'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

 

 

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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

 

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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.

ADRL's season-ending race a springboard for 2013 for Keith Haney Racing

DALLAS (Oct. 18) - Keith Haney Racing's two cars are looking to end the ADRL season with a strong statement this weekend at the ADRL World Finals VIII presented by CarSafe at Texas Motorplex. Haney and teammate Monroe Guest have endured their fair share of growing pains this year making their Keith Haney Racing Chevy Camaros race ready and competitive. However Haney said every time they hit the track, the cars just keep getting better. "We're feeling real strong," Haney said. "The cars have come around real nice. We has some issues in the beginning, but now we're happy with everything. "We're happy with the crew chiefs and the decisions that have been made and we're looking forward to a good close on the year." Haney said after racing in Pro Mod last time out, they are expecting to race in the Pro Nitrous field this weekend because there is going to be a better opportunity to make the field. "There's a lot of NHRA guys coming to race on their way out to Las Vegas," Haney said. "The Pro Mod class only has eight spots as compared to 16 for Pro Nitrous, so we just want to give ourselves the best chance to be competitive." He said the team recently completed an event at Tulsa Raceway Park that yielded promising results. "Both our cars raced the Throwdown," Haney said. "I won first round despite the transmission being messed up and Monroe had a good outing, where he qualified No. 4. I couldn't make the call for second round because we didn't want to hurt the motor over a tranny, but we learned a lot. "We feel like we've great package right now. Or motors from Reher-Morrison Racing Engines are great and Lucas Oil has come on board recently and really helped us out." Haney said they are all pieces it the puzzle to make Keith Haney Racing a true contender in 2013. "We want to run the season from the beginning," Haney said. "For a few reasons we didn't get the chance to do that this year, but now we've got a huge leg up on 2013. We want to be contenders at all 10 races next year." The gates open at 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the first round of qualifying on Friday set to begin at  noon. On Saturday, the racing will begin at noon with the final qualifying session. The first round of eliminations starts at 2:30 p.m. Fans can follow the team's progress during the season at either Facebook at Keith-Haney-Racing or online at www.KeithHaneyRacing.com or www.MonroeGuestMotorsports.com. Marketing inquiries or appearance requests for the team can be directed to Allen Mars at allen.marrs@saveongm.com.

Sweeping changes make for high expectations at Keith Haney Racing

NORWALK, Ohio (Sept. 27) - Big changes at Keith Haney Racing have brought big smiles to the faces of team drivers Keith Haney and Monroe Guest heading into this weekend's ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented By Mickey Thompson at Summit Motorsports Park. Haney has brought in two of the ADRL's best, Brandon Pesz and Doug Riesterer, to make the tuning calls on their Chevy Camaros, with which they will make the switch to the ADRL's Pro Mod class this weekend.  "It's a tougher class to race in that's for sure," Haney said. "It's where we've wanted to race all long, but we never thought we had cars that were competitive enough to make the eight-car elimination field.  "After one test session with Doug and Brandon we feel like we've got cars with a lot of upside." Riesterer currently is second in the ADRL's Pro Nitrous class with two wins under his belt this season. Pesz is a top 10 contender in the Pro Extreme class. "With our new crew chief and chassis chief, we feel like we've got cars that can not only qualify, but also win," Guest said. "We're so excited to have these guys on board to guide us through the next phase of Pro Mod racing." Haney said he's admired Pesz and Riesterer's performance at races this season, so when it came time to give Keith Haney Racing a shot in the arm, his list of people to turn to was a short one. "Brandon is one of the best out there and Doug has the fastest Pro Nitrous car in the country," Haney said. "Stroupe Race Cars has given us some great machines and we've got new backing from Lucas Oil to help our engines. We feel like we've made more progress in four races than most teams have made all year. "That being said, we know we have to bring it this weekend. The cars in the Pro Mod class run within about a hundredth of a second of each other and we'll be trying to fill a quarter of the field with our cars." Guest said he wasn't able to make the test session, but the results that were being texted back made him more excited to get behind the wheel of his revamped Camaro. "Every time they made a pass, Keith would feed me the numbers," Guest said. "I kept looking at my phone; it was exciting. Doug and Brandon did a lot of work to the cars before they even started testing. We've changed the chassis setup, rear end setup and just about everything else. "The results we've got are extremely encouraging and gives me a new vigor to end the season strong." The ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI Presented By Mickey Thompson will run on Friday and Saturday. Gates at Summit Motorsports Park open at 10 a.m. each day. Fans can follow the team's progress during the season at either Facebook at Keith-Haney-Racing or online at www.KeithHaneyRacing.com or www.MonroeGuestMotorsports.com. Marketing inquiries or appearance requests for the team can be directed to Allen Mars at allen.marrs@saveongm.com.

Haney and Guest planning on successful weekend at Memphis ADRL drag race

After burning the midnight oil recently, the two Keith Haney Racing Chevy Camaros are ready to take on the Pro Nitrous field at this weekend's ADRL Memphis Drags III at Memphis International Raceway. Owner/driver Keith Haney said a day-long test session with teammate Monroe Guest proved fruitful and has the team ready to rock Memphis. "We're awfully excited after Monroe came up and we went to test at Tulsa Raceway Park," said Haney, who co-owns TRP. "We planned on testing for two days but everything went so well (Wednesday) that the guys said we were good to go, so they loaded up and headed to Memphis. "We were there late, mind you, until like 2 a.m., but the cars were on a rail. It's okay because I know the owners of the track." Haney and Guest missed a majority of the ADRL season whipping their new cars into race shape, but the pair have been making great progress and it's shown on the track. "This is just our fourth race with these cars, the third with the ADRL," Haney said. "We got behind and had some changes on the team but we're going hard at it with these Reher-Morrison Racing Engines." The combination of the test and the recent success in competition has Haney optimistic. "I like our chances," he said. "I managed to win a round at the last ADRL race and had a good chance to win more. This is a tough, tough class. It's all the big boys out there racing and there is some top-notch teams. Winning a single round is an accomplishment, believe me." Gates open at 10 a.m. CDT on Friday and Saturday, with the first round of qualifying on Friday set to begin at noon. On Saturday, the racing will begin at noon with the final qualifying session. The first round of eliminations starts at 3:30 p.m. "I like Memphis. I usually get to the track and never leave," Haney said. "I'll stay right there in my trailer and just totally immerse myself in the experience. I'm glad to be going back there." For more information go to www.KeithHaneyRacing.com.

Keith Haney pedals way to an ADRL round victory at Charlotte

**Post-Race Update** CONCORD, N.C. (August 4) - Keith Haney Racing accomplished in two races what it took many teams several years: Winning a round in the American Drag Racing League. Team owner Keith Haney drove his 2012 Chevrolet Camaro to a victory over Randy Weatherford in the first round of Dragstock IX at zMax Dragway on Saturday, his first round win in the ADRL. And it was quite a victory, as Haney had to pedal the KeithHaneyRacing.com Camaro to the finish line. Haney, the No. 15 qualifier, left first with a .055-second reaction time and then got off and on the throttle twice before making a pass of 4.787 seconds at 120.51 mph, beating the run of 5.505 at 90.04 mph by the No. 2 qualifier. "That first one was something else," Haney said. "The car left good, had a good 60-foot and she was moving. I had him on the Tree, too. The car got out there, the power came in, and I guess we were a little behind on the setup a little bit. It washed the rear end out, and I got sideways. "I saw the blue (of Weatherford's car) out to my right, and then I saw it gone. I knew I had a chance to win, so I got excited. The adrenaline was going up inside me, and I hit the gas again. I should've eased into it, but, no, I went ahead and got into it again. It went back right again, and it got close to the center. So I reeled her back in and went down on the gas again, easily, and got lucky with a round win." Haney then fell to No. 10 qualifier Doug Riesterer in the second round, when Riesterer blitzed the track with a pass of 3.836 at 195.28 mph, beating Haney's run of 4.088 seconds at 186.12 mph. "We knew Riesterer hadn't really had a good showing this weekend, but we also know what he's capable of doing," Haney said. "When you race the best, you've got to beat them. We still didn't think the track was there, so I'm sure (crew chief) Jeff (Pierce) was conservative in the setup, knowing Riesterer hadn't really been down the track. "I had him on the Tree, but the funny thing about it was he caught me at the 60-foot. Then after that, all I could see was tail lights." Still, Haney was pleased with the continued progress of his two-car team, despite teammate Monroe Guest failing to qualify. That was a reverse from the team's first race, at Martin, Mich., when Guest made the race and Haney did not. Martin was the first time the team's Reher-Morrison-powered Chevrolets attempted a race, and it came two-and-a-half months after Pierce began working on the new Stroupe Race Cars. "I can't give enough props to the team," Haney said. "No mistakes on the team side today at all. Our first race, we had those - that's why I said we had the new team blues. "Both cars ran respectably. We thought Monroe was going to be in, and that was exciting, but then Rickie Jones knocked him out with a 4.06. It left me in, and I was in in the 15th spot and had to run No. 2." Guest was No. 13 after three of four qualifying sessions, but then four cars went faster in Q4, leaving Guest .015 seconds from making the race. "It makes it really hard because we had a good chance last night to run a great number because the conditions were there, the temperature was there, the car was working really good," Guest said. "We came back out and made some adjustments for today. After we looked at the data, we felt like we needed to back it up a little bit and get it down the track. We felt like we'd probably be safe where we were at." Still, Guest posted the team's top speed after two races, going 186.46 mph. "We did pick up in the heat, which is very promising," Guest said. "However, not qualifying is one of the worst things you can do, other than wrecking your car. We'll go back and look at the data and make adjustments and be ready for the next race. "The direction we need to go is probably focus a little more on chassis setup, maybe how the car is launching, try to get more off the starting line. At that point, some chassis adjustments will allow the car to pick up. The car needs to be in the .90s to be competitive. It really would be nice to be in the .80s, but we need to be consistently in the .90s." Guest, like Haney, is pleased with the progress of the team and knows there is plenty of potential with both cars. "This was the first time we ran our three-speed transmissions," Guest said. "The car felt good. I shook two out of four passes, and Keith shook two out of four passes, so we're kind of finding where our marginal line is to get down the track. "It was a hot track, very tricky conditions. I think we made progress. We need to analyze what we've done, look at the runs where we didn't get down the track and see if there's any more adjustments we can do. We have the power, we have plenty of nitrous. Now, maybe we need to take a real hard look at the chassis setup and see if there's any tweaking we can do there to get the car through the shake zone better." Haney and Guest race next at Memphis Drags III at Memphis International Raceway on Sept. 7-8. "We had a good outing for our second race," Haney said. "Both cars are doing well. These Stroupe cars are good pieces, and Reher has given us some good motors to do something with. We've still got to find the chassis. We've got plenty of power, and we're having no mechanical problems on either one, but we haven't figured out the chassis setup yet. "We'll go back home and do some testing to get ready for Memphis." --30-- For more information go to KeithHaneyRacing.com.