While NMCA VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod driver Jason Hamstra had been hauling in a 2012 Mustang-bodied Pro Mod, he decided to climb into a 1969 Camaro-bodied Pro Mod late last year to take his racing to a new level.

The burgundy beauty was built by Alan Pittman Race Cars and piloted by Pittman in the PDRA. Because the Camaro’s chassis was already sorted and sound, Hamstra focused on other ways to ensure that he and the roller would be a powerful pair.

That involved pulling the powerplant he had been using in the Mustang — a 521 cubic-inch engine built on a Chuck Nuytten block, topped with Noonan heads, and a Mike Janis-built roots-style supercharger — and putting it in the Camaro.

Hamstra chose a Coan Turbo 400 transmission and a Coan converter to round out the mechanically fuel injected combination, and with only a few test passes under his belt, he headed to the 15 Annual NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem in March at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, where he set the pace in qualifying with a 3.77 and won the event.

When asked what he attributed that to, Hamstra simply said that he and his crew, consisting of his wife, Patsy Hamstra, and parents, Kevin and Karen Hamstra, were able to “figure some things out quickly.”

“Even though we were using the same engine and power-adder that were in the Mustang, we went into it knowing that each car was going to feel different going down track, and that we were going to have to adjust,” said Hamstra. “We also knew that we were only going to have a few passes to try to figure it out at the first event.”

While Hamstra was anxious to see what he could unleash at the 9th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by Steeda in April at Atlanta Dragway, he instead ran into an electrical issue that prevented his transbrake from engaging in the first round of eliminations. As a result, his car rolled the beam.

Then, because he was committed to tuning for Pro Mod racer Chip King at an NHRA event, Hamstra wasn’t able to attend the 16th Annual NMCA Bluegrass Nationals in May at Beech Bend Raceway in Kentucky, but he was able to attend the PSCA Heads-Up Hootenanny II, featuring the Midwest Pro Mod Series, in June at Gateway Motorsports Park in Illinois, and he won with a 3.81.

He was back to NMCA competition with the 12th Annual Nitto NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing in July at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois, where he qualified in the second spot with a 3.83 and made it to the final, but a crank trigger failure prevented him from firing his engine for the final round, and he finished as runner-up.

Now, Hamstra, who’s currently third in NMCA VP Racing Fuels Xtreme Pro Mod points, is preparing for the 16th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals, Aug. 24-27, at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio.

“Things are going really well in the new car,” said Hamstra. “It’s going down the track, and it’s fast. Now, we’d like to go some rounds at the NMCA race in Norwalk.”

There, he’ll be sharing the track with his former Mustang, which now belongs to prominent Pro Mod driver Adam Flamholc of Sweden, who wrecked his Corvette in July, but — with help from his crew and Chris Duncan Race Cars — put his powerplant in the Mustang, prepared it within three days, popped off a 3.84 and went rounds at the Street Car Super Nationals in early August at Gateway Motorsports Park in Illinois.

Catch all the action at the 16th Annual Honeywell Garrett NMCA All-American Nationals, Aug. 24-27, at Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio. The highly-anticipated event also can be viewed via live feed offered by SpeedVideo right here, courtesy of presenting sponsor Garrett Turbo, along with E3 Spark Plugs, PRW Industries, ProCharger, Moser Engineering, Late Model Engines, Flex-A-Lite, Royal Purple, Scoggin Dickey Parts Center, Design Engineering Inc, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.