5/12/2016
Keith Haney
"We've been to three semi's in the last four races, so the team is on fire. We've got a great crew; the motor's working good." — Keith Haney
Keith Haney hopes a little home cooking is just what he needs to help get some redemption.
Haney raced to the Pro Nitrous final at the Throw Down in T-Town last year at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park. There, he made a terrific pass and would have won the race but for a red-light.
Tulsa Raceway Park is Haney's home track and co-owns it with Todd Martin, and he returns for the 2016 Throw Down this weekend, hoping for even better results.
"We were in the final last year, and I went .001 red and went 3.79 on the back tire, outrunning the other guy," Haney said. "The only thing is I went red, so I've got a little redemption coming back for this particular race. I got a runner-up last year. It's time to win it this year."
Haney will again climb behind the wheel of his Lucas Oil/RacingJunk.com Chevrolet Pro Nitrous car -- nicknamed Notorious -- for the Throw Down. Notorious has been fast at Professional Drag Racers Association events, racing to the semifinals in two of the last three PRDA events.
"The team is on fire right now; we showed it at the last several races," Haney said. "We've been to three semi's in the last four races, so the team is on fire. We've got a great crew; the motor's working good.
"Let's hope I get a little better and get back to the racing I was doing. Making the semi's and doing what we've been doing is great. We're on a roll, and the team is excited."
Haney will be without co-tuner Brandon Switzer and longtime crewmember Randy Hancock this weekend, but Keith Haney Racing team members have stepped up. Switzer had a prior commitment but still will be able to help Brandon Pesz tune Notorious.
"This race might be a little bit different for us," Haney said. "Brandon Switzer is not going to be able to make the race, but the technology today allows us to be able to put a computer inside the car, and he can do his work -- along with Brandon Pesz, who will be at the track -- on a laptop through the Internet. It's going to be neat to see how we work as a team without (Switzer) in person. I'm excited to see how that turns out."
Hancock has a new venture, though Haney is excited to see his team jell in his absence.
"The other guys have stepped up," Haney said. "We lost a great crewmember who has been a great part of the team for the last five years. We wish him well on his new venture, and we'll miss him. Where he's left, other people have stepped up, including myself as a driver. I'll take on a few more responsibilities."
Sponsors Lucas Oil, RacingJunk.com, Switzer Dynamics, Pesz Performance & Tuning, Reher-Morrison, M&M Transmission, and Adam Lambert from Precision Racing Suspension help make Haney's PDRA team possible, and he continues to appreciate the support from wife Dee and children Timber, Alex, Madison, and Logan.
Haney's family of car dealerships includes Suburban Chevrolet in Claremore; Classic Chevrolet in Owasso, Okla.; Miami Auto Supercenter in Miami, Okla.; Regional Hyundai in Broken Arrow, Okla.; Nissan of Muskogee, Okla.; and Bartlesville (Okla.) Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
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