NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

[This story appears in the March 17, 2020 issue of NHRA National Dragster magazine. See the full original layout!]

“You’re a product of your environment, so surround yourself with the best.” Or so goes an old and anonymous motivational quote, but it’s one that helps to define the meteoric rise of third-generation racer Aaron Stanfield, who appears poised for a breakout season in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, and whatever other category he happens to race in.  

Wise beyond his 25 years, Stanfield practically grew up as drag racing royalty; his late grandfather, Howard, and father, Greg, are two of the sport’s all-time greats. Growing up, if young Aaron ever lacked for inspiration, he didn’t need to look far to find it. Howard enjoyed a solid career in NHRA class racing, including a Stock victory at the 1987 Summernationals in Englishtown and then came Greg, who was just 23 when he won the first of his 13 national event titles. Greg went on to win four Super Stock world championships in a five-year period from 1990-94 and owns a half-dozen titles in the South Central Division, home to many of NHRA’s best Pro and Sportsman racers. He’s also one of the sport’s most versatile drivers with wins in Stock, Super Stock, Comp, Pro Stock Truck, and Pro Stock, and that ability to adapt is something he has definitely passed on to Aaron. 

“I was too young to remember Grandpa racing, but some of my earliest memories come from spending time with him and my dad in our shop,” said Stanfield. “We always built our own engines, and Grandpa was heavily involved in that. Grandpa taught me the basic parts of an engine. He’d point at a piston or connecting rod and make me tell him what it was. Even though I never got to see him race, those are pretty cool memories to have. 

“Then, throughout my high school years, my parents wanted me to make my own decisions when it came to drag racing,” said Stanfield. “They pushed me to do well in school and encouraged me to get into things like baseball and soccer. I enjoyed that, but I really knew that I wanted to race. By the time I was 16, I stared really getting into it, working in the shop sweeping the floors and bracket racing on weekends. I always looked up to my dad and wanted to be just like him. So yes, I had what you’d call a normal childhood, but I also knew how much I wanted to race.”

NHRA fans got their first look at Aaron Stanfield when he made his debut in Pro Stock at the 2014 U.S. Nationals in Indy. Just 19 at the time, Stanfield qualified No. 8 in the tough field and earned his first Professional round-win against five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., who fouled out by three-thousandths. Admittedly, most drivers don’t get an opportunity to race professionally until much later in their career, if at all, but when opportunity knocked, Stanfield wasn’t about to turn it down.

“The whole Pro Stock debut was just crazy,” he recalled. “My dad was sort of coming to the end of his career in Pro Stock, but we still had a lot of equipment. Before we sold it all, I begged him to let me go and at least do some burnouts. One thing led to another, and my dad worked together with Chris McGaha, and I got my license. Then, we got some help from C-Tech to go to Indy, and we were able to make it work.  

“I don’t know if I was intimidated, but more than anything, I was nervous for myself because I showed up there with not too much experience. Of course, I always looked up to Jeg and saw him as one of the legends of Pro Stock. Looking back, I guess it was a little backwards to start in Pro Stock, but I’m really glad I got that opportunity.” 

***

Fast forward to 2020 and Stanfield will focus his efforts on three decidedly different drag racing disciplines. He’s back in Pro Stock behind the wheel of a Camaro as part of the Elite Motorsports team, and he’ll also drive a seven-second COPO Camaro in the SAMTech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series. Both of those entries are backed by Joe and David Janac. In his “spare time,” Stanfield will also see some time behind the wheel of the low six-second Top Dragster that carried him to back-to-back Father’s Day victories in Bristol. 

Father Greg isn’t the least bit surprised to know his son wants multiple opportunities to race, noting, “If he had the chance, I’m sure he’d race five or six cars. He’s that into it.” 
    
“I set my limit at Top Fuel Harley,” Aaron notes. “That might be the only thing I wouldn’t try.”

Heading into the 2020 season, Stanfield had just 11 Pro Stock races under his belt, but a number of people, including Elite team owner Richard Freeman, the Janac Bros., and backers JD and Teresa Coffman of C3 Energy Service, saw enough potential in Stanfield to set him up for a full season as a member of the growing fleet of Elite cars.  

“I got to run a few races at the end of 2019, and then everything came together fairly quickly,” Stanfield said. “Joe Janac wanted to do this deal, and he had a prior relationship with Richard and Royce [Freeman] at Elite, and the timing was just perfect. They wanted me to race in Pro Stock and then team with David Janac in our two Factory Showdown cars. I couldn’t be more excited.”

Setting lofty goals doesn’t seem to be a problem for Stanfield, so he has got his sights set on top-10 finishes in all three classes, and if there happens to be a championship in the mix, so be it. He seems versatile enough to go from car to car, even at the same event, but Stanfield is quick to admit that of all the cars he has driven in his young career, nothing compares to a Pro Stock car.

“That’s by far the hardest car to drive; it isn’t even close,” said Stanfield. “It’s about being perfect, or at least as close to perfect as you can be. In [Pro Stock], everything matters from the burnout to staging and how much heat you put in the clutch or how shallow you stage. The crew chief has to make many calls on a Pro Stock car, and most of those calls are affected by your driving style and how many or how few mistakes you make. They are definitely hard cars to drive. In my Top Dragster, I can do a bad burnout, and it will still be fairly consistent. You can’t do that in Pro Stock, but the flip side is that when you come close and make a nice run, you feel great about it. I’ve never had a car kick my butt so bad, but we keep coming back for more. Even Jeg and Erica [Enders] will tell you how hard it is to bring it every time.”

***

Throughout his career, Greg Stanfield has forged a reputation as a jack-of-all-trades who cannot only drive and build competitive engines but can also fabricate, fix, maintain, and fine-tune almost any part of a race car. That is another of his father’s qualities that Aaron desperately wants to emulate. At the team’s home base in Bossier City, La., Aaron helps run the family engine business along with his father and uncle, Mike, as well as Colin Jackson and Conner Statler, two graduates of the School of Automotive Machinists and Technology who also work as crewmembers. 

Greg says he’s more or less turned the shop over to “the kids” but refers to himself as the “security blanket” should any of the younger generation have questions or need a problem solved. Stanfield Engines is a busy place these days with a robust four-car Factory Stock program. They also built and maintain a variety of engines for Comp, Super Stock, Stock, and bracket racing. 

“My dad says he’s the security blanket, but he’s extremely versatile, and he has got a very open mind,” said Aaron. “He’ll let us do things our way, but he’s also right there to give us a lot of guidance. He lets me know when we’re wrong, and I know our deal wouldn’t be anything close to what it is without him. I know that I’m a young guy who doesn’t have all the experience, but my dad and uncle can bring that to the table. For me, Colin, and Conner, we all want to learn.”

When it comes to learning, Stanfield admits the work is never done, and when he looks at his father’s four championships, he’d happily settle for a fraction of that success or perhaps not. He has already won three divisional titles — two in Top Dragster and one in Super Stock — but a world championship remains very much on the to-do list. 

“I think I’ve finished in the top four in Top Dragster three times,” Stanfield said. “Last year, I had a pretty good year in Top Dragster, but we had a couple of issues — mechanical failures and driving errors — that cost us a shot at No. 1. We have to clean those up. I don’t know if I’d say I’m overdue, but I’ve been close a couple of times, so it’s up to me to close it out.”

This year, Stanfield will have multiple opportunities to do just that, and when he says that three top-10 finishes would be his goal, he does so without the slightest hint of arrogance or overconfidence. 

“I know I’ve been given a great opportunity thanks to my family, to Joe and David Janac, JC3 Energy, JD and Teresa Coffman, and Craig Gualtiere’s Rosters Coffee and Tea. They’ve all shown a lot of faith in me, and I want to reward them for that.”