Haney Ready to Return to Racing with 'Black Mamba' in Michigan

 

TULSA, OK (Sep. 9, 2020) -- With repairs finally completed after a nasty accident at the NMCA season opener in March, nitrous Pro Mod star Keith Haney will make his return to racing Sep. 11-12, with the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service (MWDRS) at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI. The following weekend he'll compete in the legendary Shakedown Nationals XVIII in Richmond, VA.

Haney escaped unscathed from a fiery, upside-down crash in his 2019 "Black Mamba" Camaro while competing in the NMCA Pro Mod semi-finals at Florida's Bradenton Motorsports Park.

"We actually won the round, but when you wreck the car you really lost the round. I told my guys later that I 'Ricky Bobbied' it," Haney joked. "But Jerry Bickel Race Cars (JBRC) built me a great car that kept me safe and they rebuilt it even better. It's basically a brand-spankin'-new car again and Jerry said it's actually the lightest car ever to come out of his shop.

"As you can see in a very cool video shot by Kyle Christ of Starting Line Media, the Black Mamba looks great, too, thanks to Chris Davis and his team at Kryptonite Kustomz, absolutely the best wrap company in the business. Kryptonite printed the wrap at their shop here in Oklahoma, then Chris sent one of his guys up to Bickel's shop in Missouri to cut and install it so the car was ready to go when it rolled out the door. From there it headed straight to my teammate and great friend Jim Sackuvich's shop where we could pick it up on our way to the track.

"And of course we'll be back with that awesome Pat Musi horsepower, so the rest of those Mid-West Series guys better be ready for us coming back because I'm ready to take away some of those points they've been collecting for myself.

"Plus, I want to get out there just to thank all my great sponsors for sticking with me not only through the years, but while waiting for this rebuild to happen. I honestly could not be out there without the support of Summit Racing Equipment (Jim Greenleaf), Lucas Oil Products (Tom Bogner), RacingJunk.com (Jim Sweener), Strange Engineering (Jeff Stange) and of course, my awesome crew chief Brandon Switzer and Switzer Dynamics."

Haney will test his rebuilt ride at US 131 Motorsports Park this Wednesday and Thursday before entering qualifying and eliminations on Friday and Saturday. With the Michigan event being a unique double points event for the MWDRS, he expects to even become a factor in the 2020 Pro Mod championship chase.

"It's 280 points available up there and after that we finish up with the Mid-West Drag Racing Series World Finals in Tulsa. It might be a long shot, but I want to win Martin, I want to win Virginia, and then when Tulsa rolls around you know where I'm going, I want to win there, too," Haney declared. "And then I've got a couple more races up my sleeve for later on. But you don't want to spill the beans on everything right up front."

Once the MWDRS event in Michigan wraps up, the Keith Haney Racing crew, including father-and-son teammates Dale and Cale Hancock, Steve Cooks and Shane Goodnight will pack up, have the team motorhome serviced at nearby NRC Modifications in Middlebury, IN, then immediately head south to Virginia Motorsports Park and the Shakedown Nationals.

"We've been sidelined for six months, but it gave me a chance to really see what goes on at each of our Mid-West Series events and get to know a lot of our racers a lot better," said Haney, a past MWDRS Pro Mod world champion who also owns and promotes the all-eighth-mile, Tulsa-based series.

"But my guys and Ellen (Eschenbacher, MWDRS events director), and my lady and better half, Misty Hayes, who I really have to thank for putting up with all my ups and downs while not racing, they all said I'm too involved and I need to get back in my car.

"And they're right. I miss the trash talking, the calling out of people and things like that. I'm really just looking forward to getting back in the car to start hurting some feelings and taking some winner's circle pictures again."


Photos and video courtesy Keith Haney Racing/Jerry Bickel Race Cars/Straight Line Media

Video link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16GGgGoigmFUuTW9CuNMkN5I-VK0LAXB9/view?usp=sharing


ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS), select NHRA, PDRA and NMCA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, Menscer Motorsports, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, M&M Transmissions, Neal Chance Racing Converters, and Precision Racing Suspension.

Haney to Open 2020 Pro Mod Campaign with NMCA in Florida

TULSA, OK (Feb. 28, 2020) -- In a surprise move, nitrous Pro Mod star Keith Haney revealed plans to open his 2020 racing season Mar. 5-8, with the 18th annual NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem event at South Florida's historic Bradenton Motorsports Park.

"We've never raced at Bradenton before, but I've always heard such great things

about the track and the fans there and I've always wanted to see it for myself," Haney said. "And what better way to do that than go support the NMCA and get better prepared for our own Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) season opener later next month in Dallas?"

Haney, who owns and promotes MWPMS, also wants to demonstrate how easy and seamless it is for Mid-West Series and NMCA racers to compete with either organization. 

"A lot of people don't know that we worked real close with NMCA Tech Director Roger Conley, and their general manager, Rollie Miller, to try and make sure that we came up the same kind of rules package, so all these racers can build a car and come run either series," he said.

"They don't have to go change anything to go from one series to the next. And we worked real close together to make sure we weren't on top of each other's race dates this year, too. So I encourage any Mid-West Series racers to go race with NMCA when they're not racing with us and I invite any of the NMCA regulars to come over and give our series a try. It's all about giving the racers options."

After introducing "Black Mamba," his Jerry Bickel-built 2019 Pro Mod Camaro, to

competition late last season, Haney also hopes to establish a good baseline tune-up on his Pat Musi powerplant while going after his first NMCA race win.

"We only had three races with the new car and never really got it to where we wanted it last year. We had planned to test quite a bit early this year at Tulsa Raceway Park, which I co-own with my good friend Todd Martin, but the weather in Oklahoma hasn't been too favorable," Haney explained.

"A lot of rain, lot of snow, a lot of ice. Or one day it's cold and the next day it's hot. We could never really get the track to where we want it, where we need it. So, we've decided to head to Bradenton where I know track owner Victor Alvarez makes sure there's always a great racing surface, so we can get a good handle on things for this year and hopefully hurt some feelings along the way."

Haney said he's also happy to confirm the return of crew chief Brandon Switzer

this year to call the shots for Keith Haney Racing, with Shane Goodnight, Dale Hancock and Cale Hancock making up the rest of his trackside crew, while longtime girlfriend Misty Hayes provides extra help to the team's marketing partners.

"You know, we have such great sponsors, including Summit Racing, Strange Engineering, RacingJunk.com, and of course Lucas Oil, who I think we're going into our 12th year together now. From the race car to the toter to the generators, we don't run anything without Lucas Oil products."

And though he's focused on going Pro Mod racing for the time being, Haney hinted there may be some drag radial-related news coming soon, too. He admitted he's been concentrating on business matters during the off season, but promised his radial-racing fans that should all be settled shortly and big changes may come soon.

"I've been quiet. It's not the normal Keith Haney that talks a lot of crap online and gets everybody riled up and I've been a little quiet. But I promise I'm coming back," he said. "There's something coming for everybody for sure. Just remember, the one thing Keith Haney does is he always does something outside the box."

For now, though, the outspoken new car dealer from Tulsa remains focused on taking down the best the NMCA has to offer on the Bradenton eighth mile.

"You know what? I'm going to try to slap around every one of them guys over there; them turbo guys and them roots guys, them screw guys and them Procharger guys. All of them, it don't matter," Haney declared. "I want to go over there and I'm going to try to win the first NMCA race and then leave and maybe I'll come back and run another one. Do it again."

-- END --

Photos courtesy Keith Haney Racing/Randy Curtis/Cole Thomas

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), select NHRA, PDRA and NMCA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, Menscer Motorsports, Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, M&M Transmissions, Neal Chance Racing Converters, and Precision Racing Suspension.