After another successful season for Kamplain Racing in 2009 where Greg captured his first divisional win in Comp Eliminator and set a National Record in his class, C/ED, they have another intense schedule of both NHRA National and Divisional events planned for both cars during the 2010 season. "Every year we keep doing a little better in the Comp car, I would love to win a National meet for K&N in the Comp car. Of course Super Comp would be nice to, for that matter," he chuckles. "Every year we get a little more horsepower in that car and that is very critical in the Comp class and this year (pauses), we have a little more." The long string of fortune that has come Kamplain's way over the decades doesn't happen easily or without aligning oneself with the best products available. "We started our relationship with K&N back in 2003," said Kamplain. "I use their high-flow air filter on the Super Comp car and their wrench-off oil filter on both cars, which is really nice." "The relationship with both Steve (Williams) and Bob (Harris), who are both racers themselves, is fantastic," he continued. "It has even allowed me to provide a sample of a K&N Wrench-Off Oil Filter, from time-to-time, to a racer that has never tried the product. I highly recommend the complete line of K&N products, there's something for everyone." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
