9/6/2022
Keith Haney
Keith Haney Looking to Get Back to Late-Round Finishes at MWDRS Martin
Keith Haney has enjoyed the nearly three-month break on the 2022 Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS) presented by J&A Service schedule, but he’s ready to get back into the seat of his nitrous-fed “Black Mamba” Camaro at US 131 Motorsports Park this weekend, Sept. 9-10. Haney and his competitors in Stroud Safety Pro Mod will be taking part in the track’s 18th annual Honor Credit Union Funny Car Nationals.
“The fans are just amazing at Martin,” said Haney, who is the founder and owner of MWDRS and co-owner of Osage Casino & Hotel Tulsa Raceway Park. “Jason Peterson and the US 131 team have their big jet show and Funny Car show this weekend. It's kind of like a Throwdown [at T-Town in Tulsa]. You go to a Throwdown, it's a packed house. You go to US 131, it's a packed house. We've had a great crowd at a lot of races this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing more packed grandstands up in Michigan.”
Haney and the MWDRS last raced in mid-June, so they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for this weekend and the second half of the season. The Keith Haney Racing team, which includes tuner Brandon Switzer, Dale Hancock, Shane Goodnight, Steve Cooks, and Bobby Savedra, is hoping to go one round further than they did at this event in 2021.
“Last year, I lost on a holeshot in the finals,” Haney said. “Had the fastest car on the property last year and I'm looking forward to having the fastest car on the property again this year. We'll see. Those ProChargers and screws have really picked up the pace this year. We have a lot of work to do so we can do good again.”
Switzer, Haney’s longtime tuner, knows his way around US 131 Motorsports Park. In 2015, he tuned Pro Nitrous driver Pat Stoken to the first 3.60-second pass for a nitrous car, a 3.69 at 201 MPH, at a PDRA event.
“Having Brandon on our side is huge,” Haney said. “No one knows nitrous like him. He knows how to go fast at Martin, and he’s proven that time and time again over the years. Huge thanks to him and the whole team. I also can’t thank my wife, Misty, and my family enough for supporting me and being a part of this. I'm just excited about getting this last half of the season going.”
Haney enters the weekend sixth in points as he chases his first win of the season. With three races left after Martin – a double event at Tulsa and the World Finals at Xtreme Raceway Park – the past MWDRS champion is ready to start stringing together win lights.
“We haven't made many changes to our Summit Racing Equipment/Strange Equipment Camaro lately because our program's been really solid,” Haney said. “The driver needs to be doing his job. This time last year, I was 13th in points. We runnered up at Great Bend and Martin and won one of the Throwdowns and got to third place. We're in a little better position going into these last four races to chase that championship.”
Fans can watch the race through MAVTV on FloRacing at www.FloRacing.com.
Haney and the Bickel-built, Musi-powered “Black Mamba” Camaro will hit the track for qualifying on Friday at 6 and 8 p.m., with a final third qualifying session scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday. Eliminations will follow at 3 p.m.
ABOUT KEITH HANEY RACING
Based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Keith Haney Racing (www.keithhaneyracing.com) competes in the Summit Mid-West Drag Racing Series (MWDRS) presented by J&A Service, select NHRA, PDRA and NMCA races and one-off special events. Keith Haney Racing appreciates the support of Summit Racing Equipment, Lucas Oil, Strange Engineering, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Kryptonite Kustomz, RacingJunk.com, MoTeC Systems USA, Switzer Dynamics, Menscer Motorsports, OkAutosDirect.com, Race Star Wheels, Stroud Safety, Total Seal Piston Rings, M&M Transmission, Precision Racing Suspension, Tulsa Raceway Park, Callies and UEM Pistons.