Ron Muenks Hoping for First Pro Nitrous Win in 2015

PITTSBORO, NC – The season started out a little rocky for Pro Nitrous driver Ron Muenks when Lizzy Musi tagged his ‘68 Camaro owned by Dave Pierce during a qualifying run at the season opener in Ennis, Texas. Thankfully, both drivers were fine, and Muenks was even able to patch his car back up for eliminations. The team made more permanent repairs once the car was back at their shop in Oklahoma. They quickly refocused their energies and have been hunting their first PDRA Pro Nitrous win since.

“I just want to say how grateful I am to Dave Pierce for his unwavering commitment to this team and the PDRA,” told Muenks. “Dave does everything from shopping for supplies, stocking the refrigerator and trailer, to cleaning the car from top to bottom. After the accident, Dave never wavered in his commitment to repair the car for the next round, which was evidenced by him jumping right in there with the rest of the team. It would have been very easy to be done for the season, but Dave is committed to this team and the PDRA.”

Muenks’ is an experienced Pro Mod veteran by this point in his career, having contested a 1963 Corvette and a ‘59 model Corvette in Pro Extreme before driving for Pierce, and with Dave’s son Jeff commanding tuning duties, it’s only a matter of time before this combination makes its way to the top of the ultra competitive Pro Nitrous division.

“It’s very, very, very competitive,” Muenks said of Pro Nitrous. “Just when we try to get a little bit quicker, so does the competition. So it’s a very tight field.”

Jeff Pierce has quickly made a name for himself as one of the top tuners in the business, having also consulted for the likes of Jeremy Ray and Mike Stawicki, among others. Jeff and Dave tagteam tuning duties and handle all of the major engine duties in between races. The team is rounded out by crewman Ryan Sadler.

“The combination we have on our team works real well,” Muenks said of his crew. “Everyone works together. Even beyond our team, it’s a big racing family out there. If anyone needs help, we help them and vice versa. We have some crew that help out every once in a while but can’t make it to every race. Randy and Dale Hancock from Haney Racing have helped us before. Melani Salemi, Dave’s daughter Stephanie, and Scott Pierce’s brother have also helped us. It’s just been a combination of different people. Whoever is free to help, pitches in.”

Muenks and Pierced used to be competitors when Pierce was behind the wheel himself. Muenks states that Pierce was, and still is, a great driver. While he continues to maintain his Pro Mod license, Pierce focuses on behind the scenes duties now, instead of piloting his Pro Mod operation.

“Dave funds this entire deal, even down to stocking the fridge in the motorhome. He’s also involved in pretty much every aspect of the team. He keeps the car clean, the truck and trailer all clean and ready to go to the races. He discusses the tune up on the car with Jeff. He’s fully involved in this deal. He’s 100 percent in, not just with the funding. He works his tail off.

The race team would also like to thank their associate sponsors including Fuel Tech, Neal Chance Racing Converters, Reher Morrison, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Liberty Transmissions, and Switzer Dynamics.

“We’re staying after it,” added the business owner from Missouri. “Jeff is always focused on making changes to the car to improve the performance on it. We went to Tulsa and did a lot of testing. We got a lot of bugs worked out, hopefully, for Memphis. We actually ended up winning one of the classes we were in. So we’re going to follow through with the rest of the PDRA races.

“It would be nice to win a race,” he said, decidedly. With Pro Nitrous competition at an all time high it’s a true dog fight just to qualify, but Muenks and his team know they have what it takes to push through to the top.