Billy Godbold
Billy Godbold
COMP Cams
Valve Train Engineering Group Leader
Growing up on a small farm in rural north Mississippi, Billy Godbold had two real passions: science and making cars go fast. So it’s only natural to assume that he would end up building a career in a science-related field while settling into a role as an automotive hobbyist on the side. But that’s not exactly how it all worked out.
While receiving his B. S. in Physics at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, Billy made the decision (much debated by family and friends) to use his engineering and science talent for the power of evil… or at least for making hot rods and race cars go faster.
Soon thereafter, Billy was awarded a Ph.D. tract graduate fellowship at the Florida State University in 1993, all the while knowing that he wanted to apply his education to making automotive engines perform more efficiently.
After receiving his M.S. in Physics from FSU while working with the Nuclear Physics Group, Billy finally found the right opportunity to combine his two passions in a career and he moved back to Memphis to work for Competition Cams.
Since joining COMP in 1995, Billy’s math and physics skills have led him through positions in Technical Sales to Camshaft Profile Design to his current role as Valve Train Engineering Group Leader.
In that time COMP Cams’ library of designs has grown from a few hundred masters to over 16,000 unique designs and over 40,000 different lobe profile variations.
Throughout his tenure, COMP Cams has been heavily involved in an extremely diverse range of valve train design and development projects including variable valve timing applications, the Xtreme Energy, Thumpr, and XFI camshaft lines, and work for racing series including everything from NHRA, NASCAR, SCCA, GRAND-AM and IndyCar to sportsman and hobbyist ranks.
Billy and COMP also often serve as consultants for OEMs and a variety industrial engine developers.
Today, Billy oversees a team of 20 talented engineers. In addition to serving as an extremely valuable member of the COMP Cams staff, his many years of experience and natural talent for understanding complex valve train scenarios have made him a trusted source of information for race teams, manufacturers and engine builders alike.
