A familiar face is returning to NMRA competition with a very well known race car — but the unique part is, the car and driver have never been paired together as one.

Joel Greathouse is known by many for wheeling and dealing his way to numerous championships and event wins across his storied career behind the wheel of small tire, drag radial entries. Greathouse has teamed with Johnston Motorsports, another very recognizable name after the past few seasons of X275 competition in which Jared Johnston and his father, Joe, have dominated many local and national events. At this time, the Ford Mustang that is in the team’s stables code named the ‘White Riot,’ also holds the world record for elapsed time in the tough-as-nails X275 class. With a top tier car around him, Greathouse is only missing one thing, the team that surrounds his quest for another championship.

Greathouse, a mainstay name in the world of radial racing, has a tough task on his hands with the likes of Phil Hines, Dwayne Barbaree and more big names in the NMRA Street Outlaw category.

John Kolivas, owner of KBX Performance, will be behind the laptop, as he has been since the very debut of the CVM Technologies-sponsored Ford Mustang that the Johnston’s have campaigned. Bennett Racing Engines is supplying the power under the hood, which is combined with Pro Torque converters and Menscer Motorsports shocks to provide adequate traction on the NMRA surfaces that sometimes can be tricky due to the running of eliminations during the heat of the day at most events.

Per NMRA rules for the Street Outlaw category, the team will have a few more options available for turbocharger sizes but some come at a cost of a heavier race weight.

Greathouse and McChesney have been a dynamic duo over the past years and hope to continue their success in 2016.

Greathouse will also have his longtime crew chief, Justin McChesney, and car chief, Ben Thomas, assisting with the tune-ups and calls made on the car alongside Kolivas.

Johnston, whose focus right now is on things back home, wants to take a step away from the driver’s seat to make sure the right move is made in everyday life, which is commended and highly respected. The Johnston family has enlisted one top notch team that will be a handful for many in the NMRA ranks, as the second race of the season kicks off this weekend with the NMCA/NMRA All-Star Nationals at the beautiful Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.

Photo Credit: DragZine (Brian Wagner) and Bennett Racing Engines