Factory Stock No.
74
Photo courtesy of Shawna FunkRon Funk
Ron Funk is a man who gives you only the facts; his wife, Shawna, and their son, Garrett, provide the color. He speaks in nouns and verbs, no adjectives, which leads Shawna to interject during his story telling, “Ron, tell him the whole story!” If Funk had lived in 19th century America, he would have been a mountain man, pony express rider, or a cowboy. He would have lived on the fringe of civilization in towns like Tombstone, Arizona, places where he could find action. In today’s “sophisticated society,” Ron Funk fills the void of what he might have been with the hell-bent world of stock car racing.
Ron was born on November 6, 1969, in Phoenix, Arizona, the older of two sons of Danny Funk and Pat Woody. His parents are easy-going people, giving Ron plenty of space to do his thing as he grew up in a south Phoenix neighborhood near Manzanita Speedway. Danny and Pat began taking their two boys to Manzanita when they were little tykes. According to Ron, “I was fascinated with race cars from my earliest memory, but my little brother, Lonnie, would always fall asleep.” Danny and Pat have occupied the same seats at Manzanita for the past 34 years. The acorn has fallen pretty close to the tree as Ron has the same passion for the sport. As a matter of fact, he works as a crane operator and loves to fish, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Walter Funk.
During his years at South Mountain High School, Ron built a supped-up 1970 GMC pickup, a vehicle he still owns. He was a big cruiser of Central Avenue and a competitor in the midnight drag races at 19th Avenue and Deer Valley Road. The drags were a big, “illegal” deal in Ron’s youth. Today the kids have been banned from Central Avenue, and the drags have been stamped out. But in 1986-1987, word of mouth advertising would insure the attendance of over 100 cars for the drags on weekends. Ron remembers, “Even old guys would show up. Some people would bring in their dragsters on trailers; it was that big a deal. Most of the serious dragsters had big racing slicks on their cars; I did, too. The races started about 10 p.m. with someone measuring off a quarter mile. The signal to race came from the flashing headlights of cars at the end of the quarter. Loads of people showed up to watch. Occasionally the cops showed up, too, and the kids would scatter. I was lucky that I never got caught.”
Ron met Shawna Berard at South Mountain High School. Shawna was a year behind Ron and showed up at school when she was a freshman, transferring in from a private Christian school. Shawna’s first reaction to Ron was that he was a “free ride,” because he had a cool hot-rod pickup. But there was an attraction there, as Shawna described Ron as “different.” Shawna thought, “This guy doesn’t worry about what people think of him. He’s a very down to earth person.” Ron’s first response to Shawna was the polar opposite. He acknowledged that he thought she was good looking, but then said to her, “Do you remember how stuck up you were?” That was probably the reason they did not date for a long time.
After high school, Ron and Shawna went their separate ways. Ron always had a job during high school, mowing lawns and delivering papers, among other low-paying jobs. He got his first real job with Discount Tire, later getting into crane operations with his father. Shawna ended up a single mother, with a job at a gas station in the old neighborhood. One day Ron’s mother told him, “Son, go visit the gas station. There’s a real nice girl working there, and she likes racing.” Ron says, “I went to the gas station and it was Shawna. After that, I bought a lot of gas there!”
By 1993 things were turning serious, but Ron did not want the relationship to go any further without an understanding, “I have a race car and you have to accept that.” Shawna did him one better by replying, “I love race cars, but I have a son, and you have to love both me and Garrett.” Although Shawna’s parents and grandparents were a little concerned about the impending marriage because they remembered Ron’s influence in getting Shawna to ditch high school classes with him, the deal was sealed. They were married on March 26, 1994. Even the casual observer can tell that the marriage was a great decision for all three of them. Ron, in his quiet way, is the most caring husband and father, while Shawna hangs on Ron’s every word, inserting adjectives as necessary. Garrett is just a big happy kid waiting for his chance to get into a race car. Even Shawna’s side of the family recognizes that she found a rare gem.
In Funk’s youth, the family lived next door to Ricky Johnson, now a Manzanita racing legend. Johnson always had a race car in the driveway, and Ron yearned to get behind the wheel. Finally, at age 18, Funk got his chance. He purchased a 1974 Firebird with a 350 engine that he raced as a street stock. “I was a little scared sitting there in the staging area waiting to go out,” said Ron, “but I was OK when I got on the track, but I ran in the back most of the night, finishing 11th. I try to avoid crashes. I was right behind Bobby Taylor when he had his fiery crash on July 26, 1991. I have seen six race car drivers killed at Manzanita Speedway in my lifetime; however, I think the cars are much safer today. I know that Shawna worries in the back of her mind; that’s why she keeps a lucky charm to protect me.” Although Funk has rolled a car, he has come close to injury only once. He hit the wall in a super stock and literally saw stars.
Funk is always in the top 10 finishers each season regardless of the division in which he is racing. He was the 1993 Street Stock Champion on the half-mile track. During his career he has 27 main event victories and has won over 200 trophies. That’s less than the 800 wins racked up by his hero, Carl Trimmer, but Trimmer is 65 years old and still racing. Ron still has time to catch him. In addition, Ron is recognized as a premiere race car builder. Funk-built race cars have won literally hundreds of races including at least 10 championships.
Ron respects every race car driver because it takes guts to get behind the wheel. He really respects the clean drivers as he always tries to run a clean race. The drivers he likes to race against are people like Anthony Madrid, Larry Price, and Marlon Childers. Ron says they are all clean drivers and real tough competition.
According to Funk, “If you want to run up front, you have to maintain your car. I check every nut and bolt on my car every week; I go front to back. My parents tape all my races so that I can check my driving and see how the car performs. On the track I’m always looking as far out in front as I can. You need to see things as soon as possible so that you have the maximum reaction time.” Ron does not believe winning is everything, but he does believe his mother-in-law, Ann Berard, is right when she says, “but wanting to is!”
There is going to be a colossal battle for the 2005 Factory Stock Championship as Ron Funk has set his sights on that goal, along with many other experienced former champions. In addition, there are several promising rookies who plan to debut at Manzanita in 2005, including Funk’s son, Garrett, who will turn 14 years of age in March, 2005. If he has been taking advice from his dad, there is going to be a “Battle of the Ages” next season.