“ We ’ d done a lot of grudge racing , some radial racing – X275 early on – but most of it ’ s just gotten so out of control ,” Gunter continues . “ When we saw these no prep races starting to pop up all over , getting a lot of play on social media , we knew we wanted to get involved . When you see events like Dig or Die popping up on Facebook with a $ 100,000 up for grabs ? It ’ s exciting ; it piqued my interest for sure – if they ’ re going to be racing for that kind of money , we want to be a part of it .”

As fate would have it , Gunter came across an unfinished Fox Body Mustang late in 2020 – essentially a rolling chassis – that included a lot of the parts necessary for completion that would be perfect for this particular brand of racing . Over the winter , Gunter and company finished the build and in March of this year made their debut at the spring running of Dig or Die No Prep at The New 710 Dragway in Rowland , North Carolina .

“ First race out , I think our tenth pass on the

car , I wrecked it ,” he says , laughing a little , and explaining that is where the car ’ s nickname “ Miss Duct Tape ” was born . “ We were going to call it ‘ Notorious ’, but we had to pivot after I put it in the wall . We literally duct taped the front end of

the car back together for the race and one thing led to another . Now , she ’ s ‘ Miss Duct Tape ’ and I think it ’ s permanent .”

Since then , Gunter has gotten his sea legs , or no prep legs if you will , under him and become

PHOTOGRAPHS BY COREY STAMPER