THE 2025 INTERVIEW ISSUE
THE 2025 INTERVIEW ISSUE
I tell you it’ s wrong, I want you to stand up for it. I don’ t want these younger guys to just bow down, I want them to tell me why they think what they think.
Greg: It’ s easier for me; I’ m really just there as a leaning post. Aaron has all the pressure, but he’ s got a lot of young, smart people, and it’ s really cool to watch them go at it.
FORMER PRO STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER GREG STANFIELD’ S HIATUS IS OVER, AS HE’ S DRIVING THE JANAC BROTHERS RACING / ROD SHOP / MELLING PRO STOCK CAMARO.
Aaron: Sometimes as a young kid, I could be a little bit too aggressive and not listen to what the old man had to say, but as I’ ve gotten older, I’ ve matured and come to respect his perspective. I understand how hard he’ s worked and what he’ s accomplished. We work extremely well together, and he’ s my dad first, but my best friend second. It’ s a great relationship. He’ s good at things I’ m not so good at, and I’ m good at things he’ s not. We learn from each other every day.
Greg, what’ s it really like behind the scenes in the Stanfield Racing Engines shop?
Greg: If we had a reality TV show, it would be quite the show. We’ re both kind of quiet, but Aaron gets a little yappy, and then we try to drag everybody into our arguments. But I’ m one of those guys where if you come to me with an idea and
How do you balance racing competitively in Pro Stock with taking care of your engine customers on any given weekend at the track? Aaron: I think the busier I am, the better I drive. When I go race Pro Stock, I’ m just the driver, and when I’ m on the Stanfield Racing Engines side, we have total control of the racing. It’ s definitely a different dynamic where you have to put the driving hat on one minute, then walk over to a customer’ s car and help them achieve the next minute. I’ m worn out at the end of the day, but it’ s good. I think one day I’ ll look back and say,“ Wow, it’ s crazy we were able to do everything we’ ve done,” but the way my mind works, I don’ t put a whole bunch of thought into balancing things. I just do it.
We typically talk about a father’ s influence on his son’ s racing, but does that work both ways? Greg: These cars are harder to drive now with the fuel injection, and it’ s just different setups from how I raced. Aaron has helped me a lot, as far as letting me know what’ s fixing to hit me. That’ s nice to have instead of just being blindsided.
Aaron: I do think in some ways, he’ s learned a few things from me. More than anything, I think I’ ve reinvigorated his passion for motorsports and made sure he knows he still has plenty left to give, from engine building to driving. I tell him all the time, man, if you’ re not racing something, you’ re wasting your talent. I want to keep that passion alive in him. DI
THOUGH THE STANFIELDS OPERATE THEIR
OWN ENGINE SHOP SERVING CUSTOMERS IN FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN AND NUMEROUS SPORTSMAN CLASSES, THEY RUN OUT OF THE
ELITE MOTORSPORTS CAMP IN PRO STOCK.
128 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated. com Issue 193