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A part-time passion turns into a family-owned and operated business

Ricky Prince began his career in transmission building at a local transmission shop in 1999 with training and guidance from Kevin Lavoie. Prince has been attending drag races his entire life, and drove his first race car, his father's 1970 Chevy Nova SS, when he only had a learner's permit. With his love for drag racing it just made sense for Prince to go from building transmissions for street vehicles to building them for racing.

In the beginning, Prince arranged with the shop's owner to allow him to use his space and equipment to research, rebuild, and test racing transmissions. With access to an Axiline transmission dyno, hydraulic leak tester, and state-of-the-art equipment, Prince set out to build the most reliable and consistent Powerglide on the market.

One of the most common problems encountered when testing was that 90% of the transmissions would move after the transbrake was applied. Being a bracket racer himself, Prince realized this was the main cause of inconsistent reaction times, and knew this was an issue that had to be addressed. He eventually came up with a better design, and put it to the test with his first customer, Kenny LeBlanc. LeBlanc has been a loyal customer and has been advertising for Prince Racing Transmissions ever since. Prince's research paid off big, and he now builds transmissions capable of handling six-second, 200 mph blasts in Top Dragster and Top Sportsman applications.

What started out as a part-time hobby working for someone else's shop and in his garage ten years ago is now a full-time business operating out of a large two bay shop with plenty of room for expansion. Prince's cousin Nathan Brunelle is the company's R&R technician and his wife Jennifer handles the books and creates the company's web site. When school is not in session, Prince's oldest daughter, Caitlin, can be found passing tools to Brunelle. His youngest daughter, Ashley, can also be found at the shop on a daily basis. Kevin Lavoie, Prince's mentor, shows up on weekends to help out. He is also the crew chief for Prince's Dan Page-built, six-second, 200 mph Top Dragster.

The folks at Prince Racing Transmissions believe in giving back to the customers. They are associate sponsors for two local series, Dan Page Top Dragster Series and Hot Rod, and proud to have been a major sponsor of the IHRA for the past three years.

"The IHRA is geared toward the sportsman racer, and since most of my customers run in the sportsman categories, it was a natural fit," Prince said. "The contingency program at IHRA is great; it puts money back into the racers pockets. We became major sponsors to show our appreciation to our customers and also to give back to those who make it possible to do what we do."

So whether you need parts, repairs, or a complete transmission for your tow vehicle, daily driver, or your six-second race car there is only one name to remember - Prince Racing Transmissions. If you are in the area for the North American Nationals at New England Dragway, stop in and pay them a visit, even if it is just to talk racing.