Reynald Argenta, one third of the successful Ambrose-Argenta-Huettman Comp eliminator team, died of an apparent heart attack Oct. 4. He was 56. Along with driver Steve Ambrose and tuner Bob Huettman, Argenta was part of a team that claimed nine national events, including a U.S. Nationals triumph in 1988.

Ambrose and Argenta were boyhood friends who met at the respective ages of 5 and 3 and lived just down the street from one another. Some 30 years ago, Argenta joined the year-old team of Ambrose and Huttman, and the trio have raced together since.

“We’re all very sad and we're going to miss him greatly,” said Ambrose of his friend of 53 years, “but we’re going to go on racing. We have to. We have a race in a few weeks in Reynolds, Ga. [the Division 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event], and we’re going to try to win it for Reynald. We've received such an outpouriung of love from the community that it's been incredible. People I haven't spoken to in 20 years have called me to express their sympathies. Everyone knows what a special guy Reynald was."

Argenta is his survived by his wife, Suzanne, stepson John, and his mother.