CLOSE-UP
Ron Muenks
Header Flames for Life
‘I
wish it was a mandatory rule, honestly,” says Jeff Pierce,
crew chief and tuner of his father Dave Pierce’s PDRA Pro Nitrous ’68 Camaro driven by Ron Muenks, speaking of the upturned bullhorn-style headers on his family’s beloved “Purple Gorilla”.
Roof-high header flames have always been part of nitrous Pro Mod
racing, but the adoption of zoomie headers in recent years has turned
the nighttime fire show into a nostalgic rarity from the days past.
“The giant flame is what sets nitrous racing apart. It’s what makes
these cars so cool for the fans and, truth be told, for us racers. It’s badass. I have to acknowledge the fact that we do run the bullhorns in
an effort to increase down force to help prevent the massive mid-run
wheel stands that are becoming fairly commonplace with these cars,
but at the end of the day – it’s basically all about the cool factor.” In
a time where showmanship seems to be lost on racers trying to gain
any possible performance advantage, a mandate made in the name of
DI DI DI
providing a better show might not be a bad idea. – W E S B U CK
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P H O T O G R A P H B Y C H R I S G R AV E S
July 2016
DragIllustrated.com
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