5/5/2019
Keith Haney
Throwdown in T-Town Helps Haney Gain Ground in MWPMS Points Race
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."
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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.
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