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DOUBLE DUTY DUEL AT X-DRL EVENT IN ST. LOUIS

Keith Haney and Ron Muenks had more in common than just being first-round Pro Mod competitors in the X-DRL X-treme Gateway Showdown--both were racing two cars in two classes at the same event for the first time in their careers.

Haney was forced into double duty when veteran Pro Nitrous racer Doug Riesterer failed to show up at Gateway Motorsports Park, despite Haney saying there had been an agreement in place for several weeks for Riesterer to take over the 2012 Camaro that Haney's teammate Monroe Guest normally drives on the X-DRL trail.

"Monroe and I, we're both normally in Pro Mod, but we knew Monroe would be out of town this weekend, so Doug was supposed to be driving the black car here, but then some unforeseen issues prevented him from making it, I guess, so here I am driving the black car in Pro Nitrous, and I'm driving my car, the red car, in Pro Mod, too," explained Haney, who co-owns Tulsa Raceway Park with Pro Extreme racer Todd Martin. "The reason we have one in Pro Nitrous is just to give me time to get in and out of both cars; I can't race two cars in the same class."

For Muenks, who usually can be found behind the wheel of Dave Pierce's Pro Mod '68 Camaro, the opportunity to also drive the '68 Camaro Pro Nitrous entry owned by Jeff Cummins and driven by his son, Jeffrey Jr., came about when the Cummins clan had to attend a wedding this weekend.

"The car was pre-entered, so we thought, what the heck, let's give it a try," Muenks said.

After Muenks qualified third with a 3.959-seconds pass at 185.38 mph and Haney placed fourth with a 3.990 at 187.63, they were paired up in round one of eliminations for Pro Mod at Gateway.

In the first pair out, Haney left first with a .017 holeshot, but the advantage was quickly gathered up when he lost traction and had to shut off early as Muenks streaked by to win in 3.961 seconds at 184.80 mph. Muenks went on to finish runner-up to Kevin Rivenbark's career-first Pro Mod win.

When it came time for the Pro Nitrous class to take the track, both Haney and Muenks made first-round exits, with Muenks falling to number-one qualifier Jeff Naiser and Haney losing to third-place starter Robert Mathis.

Muenks PNcarStill, both insisted that though it was a lot of extra work for them and their teams, racing two cars at one event was enjoyable and something they'd be happy to try again.

"The cars are a lot alike, so that makes it a lot easier. The biggest chore is I've got to take my seat out each time we swap cars; I've got to bring my gloves, my helmet, take everything out at the finish line, throw everything on the golf cart and then rush up to the trailer and switch everything over," Haney said.

"But I'm having a ball. The extra seat time is always good, and really, we needed to get the black car down the track a few times and get some stuff sorted out, so doing this has really helped."

Muenks said the two cars he drove also were quite similar, pointing out that Pierce previously owned the Cummins' Camaro, "so everything was pretty much set up the same in there.

"It was very, very busy, but it was fun," he added. "I would definitely do it again."

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