ENDERS-STEVENS EXCITED ABOUT PRO MOD PROSPECT

A shot-in-the-dark Facebook message received on Monday led to NHRA Pro Stock star Erica Enders-Stevens making her Pro Modified debut three days later (Aug. 1) during practice for this weekend's ADRL Memphis Drags IV.

"We have some mutual acquaintances, including Rob Geiger, who is a good friend of mine and handles all my sponsorship stuff, plus he handles Erica's P.R. work," said Keith Haney, owner of the nitrous-boosted 2012 Camaro that Enders-Stevens will attempt to qualify Aug. 2, in ADRL Pro Mod. Haney also drives his own '12 Camaro in the class that adheres to NHRA rules. "Anyway, I was debating whether to drive both cars again, like I did at the X-DRL race in St. Louis about a month ago. That was fun, but it was also a lot of work, so I asked Rob if he thought Erica might be interested in trying out a Pro Mod. When he said she might be, all you can do is ask, so I just sent a message to her inbox on Facebook last Friday and simply said, 'Would you be interested in driving my Pro Mod at Memphis next weekend?'" Enders-Stevens said she didn't check her messages that weekend, admitting she was avoiding the computer because she was feeling downcast about missing the NHRA's "Western Swing" since her Victor Cagnazzi-owned team was sidelined due to a lack of sponsorship after 10 races this season. When she did finally see the message, though, she replied with a simple, one-word answer: "Seriously?!!!" When Haney, who co-owns Tulsa Raceway Park and is a Chevy dealer in Oklahoma, assured her he was indeed serious with his offer, a flurry of phone calls quickly went out to Cagnazzi and Enders-Stevens' sponsor reps at Chevrolet.

"I just had to get clearance from the people I answer to and that took most of the day, but they were really positive about it, although they did ask if I had lost my mind," Enders-Stevens said. "I told them I think I have, but I'm a crazy race car driver who'll do almost anything to get back in a car. "But seriously, I'm really excited about the opportunity. I talked to Richie (Stevens, husband) about it because that's where he got his start, in Pro Mod, and he thought it was a good opportunity. But Pro Mod is such an intimidating thing. I told Keith I've always admired the Pro Mod cars, but jokingly wondered why these Pro Mod guys paint their cars so pretty because they get stuffed in the wall so often. "It's certainly an intimidating class, an intimidating car, and I'm sure the learning curve will be significant, but I feel like I'm up for the challenge," Enders-Stevens continued. "I'm just so glad Keith gave me the opportunity."

Haney spent much of Thursday afternoon with Enders-Stevens painstakingly going over starting procedures, nitrous purging, burnout practices and what to expect as the car progresses down the ADRL eighth mile. He realizes, of course, that Enders-Stevens is likely to be nervous, but insisted that compared to the Pro Stock Camaro she's used to wheeling, Enders-Stevens might even be "bored" by his Pro Mod version. "I told her on the phone yesterday, 'Here's the deal, I wouldn't put you in my car if I didn't think it was safe.' We've gone over everything probably 20 or 30 times, but it's really going to take going down the track a couple of times and she'll be fine. I'm very confident of that," Haney said. "Compared to her Pro Stock car, this car is easy to drive. She's in there (Pro Stock) grabbin' gears, making sure to hit the shift points dead on, watching the oil pressure, and with this one all she has to do is the burnout, back up, a couple of nitrous purges, stage it and let go of the transbrake button and the car will do the rest. I told her, other than steering and maybe pedaling it, once you let go of the button there is nothing more you can do to improve the run; it's all on us to give you the car to get it done. We set the tune-up, we adjusted the chassis, we set the wheelie bars, all the driver can do is drive at that point." In her first attempt on the track, Enders-Stevens was a little timid in the burnout, barely getting the big Hoosiers out back spinning through the water box. Since it was only a test run, ADRL officials allowed her to back up and try again, resulting in a nice, long smoke show to about a hundred feet past the starting line. She then backed up with confidence, quickly purged and staged, and launched into a planned shutoff at the 60-foot mark.

One more shot late in the evening went much smoother from the start, with Enders-Stevens taking off with both headers shooting flames into the Memphis night before the car drifted toward the right wall and she clicked it off a couple of hundred feet out. After watching her husband compete in ADRL Extreme Pro Stock several times over the last couple of years, though he's not currently racing, Enders-Stevens is very familiar with the ADRL, its procedures and its atmosphere. She said she's looking forward to joining the fray. "It's such an exciting deal running to the eighth mile, the wild and crazy cars, and the people are just awesome here; it's like a big family deal. I mean, if you walk uninvited into somebody's pit in the NHRA you might get shot; not really, but it's so different here where people from other teams come over while we were warming up, talking, looking over our motors; it's just so different here; very enjoyable and I'm just glad I get to participate as a driver instead of just a crew member." And despite her lack of familiarity with the Pro Mod class, Enders-Stevens said she hopes to qualify well and go a couple of rounds in eliminations on race day. "From the time I left Jr. Dragsters I've always been willing to jump on any opportunity I've been given to drive any kind of race car," she stressed. "This is definitely outside my comfort zone, but once I get a few passes under my belt I know that will change. This is a professional deal with top-of-the-line equipment, an established team, and a great opportunity for me and my sponsors to get some exposure while we wait for our Pro Stock deal to come together again."

Pro Stock winner Enders-Stevens to drive for Keith Haney Racing in Memphis

Pro Stock winner Enders-Stevens to drive for Keith Haney Racing in Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 31) - Five-time NHRA Pro Stock winner Erica Enders-Stevens will drive for Keith Haney Racing in this weekend's ADRL Memphis Drags IV at Memphis International Raceway. Led by team manager John Collins, Keith Haney Racing will compete in the Pro Modified class in Memphis, with Enders-Stevens and Haney driving Chevrolet Camaros.

"It's good for Keith Haney Racing to have a racer of Erica's caliber sitting in the seat of one of the cars," Haney said. "It's big for me and big for her. She stays in front of the public eye with her stature and her reputation, and she gets to deliver to her fans and potential sponsors.

"My team couldn't be more excited, and it's a perfect fit for what we're doing."

Haney has ties to NHRA Pro Stock racing through fellow Oklahoman Mike Edwards, and several Pro Stock teams test at Tulsa Raceway Park, co-owned by Haney and Todd Martin.

Enders-Stevens, who won the NHRA Pro Stock race in Phoenix earlier this year, has been sidelined because of a lack of funding for the Cagnazzi Racing team, so when Haney asked if she could drive for him in Memphis, she jumped at the chance.

"He sent me an text telling me I could drive his Pro Mod car in Memphis if I wanted to," Enders-Stevens said. "I wrote him back with one word, 'Seriously?' "

Haney was serious, and after the two talked and Enders-Stevens got approval from Pro Stock car owner Victor Cagnazzi, the deal was done.

"It's a competitive car, and Keith has a first-class operation," Enders-Stevens said. "I remember being at ADRL races last year when Richie (Stevens, husband) was driving Extreme Pro Stock and just admiring how awesome his cars looked. Those two Camaros he has are really nice cars.

"I'm appreciative to Keith for the opportunity, and I'm excited to see what the weekend holds."

Haney, a driver/owner in ADRL and X-DRL, was looking for a driver since regular shoe Monroe Guest had shoulder surgery. When he first considered Enders-Stevens, he called Lethal Acceleration co-owner Brandon Pesz, who tunes Haney's race cars.

"She's good on the Tree and she can drive a race car," Haney said. "Brandon has known her since she was little, and he's from Texas. I called him first and said, 'Hey, if I offer Erica a ride in the car, what do you think?' He said, 'Get her in it. She can wheel any type of race car.'

"It's a one-race deal, and I'm sure she'll be back in a Pro Stock car very soon, but for now Keith Haney Racing is fortunate enough to have a five-time national event winner wheeling one of its Camaros."

Enders-Stevens is ready for the challenge, too.

"I've never driven a Pro Mod car, never driven a nitrous car," Enders-Stevens said. "It will definitely be a learning experience, and I'm sure the learning curve is significant, but it's nothing I can't handle.

"I'm going into it with an open mind. I give speeches to kids about following their dreams, jumping on every opportunity possible and not letting fear stand in the way of anything they do. I'm taking my own advice in this instance. I'm a professional race car driver, and I'll do the best I can. We'll see what happens."

Haney has the backing of Lucas Oil, a longtime supporter of his race team, as the two companies have worked together for many years. Haney uses Lucas Oil products in his race cars, and the company co-owned by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas has been a big proponent of Pro Mod racing.

Keith Haney   Erica Enders-Stevens   --30--

DOUBLE DUTY DUEL AT X-DRL EVENT IN ST. LOUIS

WRITTEN BY IAN TOCHER.

Keith Haney and Ron Muenks had more in common than just being first-round Pro Mod competitors in the X-DRL X-treme Gateway Showdown--both were racing two cars in two classes at the same event for the first time in their careers. 

Haney was forced into double duty when veteran Pro Nitrous racer Doug Riesterer failed to show up at Gateway Motorsports Park, despite Haney saying there had been an agreement in place for several weeks for Riesterer to take over the 2012 Camaro that Haney's teammate Monroe Guest normally drives on the X-DRL trail.

"Monroe and I, we're both normally in Pro Mod, but we knew Monroe would be out of town this weekend, so Doug was supposed to be driving the black car here, but then some unforeseen issues prevented him from making it, I guess, so here I am driving the black car in Pro Nitrous, and I'm driving my car, the red car, in Pro Mod, too," explained Haney, who co-owns Tulsa Raceway Park with Pro Extreme racer Todd Martin. "The reason we have one in Pro Nitrous is just to give me time to get in and out of both cars; I can't race two cars in the same class."

For Muenks, who usually can be found behind the wheel of Dave Pierce's Pro Mod '68 Camaro, the opportunity to also drive the '68 Camaro Pro Nitrous entry owned by Jeff Cummins and driven by his son, Jeffrey Jr., came about when the Cummins clan had to attend a wedding this weekend.

"The car was pre-entered, so we thought, what the heck, let's give it a try," Muenks said.

After Muenks qualified third with a 3.959-seconds pass at 185.38 mph and Haney placed fourth with a 3.990 at 187.63, they were paired up in round one of eliminations for Pro Mod at Gateway. 

In the first pair out, Haney left first with a .017 holeshot, but the advantage was quickly gathered up when he lost traction and had to shut off early as Muenks streaked by to win in 3.961 seconds at 184.80 mph. Muenks went on to finish runner-up to Kevin Rivenbark's career-first Pro Mod win.

When it came time for the Pro Nitrous class to take the track, both Haney and Muenks made first-round exits, with Muenks falling to number-one qualifier Jeff Naiser and Haney losing to third-place starter Robert Mathis.

Still, both insisted that though it was a lot of extra work for them and their teams, racing two cars at one event was enjoyable and something they'd be happy to try again.

"The cars are a lot alike, so that makes it a lot easier. The biggest chore is I've got to take my seat out each time we swap cars; I've got to bring my gloves, my helmet, take everything out at the finish line, throw everything on the golf cart and then rush up to the trailer and switch everything over," Haney said. 

"But I'm having a ball. The extra seat time is always good, and really, we needed to get the black car down the track a few times and get some stuff sorted out, so doing this has really helped."

Muenks said the two cars he drove also were quite similar, pointing out that Pierce previously owned the Cummins' Camaro, "so everything was pretty much set up the same in there.

"It was very, very busy, but it was fun," he added. "I would definitely do it again."

 

 

Haney taps Riesterer to pinch-hit

Haney taps Riesterer to pinch-hit for teammate at Gateway Showdown

ST. LOUIS (June 11) - Some scheduling conflicts are causing Keith Haney Racing to shuffle the deck a little for this weekend's X-DRL X-treme Gateway Showdown, but the team's namesake is confident in the hand he'll be dealt at Gateway Motorsports Park.

As usual Haney will take the wheel of his red, nitrous-injected Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro, and normally Monroe Guest is behind the wheel of the black Lucas Oil Camaro, but prior commitments have Guest out of the country this weekend.

To fill that vacant seat, Haney didn't have to search very far.

"Doug Riesterer has been helping tune our cars all year long and is a championship driver in his own right," Haney said. "Since Monroe couldn't be in St. Louis with us this weekend, Doug is a great choice for the black car."

While assuming driving duties, Riesterer will also continue to tune both cars alongside Brandon Pesz.

"We want to keep both of our cars in front of our fans and sponsors," Haney said. "Doug is one of the best Pro Nitrous drivers in the country, so I convinced him to drive for us this weekend.

"With Doug driving and tuning, I think it'll also help me as a driver with my race car. Doug will be getting a lot of track information first-hand, which will help both cars significantly."

Haney's team has put a lot of focus on whipping the black Camaro into shape in recent weeks.

"My red car has been running phenomenally well, almost perfect, but we've been struggling to get the black car to that same level," Haney said. "I put seven hits on the car out at the racetrack a couple of Sundays ago - it was the first time I'd ever driven that car.

"We finally figured out what was going on. We found there was a shock issue and a couple of other little things that were holding it back. Who knows, the black car may go lower than the red car, which actually might be pretty exciting."

Qualifying for the X-treme Gateway Showdown gets under way at 3 p.m. CDT on Friday from Gateway Motorsports Park. One final qualifying session will be held at noon on Saturday before eliminations begin at 3 p.m.

--30--

'Throw Down in T-Town' sure to please'Throw Down in T-Town' sure to please Tulsa fans, insists track owner/racer HaneyTulsa fans, insists track owner/racer Haney

'Throw Down in T-Town' sure to please Tulsa fans, insists track owner/racer HaneyTulsa fans, insists track owner/racer Haney

TULSA, Okla. (May 8) - Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park's Throw Down in T-Town has grown by leaps and bounds in its first handful of years, and this weekend's event is expected to be the best one yet.

"We're really excited about this race," said track co-owner Keith Haney. "We've got a little bit of everything out here for the fans. We'll have a nitro-powered Harley-Davidson making some passes, we've got a PT Cruiser that does wheel stands all the way down the track, and a $50,000 total payout to all the class winners. It's going to be non-stop excitement."

When the Throw Down gets under way Friday night, Haney will do his best to win back some of that prize money when he and teammate Monroe Guest get behind the wheel of their Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro Pro Mods.

"We'll test Monroe's car pretty hard this week before qualifying starts on Friday night," Haney said. "We're not going to have to touch too much on my car because we think we've got it figured out after we ran 3.95s (seconds) pretty much every time we went down the track last time out.

"So for now we're going to focus on his black car to get it dialed in to where my red car is."

Haney said he's especially proud of the large number of contingency sponsors who have come aboard to help sweeten the pot for the racers taking part in the event.

"We've got great contingencies on top of the big payouts," Haney said. "It's attracting a lot of the big names in Pro Mod racing. This Throw Down has gotten to be very, very big."

A few of the contingency sponsors who have come aboard include Neal Chance Converters & Pro Torque Converters, Lethal Acceleration, Stroud Safety, Trick Titanium, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Five Star Bodies, Reher-Morrison Racing Engines, Aeromotive and Mickey Thompson.

"It's going so well that we've had six different tracks call us to put on a Throw Down at their facilities," Haney said. "That's a big deal for everyone who helps make this event happen."

Gates at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park open at 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday with eliminations starting at 6 p.m. Saturday. Free tickets for the event can be picked up Tulsa-area QuikTrip

 

 

--30--

 

After posting career-best numbers in testing, Haney anxious for start of X-DRL season

After posting career-best numbers in testing, Haney anxious for start of X-DRL season

TULSA, Okla. (April 2) - If last week's testing at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park is any indication of what this weekend's X-DRL Spring Nationals are going to be like, race fans and drivers alike are going to be smiling all weekend long.

"We had 40 cars a day making passes here last weekend," said track co-owner Keith Haney, who plans to race the Spring Nationals himself. "At my own test, my Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro ran a 3.95 second pass at 186 mph to the eighth-mile. It was incredible and got us all very excited. I'd jump in the car and race right now if I could."

Haney said the car count for this inaugural X-DRL event is already looking strong.

"We've got cars from all over North America that are converging on the track for this race," Haney said. "Many of them tested last week and left their rigs at the track. The X-DRL crew got here this week to start their work, and the excitement has been building ever since."

To help fan the flames Haney said the track is going to give away T-shirts through a promotion on Facebook. Fans can enter the contest by going to facebook.com/TulsaRacewayPark or the X-DRL's fan page on Facebook and like and share the special photo posted there to enter to win a shirt.

"We did something similar on a ticket giveaway last week," Haney said. "It got incredible response, over 2,000 shares. With every Facebook user having 600 friends, more than a million people could see our post about this weekend's race. We're expecting the same excited response for the shirts."

Haney said if the excitement on the track wasn't enough with nine classes of cars racing, he said the track's midway will be packed with a whole variety of sights and sounds.

"The centerpiece of the midway is going to be Austin Dillon's AdvoCare Chevy Camaro NASCAR Nationwide Series car and hauler," Haney said. "We're also going to have Monster Energy out there, as well as a number of other sponsors in on the excitement."

The gates at Tulsa Raceway Park open at 8 a.m. CDT on both Saturday and Sunday with qualifying starting at 10 a.m. both days. Eliminations start at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

 

 

Haney prepares for a run during a recent test at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park. Photo by William Crowe

 

--30--

 

 

Haney and Guest prepped for big season, beginning with X-DRL Spring Nationals

Haney and Guest prepped for big season, beginning with X-DRL Spring Nationals

TULSA, Okla. (March 28) - It's been a busy winter at Keith Haney Racing, but the team's drivers know they'll be ready to go when the wraps on the new season are unveiled April 6-7 at the X-DRL Spring Nationals at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park.

After a tough 2012 season, Haney and fellow driver Monroe Guest took their Chevy Camaros down to bare bones for a total make-over.

"We've had a big offseason," Haney said. "We learned a lot last year, and the cars turned a corner at the end of the year and made some good numbers. During the offseason we found some issues in the wiring of the cars that might have hurt us.

"We both cars completely rewired from the taillights all the way to the crank trigger. We are totally ready to roll."

Guest said the new wiring will help the cars in a number of ways.

"I'm feeling real positive about what we've done over the winter," Guest said. "We didn't perform the way we wanted to last year and the winter allowed us to take a real hard look at the cars. The shorts in the wiring system caused the car to not spray the nitrous correctly. Changing the wiring also allowed us to lighten the cars quite a bit, which will help our performance tremendously.

"It's going to be exciting to see what these cars can do because they are like brand new again."

Haney said he's brought back a lot of the personnel who helped him at the tail end of last season.

"We're prepared now. We didn't do a whole lot of changes to the powerplants," Haney said. "We did change our transmissions and our gear ratios. What we've got now is real promising.

"Doug Riesterer, who is the fastest Pro Nitrous guy in the country, is still tuning our cars. Brandon Pesz and the guys from Lethal Acceleration, who helped us to our best numbers of the season last year, are also helping us again. We're not going through all the pains and agony we went through last year."

The next step is to test this weekend at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park, a track Haney co-owns, and see how well all these changes will work under race conditions.

"We didn't start racing until the middle of the season last year," Haney said. "And we did good. As a startup team we won more rounds of racing than most teams do in two years.

"We've got Lucas Oil coming on board with us as a major sponsor on our racecars and this team we've put together should be a dominant force right from the start."

Guest said it's going to be fun to open the season with a race in his own back yard.

The X-DRL is going to bring another level of excitement for fans and drivers of doorslammer cars," Guest said. "We're going to get to try some different tracks and get a chance to win a championship in multiple series.

"It's great to have such a big spotlight shown on Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park and we're excited to start the season here."

Tickets for the X-DRL Spring Nationals are still available and can be purchased at either www.x-drl.com or www.tulsaracewaypark.com.