Another revealing Canadian collaboration chapter continues to unfold…..and more!…..
Over the approximate last year – there has been a bonding between two Canadian racers, both already with reputed drag racing histories.
Greg Hunter, who was born in Calgary and then raised in Medicine Hat, has aligned and now proven himself as the newest driver for Doug Doucette’s extremely potent Winnipeg-based (TAD class) injected nitro car.
Greg Hunter is hardly a stranger to drag racing on either side of the 49th parallel. He has a very long list of driving designations in both his own race cars and for other teams.
For within Canada, his career has included being behind the wheel of numerous cars campaigned, including (first) Ian Gellately’s ’78 Challenger Nostalgia FC (from Medicine Hat), followed by Kenny Gilmor’s TAD (from Calgary) and Geoff Goodwin’s TAFC (from Red Deer). He also drove for Calgary’s Sean Brown, doing a stint within Sean’s rather revolutionary for the time — AA/AM Comp car. Greg’s racing resume set also includes for USA-based machines owned by Annie Whitley (TAFC) and in the TAD class category for teams owned by Geno Tumberello & Kevin Cantrell.
During the latter half of 2024, Greg did get a call from Alan Bradshaw (from Texas) — a moment which has led up to the present.
“I first met Alan at my first race with my own TAFC back in 2003 — the year he won the TAD championship,” Greg stated. “Alan has been driving for Doug Doucette for a few seasons, but was entering a career change which was making it difficult to commit to schedules. It is (and has been) always an honour when someone calls to drive their race-car or puts in a good word for you! Over the years I have been lucky to drive some really great cars and race with some really awesome people. After talking, we both felt I would be a good fit since we are both Canadian too. I was excited about this chance because not only was it my first ever taste of nitro, I could involve my wife (Staci-Ann) back into her popular role in the sport as a “Back Up Girl”. 
In a strategic move — Doug Doucette (based from Winnipeg MB) has added Greg Hunter (left) to his already high talented race team.
“In my first pass ever in the Doucette car — a 5.34 secs @ 269 mph came up — the quickest run I had ever made! I couldn’t get over how a car with nitro felt and sounded and pulled all the way through. To be chosen to be next in-line for Doug’s great team is really cool, because there have been a lot of great drivers before me.”
During the most recent NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals held at Brainerd International Raceway, the team continued to gel when Greg upped his career quick ET to a 5.226 secs while qualifying there. Earlier in the summer Hunter qualified a career high #2 (for national event level competition) at the Summit Racing Nationals in Ohio with a 5.245 secs ET.
The team’s next NHRA round together will be forthcoming mid-September when they enter the Maple Grove national event race at Reading PA. The group is also eying entry for the Las Vegas Nationals — coming in late October.
“Prior to BIR, we had some ignition box issues that the team worked hard to figure out,” Greg added. “The problem was resolved so our tune-up has been progressing. Since the last weekend out in Brainerd the car is running awesome. It seems like every weekend out I improve my career best with this car! We think the tune-up is right there and we’re confident we can win a race.”
Very early in his career – Greg Hunter drove Ian Gellately’s – “Mad Hatter” (shown at Calgary’s Race City track) — his first Funny Car ride.
Greg Hunter drove the very formidable Synoil TAFC for dearly missed “late great” Geoff Goodwin and also had a stint for Kenny Gilmor’s TAD team.
Nested deep prior to the present and in advance of many of Greg’s race team driving episodes — is an interesting dimension and idea (not without controversy) surrounding his own TAFC Ford Mustang – which he raced during the earlier 2000s.
“Back when I started drag racing I always thought it would be cool to run the same “Boss Ford” engine as my Dad specialised with for tractor pulling,” Greg reflected. “He did really well with it and we thought we could do well in drag racing also. We had Les Davenport and Sean Brown (Accelerated Enterprises) help us get started so we were in a good spot to get the car running competitively.”
“Then I got a call from Walt Austin and he informed me they were going to run a Ford combo (aka: “Shotgun” motor) in the upcoming season and he asked me about our experience with the motor. It seemed like a lot of good things were happening. That’s when NHRA rather suddenly announced — the Ford motor — was not going to be allowed in competition. I don’t fully understand the decision but the official reason they gave was “potential performance advantage” (?) due to the Ford motor bore spacing.”
“But I never gave up on the idea and once every couple of years I reached out to people I knew at NHRA about allowing it back in. I even offered to run the combination with a “roots blower” on it if they still perceived a performance advantage. It was pretty political.”
In more recent seasons, a harsh reality within NHRA has the TAFC class waining — with very low car counts at many events — an indication suggesting a problem for their class rules affecting the once very popular category. But for 2025, the NHRA began to react – by doing something that was at one time almost unthinkable – introducing “injected nitro” motor configuration motors as legal to hopefully postively affect class participation. That news and move was thus in fact a drastic 180 to NHRA’s previously restrictive stance about “potential performance advantage” — and something that savvy Hunter saw as a door being re-opened.
Greg Hunter’s Ford Mustang TAFC – at NHRA Northwest Nationals Seattle circa 2005.
Top Alcohol — Boss 429 Ford “Shotgun” Motor – rebirth coming?
“I reached out and got talking to Josh Hamming (NHRA Top Alcohol Rules Committee Chairman) about it,” Greg continued. “Then he informed me last year that it had been reinstated — so I am super happy that we can try to run it (supercharged Ford motor) again. There is a family in Missouri building billet blocks and heads now — so going forward potentially there is a better parts supply chain than we had in the past. Although there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done (because of the 15 year gap) — I’m grateful to get another opportunity to run it, and we’ll just see where it leads us.”
That scenario/next chapter to the Greg Hunter racing story — may thus also be at hand.
Greg & his wife Staci now reside in Castle Rock Colorado. Greg is the founder and owner of Oasis Emission Consultants (which he started in Wyoming) servicing the air emission testing industry for Oil and Gas.
“Presently we are tapping into AI to help for emission compliance — and that looks promising.” he winked.
Visit Oasis Emission Consultants official : HERE
Post by Bruce Biegler
DragRaceCanada File Photos by Bruce Biegler – Dave DeAngelis – Steve Embling – Roger Charette
False Fast Fun Fact! — Allegedly: at one very early point within Greg Hunter’s racing career journey — a warmup on a nearby country road with this dragster did prove to be problematic. Urban Legend does have it that after being clocked over the approved speed limit with a KPH radar gun — Greg was able to successfully argue against — because in drag racing it’s only familiarity with MPH – thus charges were dropped on that technically. A true story (?) – yes – should you choose to believe. (ICE file photo).
