[Marty Buth]

I had a lot of respect for Ron. He was a pioneer in drag racing on several fronts. He hosted the first bracket nationals back in the 70's. As has been mentioned he teamed up with Alex Denysenko to host the first ever Class Nationals. He started the Wheelstanding event that was seen on ESPN and packed the stands.
He had a booming voice on the microphone and made the racer feel appreciated and special.
I remember at the Class Nationals it was 100 plus temperature and Ron was going around with his pick up truck getting the trash out of the trash cans. He ran a tight ship and wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty. He was an inspiring leader.
Ron also ran a successful trucking business out of Rockford, IL.
I agree with the comment that Ron would have been a great asset if he would have gone into leadership at NHRA. He always remembered that the racer was the customer.