Haney to Run Radial Tires in Pro Mod at MWPMS in St. Louis

TULSA, OK (July 29, 2019) -- The dictionary defines "enigma" as being "mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand." When Keith Haney Racing (KHR) arrives in St. Louis Aug. 1-3, for the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro

Mod Series (MWPMS) event at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the "Enigma" they'll bring to the track may mystify and puzzle onlookers, as Haney's nitrous-huffing 2014 Camaro will continue to sport a pair of relatively tiny Mickey Thompson drag radials out back despite racing in the "big tire" Pro Mod class.

Further clouding the case, Haney recently sold the car to a yet-to-be-disclosed buyer, then just last week unexpectedly transferred ownership of "Notorious," his nearly identical-appearing, dedicated Pro Mod entry to Texas racer Tony Strachan.

"I had actually taken that car off the market, but while I was on vacation in Florida with my girlfriend Misty and her kids and my kids, I got a call from

Tony and we ended up working a deal and he wound up buying 'Notorious,' turnkey," Haney explained. "So I sold the car and that was great, but here I was heading into St. Louis, tied for sixth in (Pro Mod) points, and basically I was carless.

"But the new owner for Enigma hadn't picked it up yet, so I decided to try something a little unique. I called him up and asked, 'Hey, would you be open to letting me race the car again in St. Louis?' And right away he said, 'Absolutely!' So Enigma is coming back out. I'll be driving a purpose-built radial car in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series, something that's never been done before."

Fresh off winning the unique MWPMS Slammers class for Pro Mod non-

qualifiers and first-round runners up with Notorious at the most recent MWPMS event three weeks ago at Ferris, TX, Haney will seek to chase down the top five in points, led by Aaron Wells.

"There's still three races to go, so we're not out of it yet," the Tulsa-based new car dealer insisted. "I'm still looking to reach the top, that's my goal, and we're going to do everything we can to make it happen."   

Beyond maintaining the points chase, though, Haney emphasized he owes it to KHR marketing partners Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering and RacingJunk.com, among others, to field an entry and represent them in the MWPMS, which he also owns and promotes.

"I've gotta' live up to my end of the bargain," said Haney, who in 2017 won both the MWPMS Pro Mod championship and the series' Radials vs. the World season title. "So we'll be back out there one more time with Enigma, trying to slap around the Pro Mod guys with a set of drag radials. I'm really hoping to send her back to the new owner with one more win to her credit."

-- END --

Photos by Damon Steinke, Jason "Nubs" Dunn

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Haney Hopes Xtreme Texas Heat Helps Burn MWPMS Rivals

TULSA, OK (July 11, 2019) -- Two months after climbing the points list in the most recent Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) event at his home track in Tulsa, OK, nitrous racing veteran Keith Haney is feeling more than ready to go again this weekend (July 12-13), at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, TX.

"I won't lie, it's been nice to have a few weeks to relax and regroup, but I think I speak for every Mid-West Series racer when I say I'm itchin' to get

back in the seat. We had a pretty good race in Tulsa, went a couple of rounds and that moved us up one spot to fourth overall, but I think we have a good shot at doing even better this weekend," Haney says.

"We're into the heat of the summer now, which tends to help the nitrous cars out a little," he explains. "Those screw cars don't like the heat so much and can have a little trouble putting all that power down, so I think we have a decent chance of going some rounds and maybe even winning it.

"We also saw the Mid-West rules board make some rule changes during the break, so hopefully that should tighten things up some, too. No one knows exactly what's going to happen, but I know it's gonna' be exciting."

Regardless, Haney guarantees his own race weekend will get off to an exciting start as he'll open with a $5,000 grudge match in the first round of Pro Mod qualifying against fellow nitrous racing veteran Chad Green.

"I met Chad last year while racing the Summit Racing Equipment Camaro in NHRA Pro Mod, so I called him out to come and try taking us on in the Mid-

West Series," the new car auto dealer says. "He'll have his beautiful Corvette with all that Musi horsepower, but me and 'Notorious' will be ready for him. The money's already on the line and I aim to take it all back home to Tulsa with me."

The entire Keith Haney Racing team, led by crew chief Brandon Switzer and car chief Andrew Arnold, will be on hand in Texas to help make that happen, along with Haney's 12-year-old son Logan. But girlfriend Missy Hayes may be his greatest trackside asset, he quickly adds.

"We've been together a little over a year and a half now and she's rock solid. A great, great supporter and makes sure all my guys eat well at the track. She takes care of them way better than I ever did," Haney admits. "But really, it's the first time I've had someone that actually enjoys going racing with me, so it's pretty awesome just to have her there beside me."

After testing at the brand-new Xtreme Raceway last year in the Summit NHRA

car, Haney says he's eager to finally experience MWPMS competition with his 2014 Camaro this weekend on the all-concrete eighth mile.

"It's a beautiful facility, so fast and smooth, and with plenty of room for shut down. It has pretty much any modern track amenity you can think of, TVs, nice concession stands and bathrooms, easy in and out access, it's the whole package," Haney says. "Clyde (Scott, owner) and Gaylen (Smith, track manager) are great people, just so welcoming to all the Mid-West Series teams. The bottom line is, we just can't wait to get out there."  

-- END --

Photos by Damon Steinke, Ian Tocher

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Throwdown in T-Town Helps Haney Gain Ground in MWPMS Points Race

TULSA, OK (May 15, 2019) -- A quarter-finals finish May 11, at the Osage Casino Throwdown in T-Town moved veteran racer Keith Haney up one spot on the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) points list.

After qualifying his nitrous-assisted 2014 Camaro 10th for the 16-car Throwdown field, Haney made it past Todd Martin before losing a close match against eventual race winner Aaron Wells in round two of eliminations at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park.

"It was a truly good weekend, even though we didn't quite get to where we

really wanted to be," Haney admitted. "But just winning that one round moved us up from fifth to fourth and we're only 10 points out of third with still a lot of racing to do this year, so I'm actually pretty happy with where we are right now."

Haney hosted a huge gathering in his pit area during Thursday night's rainout, entertaining several employees from his Tulsa-area new car dealerships, as well as celebrating the birthday of girlfriend Misty Hayes.

"We had a big tent put up and catered in some barbecue and we fed probably 90 to a hundred racers each night. It's kind of a tradition for me with several other Mid-West Series teams. Always a lot of fun," Haney said.

After three rounds of qualifying on Friday, Haney ran a best of 3.77 seconds at 198.47 mph to place 10th and face 7th-place qualifier Martin in the opening round of racing. Martin co-owns the Tulsa drag strip with Haney.

"We actually lined up beside each other that first round of qualifying, too,"

Haney recalled. "So we had a little grudge race going; Todd and I bet a little money and the fans were all excited about it. So a little call out there in qualifying and I went faster than him, but he just had a little better reaction time and won the round. The fans were all up on cloud nine, so it was all worth it.

"And then guess who ends up meeting in first round? Got Todd again, so our announcer, Al Tucci, and the young kid, Colton Jordan, they're on the mic up in

the tower getting everyone pumped up and I tell you what, it was exciting. The fans in the stands, everybody was on their feet and you had the ones there rooting for Todd, and the others rooting for me. It was just like the old days of NASCAR with Dale Earnhardt fans going up against Jeff Gordon fans. They were all standing up there, yelling and waving their arms, cheering us both on," said Haney, who ended up earning a relatively easy win after Martin struck the tires on his supercharged '68 Mustang.

Haney had lane choice for round two, but a 3.74 over the Tulsa eighth mile turned out to be no match for the 3.67 laid down by Wells beside him.

"It was actually a great drag race," Haney said. "He had a good light, I had a good light, and you know what? My crew chief, Brandon Switzer, he had it tuned up, but for the weather conditions, that's all we had left. Could we have leaned on it a little bit harder? Yes, but we would have probably hurt something. And at the end of the day, everybody lost to him, so I still feel like we had a great outing."

The competition may not be Haney's most lasting impression from the 2019 version of the Throwdown in T-Town.

"Running in front of a crowd like that is really something to be a part of," he continued. "Just coming around that tower and then looking up to see all those fans is so exciting and invigorating for every driver and crew member out there.

"I like it because of my sponsors, too," he added. 

"When the stands are full and you've got a Summit Racing Equipment sticker on the side of your car, you just know they're going to go to Summit later. And the same goes for Strange Engineering and Menscer Shocks, and my longest-running sponsor, Lucas Oil. I think it was 2011 when they started sponsoring Keith Haney Racing.

"It was great to show out for all of them when the place was packed and the atmosphere was electric. I mean, what better way to end a weekend for my marketing partners than putting them in front of a great crowd and getting down to the quarter finals? Racing in front of huge crowds like that just makes it more worthwhile for everyone involved."

With the first half of the official eight-race MWPMS schedule in the books, Haney is facing a nearly two-month break before the series resumes July 5-6, at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, TX.

"Bottom line, I'm sitting in the fourth spot and I've had a consistent race car all year long. It's not the fastest in the series, but it's among the most consistent and that makes for a good showing, which I think is good for the Mid-West Series, too," he concluded. 

"Plus, I still have some big news coming soon and I'll be faster then, too, so these guys better get ready."

-- END --

Photos by Damon Steinke

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Haney Overcomes Adversity at MWPMS Event in St. Louis

TULSA, OK (May 2, 2019) -- As much as he enjoys racing at the recently renamed World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the historic drag strip directly across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis has not been particularly kind to Keith Haney in recent visits.

Last year, Haney missed qualifying for both the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) and NHRA Pro Mod Series events at Gateway, but the Tulsa-based new car dealer fared a little better this past weekend after overcoming some early adversity in Friday night's MWPMS test session.

"We decided on Friday to make just one hit at the race track and thank God we did," he said.

Two weeks earlier at the most recent MWPMS event in Bowling Green, KY, Haney's nitrous-injected 2014 Camaro experienced a transmission problem that caused the car's rear slicks to lock up at speed in the shutdown area of the track. Initially, Haney thought he'd hit the transbrake button by mistake, so his crew made adjustments, but when rain moved in the next day and the race had to be canceled he missed any chance to test the repairs.

"It put me sideways there a couple times, but we really thought we had it fixed," Haney said. "But then Friday I let go of the button, we go 3.77 at 200 miles an hour, and I stick it in neutral and it does the exact same thing.

"Fortunately, I was able to straighten the car up, get down to the turnoff, weigh the car, and head back to the pits. And then I just got out and I told everybody, 'I will not drive this car one more pass like that. My life is more important than that race car--or than racing.'"

With obvious concern Haney's trackside team went to work, led by crew chief Brandon Switzer and car chief Andrew Arnold, tearing out the transmission and taking it to the trackside pit of M&M Transmission's Mark Micke.

"We actually stood there and watched him take it apart and ended up finding an issue," Haney said. "I don't want to go into what it was, but they did find an issue and fixed it, but it made it so we couldn't make first round of qualifying."

Regardless, Haney and his crew waited it out with renewed confidence.

"We know our combination with this car. We've had enough passes in it, so we know what it can do," he said. "So we just wait and I go up for Q2, I let go of the button, and head down the race track, go 3.77 at 201 miles an hour and qualified right in the show in the number-12 spot."

In Saturday's third-and-final round of qualifying, Haney said his Camaro carried a little too much ballast in the nose, which sent it into tire shake shortly after launching and spoiling the run. Still, he remained in 12th place and set to take on MWPMS rival Aaron Wells in round one of eliminations on Saturday afternoon.

"We go up for round one, I let go of the button, went neck-and-neck with him all the way to the eighth mile, maybe I'm just a little bit ahead of him, and end up blowing the motor. One of the rods just decided it didn't want to be together anymore, had a little backfire, but pan back everything was good," Haney said. "But at that point we elected to just spectate for the rest of the race."

After congratulating Kevin Maddux on eventually winning the MWPMS race at Gateway, Haney said he's already turned his attention to the Throwdown in T-Town, the next MWPMS event May 10-11, at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park, the track he co-owns with fellow MWPMS competitor Todd Martin.  

"We did have some problems again in St. Louis, but I'm proud of my guys for stepping up and figuring things out. And it's never good to damage a motor like that, but at least we've got another bullet (engine) sitting there, so we're getting ready for Tulsa," Haney promised.

"And we're still okay in the points. Our friend Jim Sakuvich moved up one spot ahead of us in points, but we're still sitting good in fifth going into the Throwdown. We'll be ready to roll and take care of some business at the Throwdown in T-Town."

-- END --

Photos by Damon Steinke

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Rain Ruins Haney's Personal-Best Quest in Bowling Green

TULSA, OK (Apr. 16, 2019) -- Unfortunately for Keith Haney Racing and the rest of the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) competitors, their event ended before eliminations could begin Apr. 13, due to heavy rain storms forecast at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, KY. The MWPMS, which Haney also owns and promotes, participated as a featured class within the Holley EFI Outlaw Street Car Reunion.

"It's always disappointing when you don't get to finish what you started, and I feel for (OSCR

promoter) Tyler Crossnoe. I know what it's like to have to call off something like this after you've put so much time and work and money into making things happen," said the Tulsa-based new car dealer, who was racing at Beech Bend with "Notorious," his nitrous-injected 2014 Pro Mod Camaro.

"It was a great event throughout testing and qualifying for everyone. I know a lot of people made their best runs ever and we were going after one in the final qualifying session, too, but a last-minute problem on the starting line cost us the attempt," Haney explained.

Going into the event, Haney's personal-best effort over the eighth mile stood at 3.70 seconds at just over 204 mph. In Thursday night's opening round of OSCR qualifying Haney placed seventh of 24 MWPMS entries with a 3.72 at 200.98 combination.

"Unfortunately, it got sideways down there at the end of Q1," Haney recalled. "I initially thought I had got on the brakes too hard, but it ended up not being the brakes at all. My transbrake button

is right on the edge of my steering wheel, so after I put it in neutral, put my chutes out, and grabbed the steering wheel again while slowing down, I hit the transbrake button by mistake. Well, when it's in neutral and you hit the transbrake, it puts it dead in reverse and that's what locked it up and turned me sideways. It was not the brakes at all."

That glitch wasn't actually discovered until it happened again--though not as severely--at the end of Haney's second qualifying pass on Friday afternoon, after he improved to 3.71 at 201.40 mph and placed ninth of 33 total entries aiming for the 16-car MWPMS field.

"I moved the button from the edge of the steering wheel to the inside after that," Haney said. "But then, when I go up to run Q3, after my burnout I hit the transbrake button and it would not go in reverse.

"So I revved it up really high and finally it caught, I backed up, and I'm already thinking, 'This ain't going to stick,' and sure enough it wouldn't. I lost that opportunity, which was a real downer because we knew the track was there and everybody else was going fast, so we knew that we could ourselves. Just wasn't meant to be, though."

Eventually, Haney's 3.71 slotted him into 12th place and scheduled to race Aaron Wells when the event was cut short before eliminations for any classes were even started.

"Despite a couple of minor problems, I'm proud of what we accomplished here," Haney stated. "We

were ready to run a .68 or a .69, which both me and my crew chief, Brandon Switzer, felt was very doable. No matter what, though, we qualified solidly in a very quick Pro Mod field. It's just too bad we didn't get to race on Saturday, because I think you would've seen even more personal-best runs."

And despite not quite making the cut to participate in a special East vs. West Shootout on Friday night that pitted the top five MWPMS qualifiers from both regions against each other in a $10K-to-win team format, Haney was thrilled to witness it from the sidelines. The East-West Shootout featured 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, and so on, with the first team to secure three wins earning a $10,000 purse to be split evenly among teammates.

"Oh man, how cool was that? That whole deal was probably the most fun I've had drag racing in a long time, to be able to sit outside and root on people that I race against," Haney said. "I was cheering on Justin Jones, who beat me in the semi finals at the last race in Texas. I'm out there kissing his car, telling it, 'Come on baby, win this round!'

"It's just things like that, you see all the West racers and their families and friends up there on the West side. All the East Coast racers and their friends are on the East side, and it was great to hear everybody trash talking and cheering their team on.

"And then the West won in the final pair when Justin beat Aryan after he went red; it was just so much fun," Haney repeated. "That East vs. West deal is something that we'll definitely be doing again in the Mid-West Series--and I'll make sure I'm in it next time!"

Keith Haney Racing will return to action with the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series in two weeks, Apr. 26-27, at Gateway Motorsports Park, near St. Louis. 

-- END --

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) fields two cars in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as for select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.

Haney Heads for OSCR with Pro Mod Mission in Mind

TULSA, OK (Apr. 11, 2019) -- Veteran Pro Mod racer Keith Haney has a Boy Scout-worthy message for his rivals this weekend: be prepared! Fresh off a sun-and-sand-filled vacation, the

Tulsa-based new car dealer is feeling rested, relaxed and ready to take on all comers Apr. 11-13, as the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS) competes as part of the 6th annual Outlaw Street Car Reunion (OSCR) in Bowling Green, KY.

"I just got back from Cozumel and got to swim with the dolphins and relax with my girl, Misty Hayes, and spent some time with my business partners and general managers, so we all had a really great time," Haney said. "But now I'm looking ahead to this race up in Kentucky. It's been a little while since our last event and I'm ready to get back in the saddle."

This will be the third outing for Keith Haney Racing in 2019, after notching a quarter-finals finish in February with his drag radial car at Lights Out 10 in Georgia, then reaching the Pro Mod semis early last month in the MWPMS season opener at the Texas Motorplex. At Bowling Green, Haney will again be wheeling "Notorious," his nitrous-injected 2014 Pro Mod Camaro, with Summit, Lucas Oil, RacingJunk.com and Switzer Dynamics on board, among other valued backers.

"I couldn't be out here without them, so my sponsors all deserve a lot of credit for whatever we're able to accomplish. Right now I'm fourth in Mid-West Series points and hoping to move up a little after a good race this weekend," he said.

"You know, the Mid-West Pro Mod Series has been blowing up and we have all these great racers

and this weekend we're also going to have a lot of what I call East Coast guys, so we're going to see a lot of east against west racing," Haney continued. "I'm predicting right now that the next thing I'm going to hear is some of these East Coast guys complaining and crying about how the rules aren't fair after us Mid-West guys finish stompin' on them."

More than 40 Pro Mod entries are expected to attack the eighth mile at Beech Bend Raceway Park, where Haney said it will probably take a run in the low 3.70s just to make it into the 16-car qualified field.  

"It's going to be tough. This is going to be a very fast, very interesting field. You're gonna' have to be a player just to get in," he stated.

"I'm also expecting to be in the East vs. West Shootout where we'll take the top five qualifiers from the Mid-West Series to go against the top five from the East in a runoff as a team on Friday

night. So that should be pretty interesting and a lot of fun, too. No matter what, they better be ready to show up and show out, because between my crew chief, Brandon Switzer, and my main crew guy, Andrew Arnold, we're definitely ready to go."

The opening round of qualifying for all classes at OSCR VI begins at 6.p.m. Thursday night (Apr. 11). Haney and his Pro Mod competitors have two more qualifying sessions scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Friday, with the East-West Shootout slated for 8 that night. Elimination rounds for all classes will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday (Apr. 13), with Pro Mod opening the raceday show.  

-- END --

Photos by Damon Steinke

ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING

Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) fields two cars in the Mid-West Pro Mod Series (MWPMS), as well as for select NHRA and PDRA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of sponsors Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, M&M Transmission, Menscer Motorsports, Total Seal, Mickey Thompson, Browell Bellhousing, and Larry Jeffers Race Cars.