Brand-New 'Black Mamba' Poised to Strike for Haney

ST. LOUIS, MO (Aug. 3, 2019) -- With a dramatic flourish near the control tower of World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Pro Mod star Keith Haney

proudly peeled back his car cover Aug 3, to reveal the "Black Mamba," a brand-new 2019 Camaro built for him by Jerry Bickel Race Cars, not far away in Moscow Mills, Missouri.

An appreciative round of applause immediately broke out among the large crowd of fans, fellow racers and media members gathered for the unveiling at the historic St. Louis-area drag strip, as Haney beamed with pride and more than a little relief after keeping his new, all-purpose Pro Mod/Drag Radial entry top secret for several months.

"This is the very first car Jerry Bickel Race Cars started building in 2019, so it's tag number one," he pointed out. "Ricky Smith usually owns that number from

Bickel every year, but unfortunately Ricky lost out this time and I got pro number one for 2019, which is a very special thing for me.

"And how about that name? The Black Mamba! I was having a heckuva' time coming up with a name. I knew I wanted something that kids would like and would want to take pictures with and stuff like that, so I was thinking like spiders or snakes or super heroes.

"Then I was on a long drive with my girl, Misty Hayes, and she knew how

important it was for me to pick the perfect name because I name all my cars, so she had been giving it a lot of thought," Haney recalled. "She was throwing out names and we would toss them around a little. Then she suggested 'Black Widow,' but I said, 'Wouldn't that make it a girl car?' So she thought about it a minute before suddenly looking over at me and saying, 'What about Black Mamba?'

"Black Mamba? I'll be honest, my first thought was, 'Isn't that Kobe Bryant?' But then she looked it up on her phone and you know, the black mamba is one of

the deadliest snakes in the world, so what better thing is there to say? You know my name--Black Mamba," Haney declared, referencing the popular saying that longtime stood on his previous car's doorsill.

It made for great graphics, too, something that appealed to primary sponsor Summit Racing Equipment, which backed Haney for a three-race NHRA Pro Mod swing last year.

"The people at Summit, they loved what we did last year with a bold red-white-

and-blue American motif," Haney said. "But when I showed them what Chris Davis at Kryptonite Kustomz came up with this time, it blew them away." Haney described the custom vinyl wrap as "shiny scales of black-and-silver snakeskin, and of course it's got the Black Mamba on each side, mouth wide open, fangs out, eating up all the competition."

Haney commissioned the car with Bickel after consulting late last year with marketing partners Summit Racing, Strange Engineering, RacingJunk.com and Lucas Oil, his longest-standing backer at 12 years and counting.

"This is the most expensive, most experimental, and nicest race car I've ever ordered, fit to finish. And I have to thank Summit Racing Equipment again for

being on board with us, because without them I just couldn't do this; certainly not at this level," Haney stated. "I feel so fortunate to have Summit on my car. I mean, think about it, Summit Racing has to be the biggest, most recognizable sponsor anywhere in Pro Mod today and I appreciate them having faith in me to carry their banner. It's an honor."

He also said he gave Keith Haney Racing (KHR) crew chief Brandon Switzer free rein to design the car alongside Bickel and his talented racecar craftsmen.

"I've always maintained most rules are based off the nitrous combination and I love nitrous and that's not going to change, so I always knew it would be another nitrous car," Haney said. "But beyond that, Brandon and I got together and I said, 'Brandon, what would you do if you had the perfect chance to build the perfect car?'

"And what we ended up with is a car built exactly the way he wanted to a T. Brandon got to implement some ideas he's had for a long time, some that Jerry himself wasn't even sure would work, but now they're going to show up in other builds he's doing."

Bickel confirmed he welcomed Switzer's "innovative" ideas, adding, "we incorporated them all into this build and it turned out to be probably the lightest car we've ever built."  

Among the weight-saving measures is a special, extra-light carbon fiber for the body panels, with even the tubular "tree" that attaches the body to the chassis cast as part of a revolutionary one-piece frontend. "You can pick up the whole frontend with just one finger," Haney marveled.

Additionally, instead of painting the car as Bickel typically prefers before any new ride leaves his shop, Haney persuaded him to allow Kryptonite Kustomz technicians to fly up from their base in Broken Arrow, OK, to apply the wrap over just primer and sealer before final assembly in order to achieve a cleaner, more detailed finish around the windows, doors and body seams.

"The entire wrap weighs only about seven-and-a-half pounds compared to more than 20 pounds for a couple of gallons of paint," Haney pointed out.

He also confirmed the car is equipped with a lightweight, one-piece, all-enclosed MoTeC wiring system designed by Switzer, who also serves as the exclusive MoTeC distributor for nitrous racing applications.

"So I don't have a grid, I don't have a black box, I don't have anything but this MoTeC M1 system with the latest-and-greatest digital dash, all lightweight magnesium to titanium," Haney said. "We were looking for weight savings wherever we could find them because then it makes it easier to move weight around for Pro Mod or Radials vs. the World configurations. This car can even switch between a two-parachute system for Pro Mod and just one chute for radials racing."

Significantly, Haney also makes the switch to Pat Musi Racing Engines with the new car. And again, Switzer provided his unique input on construction of the giant, Musi-built 959 cubic incher between the frame rails. Handling the horsepower is a special-ordered, lightweight billet Lencodrive outfitted with a Ty-Drive and Neal Chance torque converter. On the suspension, Adam Lambert at Precision Racing Suspension provides shock absorbers for the Pro Mod application, while shocks for RvW racing will come from Mark Menscer at Menscer Motorsports.

Haney also announced he is officially pairing up with fellow Mid-West Pro Mod Series competitor Jim Sackuvich, who will shortly take delivery of his own brand-new, Bickel-built '69 Camaro that will share all the upgrades and innovations of the Black Mamba, including a new Pat Musi powerplant with Switzer calling the tune-up on both cars.

"This is a true two-car team with practically identical race cars barring the exception of body differences, so if you see Keith Haney at a race you're going to see Jim Sackuvich, too," Haney emphasized.

Despite the car's reveal during the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series event at Gateway, Haney said he remains unsure when Black Mamba will make its competition debut. From St. Louis it will head straight to Switzer Dynamics in Denver, NC, for final tuning tweaks before heading to a yet-to-be-determined track for initial testing.

"I've been watching all these guys like Tommy Franklin and Chad Green go fast with their Pat Musi/Jerry Bickel cars and you know what? It's time for me to go; it's time for me to show up and show out," Haney stated.

"I mean we're so excited about the Black Mamba and to show Summit Racing Equipment and everybody else in the Mid-West Series what we can do. And if I want to go over there and slap them around in PDRA I can go out and do that, too," he continued. "If I want to go down to Florida and run the big race, I can do that. If I want to put a set of radial tires on it, now that I've got the lightweight Jerry Bickel car and Pat Musi power, I'm as fast as anyone--anyone--out there.

"I mean, I've got the best of the best and the baddest people tuning on it, so there are no excuses--period. Whether I'm running radial tires or big tires, no excuses. I have a race car now that should lead the pack anywhere we go and I'm really looking forward to it. The Black Mamba has arrived."

-- END --

Photos courtesy Keith Haney Racing

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 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, Pat Musi Racing Engines and Jerry Bickel Race Cars.

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.