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Throwdown in T-Town Lives up to Its Name!

Throwdown in T-Town lives up to its name

The Mid-West Drag Racing Series Ronnie Hobbs World Finals, in conjunction with Tulsa Raceway Park’s Throwdown in T-Town, was an incredible race! Three Class Championships were in contention as more than 150 racers descended upon Tulsa, OK. With DA as low as 220 ft, the fans were in for a treat as these racers were going to see the best weather conditions of the MWDRS season!

Stroud Safety Pro Mod
With a Championship on the line for Keith Haney and Mark Micke, the stakes had not been higher for Qualifying and racing. Keith led the Championship by just 11 points, meaning a single round of competition would determine the 2024 Stroud Safety Pro Mod Champion. If Keith went one round further than Mark, he would repeat his Championship, being the first to do so in the Pro Mod class.

Qualifying would end with Mark Micke once again taking the #1 Qualifier Spot with his 3.600 in Q2. Keith Haney in Second at 3.614 from Q3, a Personal Best for Keith. Aaron Wells in Third with 3.639 from Q3. Chris Juliano in Fourth with 3.663 from Q2, his Second Quickest Pass of the 2024 Season!! Keith Goolsby would finish out the Top 5 with his 3.693 from Q1.

Round One of Eliminations
Mark Micke would move past Brandon Yeoman with a 3.632, the Quickest Pass of Round One. Keith Haney would move past Mike Labbate. Ed Thornton would move past Scott Blake. Aaron Wells would move past Wayne Roberts. Chris Juliano, with would move past Kurt Riffel, who sadly would scrape the wall in the Joker car after the finish line. Kurt is fine and the car is only damaged cosmetically. Keith Goolsby would receive a Competition Bye from Tony “Sandman” Williams.

Round Two - A Champion is Crowned
Aaron Wells would run the Quickest Pass of Round Two with his 3.650 to overcome Chris Juliano’s Quickest Pass in MWDRS Eliminations this year, a 3.696! Keith Goolsby would get the holeshot on Keith Haney, an .036 light to an .076 light would be the determining factor as Goolsby ran a 3.673 to Haney’s 3.653. The Championship hung on Mark Micke’s shoulders, with him in the burnout box watching the Haney/Goolsby pass playout. If Mark loses, Haney is Champion. If Mark wins, he will be named the Champion. No Pressure, as he lines up with Mr MPH Ed Thornton. Turbo VS Turbo. The Two Fastest Cars on the Property. Mark would make it to the end of the track first with a 3.668 to Thornton’s 3.796. Ed would pass the MPH markers at 223 MPH, the Fastest Pass of the event. This win would award Mark, and his M&M Transmission team, with the 2024 Mid-West Drag Racing Series Stroud Safety Pro Mod Champion Title!

Round Three
Aaron Wells would pair with Keith Goolsby in a Blower VS Blower Semi-Final to race Mark Micke, who received a Bye run. Aaron Wells would run a 3.621 to Keith’s 6.104. Mark used the Bye run for data running a 3.609, the Quickest Pass in Eliminations so far!

Blower VS Turbos for the Ronnie “Texas Rattlesnake” Hobbs Trophy in Stroud Safety Pro Mod Finals
Mark and Aaron met earlier this year in the Finals of Martin, MI, with Mark taking the win in that race. Aaron is a fierce competitor and wanted to end the season with a win, especially over the guy that had beat him just a few weeks ago. With fresh prep from the TRP staff and all the up arrows used, Aaron and Mark rolled to the Starting Line to race for the coveted Ronnie “Texas Rattlesnake” Hobbs custom trophy built by Kenzie and David Pierce. The amazing trophy was placed at the bottom of the tree for added pressure. With both teams, and most of the eliminated racers and crews behind both cars, the bulbs were lit and the two racers left side-by-side with as much power as the track would hold. In 3.604 seconds, Aaron would trip the beams next to Mark’s 3.804! The crowd, crews, racers and staff erupted with cheers and sighs as the Wells Motorsports team ran to the cart hoisting the trophy overhead as they drove down the track honking and waving to the fans!

Pro Mod Slammers
Round One
Mike Labbate would get a competition bye against Brandon Yeoman. Mike would use the pass to lay down his best run of the MWDRS season at 3.755!! Scott Blake would get the Bye and run a 3.762, his best pass of the event. We were going to have a tight race in the Finals!

Finals
Scott had a .02 better light than Mike, but Mike would spin the tire about 300’ into the run and lift, with Scott running a 3.767 to win the Class.

J&A Service Top Alcohol Funny Car
The field of Eight Funny Cars would give the fans two great days of racing! While Steve Mackyln had the Championship all but locked up, the race for Second Place was open with just 9 points separating Jim Whiteley and Mark Billington.

Qualifying
Annie Whiteley would take the #1 Qualifier spot with her Blistering 3.590 at 214 MPH in Q3, which was also the Quickest Pass of the Weekend for any car on property! She was followed closely by Kyle Smith with a 3.608 from Q3. Robbie Massey and Steve Macklyn both ran 3.615 (Massey in Q2, Macklyn in Q3) but Massey’s 209 was better than Macklyn’s 208 to put Robbie in Third. Jim Whitely would take 5th with a 3.167 in Q3, followed by Bryan Brown, Lance Van Hauen and Mark Billington.

Round One - The Championship Podium is Secured
Running the cars on the edge all season finally caught up to a few racers, giving several Round One competitors another hit at the track in Competition Byes. Robbie Massey and Bryan Brown would be the only side-by-side race of Round one with Robbie moving on with a 3.659. Kyle Smith ran the Quickest Pass of the Round with a 3.610 in his Bye Run, but would end up in the sand trap after his parachutes were ineffective in shutting him down. Annie Whiteley ran a 3.631 for her Bye Run. Jim Whiteley ran a 3.657 for his Bye Run. Jim Whiteley would finish the year in Second Place ahead of Mark Billington, as Mark did not make the call for Round One. Mark Billington will round out the podium for the 2024 Mid-West Drag Racing Series J&A Service Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship.

Round Two
Power Couple Annie and Jim Whiteley would meet in Round Two, with Jim moving on after Annie spun leaving the line. Robert Massey would move on to the Finals with a 3.605 Bye Run after Kyle Smith did not make the call for the round. The Smith Family Racing team did not have sufficient time to clean the car thoroughly before the round, they did not want to risk dropping sand on the track for other competitors.

The Finals
Jim Whiteley and Robbie Massey would meet in the Finals. This would mark Jim’s third trip to the TAFC Finals this season with MWDRS. The Whiteley’s add another trophy to the mantle with Jim’s 3.610 to Robbie’s 3.963.

Icon Forged Pistons and Race Star Wheels Top Dragster
The 2024 season has been a battle for the Points Lead between Jeremy Maples and Jordan Eperjesi. Both racers are razor sharp on the light and consistent as anyone in their field. With just 12 points separating the two, we would again be down to a single round of eliminations determining a Series Champion at the Throwdown in T-Town.

Qualifying
With more than a full field of racers, Qualifying would be vital for the racers. Jordan Eperjesi struggled with traction in both Q1 and Q2 and was worried she wasn’t going to make the race. Anita Strasburg would again take the #1 Qualifier title with her 3.711 ET. Jordan would land in the #8 spot and Jeremy in 12th.

Round One
Anita Strasburg would take on her teammate (and niece-in-law) Delaina Whiteley for Round One with Delaina coming out on top! Pennington, Scott, Gibson, Baxter and Moore would move on. Eperjesi would beat Janceck. Wayne Landry moved past Jeremy Maples after Maples went too quick in his pass. Jeremy was in the water box to watch Eperjesi win and knew what he had to do to keep the Championship race alive. After his loss, he stopped as Jordan and her dad packed up her chute and congratulated them both on a hard fought Championship.

Round Two
Delaina would move past Pennington after he spun at the hit. Gibson would move past Scott after a redlight. Cody Moore had a stellar run with a spread of just 0.01 on his dial, moving him to the next round over Baxter. Wayne Landry would eliminate Eperjesi with a spread of just 0.004 on his dial!

Round Three
Whiteley beat Gibson and Landry beat Moore.

Finals
Delaina Whiteley would outrun Wayne Landry for her first MWDRS Event win of the season.

Performance Bearing Top Sportsman
Rod Moore had his Third MWDRS Top Sportsman Championship in the bag, becoming the ONLY RACER in MWDRS history to Three-Peat Class Championship. Rod won three of the seven races this year!

The race was on for Second and Third with Mark Griffin leading Tina Pierce by 23 points with Michael Chitty 9 points behind her! Again, at the last race of the season, a single round win could determine the standings.

Qualifying
Monte Weaver in the Joker Corvette would take the #1 Qualifier spot, followed by Michael Chitty, Charley Whittenburg, Rod Moore and Mark Griffin to round out the Top 5.

Tina would qualify 10th, now tying her with Michael Chitty for points! This also closed Chitty’s gap to Griffin by 3 points, meaning he needed to go two rounds further than Mark to finish Second!

Round One of Eliminations
Piepke would move past Weaver with a spread of just 0.009! Whittenburg moved past Satterfield with a spread of 0.008! Tina Pierce would eliminate Mark Griffin, in turn closing the gap for points to just a few! Michael Chitty would eliminate Darrell Reid and Doug Woody would take down the Champ Rod Moore. Mike Narx caught up with Doug in the pits, who stated that “it was my turn to win, Rod has put me out so many times in Round One, it was my turn to send him to the trailer.”

Round Two
For the Championship Podium, Round Two would be very important. In a wild chain of events, Whittenburg would eliminate Tina Pierce and Doug Woody would take down Michael Chitty! Piepke would get a Bye into the Semi-Finals. We’ll have to wait for Ellen to finalize the points to find out the standings for the season!

Round Three
Kirk Piepke would face Whittenburg for the Semi-Finals. Piepke would come out on top to face Doug Woody in the Finals. Neither racer has marked an event win with Mid-West Drag Racing Series!

Finals - History is made!
For the first time in MWDRS History, Kirk Piepke and Doug Woody would meet in the Finals. Kirk Piepke would take the win light with the starting line and stands filled with friends and fans!

Fueltech Pro 4.20
The newest class within Mid-West Drag Racing Series has seen steady growth and six cars were on site for this race! Dave Pierce came in to the race with a commanding lead of 64 points over James Ogden. But James only had a 16 point lead over Derroll Hubbard, meaning the Championship Podium wasn’t finished yet!

Qualifying
Dave Pierce has his car sorted and tookt he #1 Qualifier with a Perfect Pass of 4.200! Ryan Bush followed with 4.203! James Ogden secured #3 with 4.217. Macy Higgins, Case Hudelson and Derroll Hubbard completed the field.

Round One
Pairing for rounds with Pro 4.20 is determined by chip draw, adding another layer to the excitement of the class. Case Hudelson was unable to make the call for the chip draw, giving Macy Higgins a Competition Bye. Dave Pierce would take down Derroll Hubbard after Derroll ran a 4.185, too quick for the class. James Ogden would move past Ryan Bush after Ryan lit the boards at 4.193 to James’ 4.211. With Derroll’s loss, James locked in Second for the 2024 Mid-West Drag Racing Series Pro 4.20 Points Championship!

Round Two
Another chip draw would pair Macy Higgins and Dave Pierce and provide James Ogden with the Bye into the Finals. Macy gave Dave the race he was looking for. Macy left in front with an .006 light and never looked back, running a 4.217 to Dave’s 4.220. James would use the opportunity to give Jessica (his daughter and tuner) some much needed data for the Finals, running a 4.171.

Finals
Macy would again be the first to leave with a .016 light, his slowest reaction in Eliminations! The race was in Macy’s hands but he ran 0.003 too quick… it takes longer to say .003! James and his team have worked hard this season and are taking home their second event in return!

Race Star Wheels Pro Jr
Tyler Wells took the lead for the Championship with the Martin race and never looked back. He had the Championship locked up coming into the final race of the year. The race for Second and third was a three way battle with Mason Acosta ahead of Olivia Mayer by 20 points. Olivia led Alexis Kesterson by just 5 points.

Round One
Kenzie Wells would move past Gage Wilson with a 0.008 spread from her dial! Abigail Wilson moved past Mason Acosta after Mason ran too quick. Mason had the light of the round with a 0.001! Olivia “Danger” Mayer would fall to Kale Moberly for running too quickly. Rylee Clocker would move past Tyler Wells from Tyler’s redlight by .002! Kandee Brundidge would outrun Killee Blevins with an .006 difference in her 8.000 Dial-In. Dakota Little sent Coleman Nation to the Slammers Class after Coleman ran too quick. Reid Clocker left .023 early during his Bye Run but used the data for Round Two.

Round Two
Reid Clocker chopped the tree down with the best light of Round Two, with his .001 light on his way to the win over Kenzie Wells. Kale Moberly over Dakota Little running .025 closer to his dial. Rylee Clocker advances after Kandee Brundidge goes too quick. And Abigail Wilson uses her Bye Run as data that helps her in Round Three.

Round Three
Abigail Wilson uses her .067 difference to move past Rylee Clocker. Kale Moberly runs within .002 of his dial to eliminate Reid Clocker.

Finals
Abigail Wilson would take the Event Win from a relight of Kale Moberly.

Zimmerman Properties Sportsman Jr
Cayden Duell will take the 2024 Mid-West Drag Racing Series Championship Zimmerman Properties Sportsman Junior home to St Louis. The race for the podium is wide open with Braylee Blevins 30 points behind #2 Haven Moberly. Behind Braylee (120 points) is Presley Moberly and Mason Higgins at 110 points. With Breccan Whiteley and Lexie Klinger within striking distance at 105 points.

Round One
Camden Teel, in his first MWDRS race of the season, took down Breccan Whiteley. Owen Curran moved past Liam Curran. Presley Moberly moved past Ryan Clark. Jovee Brundidge outran Braylee Blevins. Kasen Gray moved past Bayslei Whiteley. And Cayden Duell sent Haven Moberly to the Slammers Class.

Round Two
Kasen Gray eliminates Presley Moberly. Camden Teel moves past Owen Curran. Owen cut the light of the class with his .007! Jovee Brundidge takes down the Champ Cayden Duell.

Round Three
Camden Teel doing what he does, sends Kasen Gray to the trailer to move onto the Finals to face Jovee Brundidge. Jovee used the Bye Run as a test pass to run a 8.998 on a 9.00 dial.

Finals
Jovee Brundidge vs 2023 Zimmerman Sportsman Jr Champion Camden Teel in the Finals. With a 9.00 Dial, Jovee would leave Second to Camden’s 9.02 Dial. Jovee took the win with a great light, running a 9.167 on a 9.00 dial. Camden went too quick by .019.

Junior Slammers
Coleman Nation would meet Olivia Mayer in the Finals. Coleman would take the win in the last race of the season.

Closing
The Mid-West Drag Racing Series and Tulsa Raceway Park would like to thank all the racers, crews, fans and staff for an amazing Throwdown in T-Town/Ronnie Hobbs World Finals!

The final points will be released on Thursday, 10/24, and we will see who was able to move up in the standings!

Article by Michael Narx

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