Jim Campbell is having the time of his life. 

The driver of the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car is one of four drivers in the battle for the final Countdown to the Championship spot available with just three races left in the regular season.

Campbell's ranked 11th, just eight points behind two-time NHRA champion Cruz Pedregon. He's 15 ahead of Jonnie Lindberg and 21 in front of Del Worsham. He's 65 behind Alexis DeJoria. 

While a seasoned driver might feel the sting of pressure to perform, Campbell understands the task at hand. However, the thrill of living a dream might make him oblivious to the monstrous demands over the next three races. 

“There’s no doubt the pressure is on, but I love pressure, and I think I respond well to it,” Campbell said. “There is five of us fighting for that 10th spot, but I feel like we’ll step up to the occasion. Yes, it’s pressure, but this is what I love to do. It’s a dream come true to drive a Funny Car for (team owner) Jim Dunn. I’m blessed to be able to do this and I’m racing for a legend. I love the pressure. He’ll tell me to take a couple of deep breaths, get focused, do my job and we’ll be fine.”

Driving might indeed be a dream, but being in championship consideration is icing on the cake. 

Campbell is eating his cake and savoring each bite having advanced to two semifinals and knocking off the No. 1 qualifier in back-to-back races at Chicago and Denver. 

“I couldn’t be more excited about what we’ve done,” Campbell said. “Now that we’ve had some time together as a team, we’ve built up a consistent pattern. I’m getting more consistent as a driver, and I’ve gotten a lot better on the lights. What that does is allows Jim to tune the car around me to get faster and faster. It’s definitely important to keep doing what we’re doing."

And to do it for a legend, Campbell is quick to point out the dream becomes more unreal with each accolade. 

“It’s extremely thrilling for me to drive for Jim Dunn, a legend of the sport,” Campbell said. “He’s got so much knowledge and wisdom; I just try to listen and absorb it. Someone with the wealth of knowledge he has, I am the student. The only way to get better is to listen and perform. Beating the No. 1 qualifier in back-to-back races instilled a lot of confidence in me and the team has worked their butts off. The main thing is our car is going down the track."