When a timing system malfunction potentially affected the outcome of the semifinal match between multi-time Mid-West Drag Racing Series Pro Mod champion Keith Haney and 2020 PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson Saturday night at the PDRA East Coast Nationals, Perkinson faced a tough decision. He could either accept PDRA officials’ ruling to rerun the race or decline the offer, accepting his loss to Haney. In a move that didn’t surprise anyone who knows the humble young driver from Virginia, he declined the rerun with a simple reasoning: “We lost that round and he won.”
The issue occurred during the staging process under the lights at Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC. Haney and Perkinson sat in the pre-stage beams for a few moments, then Haney rolled in to stage. Right after, Perkinson’s top bulbs went out, followed by the stage bulbs illuminating. The three ambers dropped and both drivers left, with Haney’s .053 reaction time leading Perkinson’s .100. Haney, who made the last-minute trip to Darana when the MWDRS season opener was rained out, won with a 3.664 at 206.48 to Perkinson’s 3.691 at 204.79.
PDRA officials, led by Series Director Tyler Crossnoe, put racing on hold as they reviewed footage and went to work identifying and fixing the problem. It was determined the timing system and the tree did malfunction, so officials told Haney and Perkinson they would rerun the race. Perkinson, however, declined the opportunity, allowing Haney to focus on his final-round matchup against eventual winner Tommy Franklin.
On Monday morning, Perkinson took to social media to explain his side of the situation.
“In drag racing, we are not supposed to have second chances,” Perkinson said. “Yes, the lights messed up my focus for sure. But [they] also very well could have messed up Keith Haney. If I would have went red and assumed I was deep staged or something of that matter, then I would have rerun, but I confirmed with Tyler that the tree dropped correctly for both of us and I was not actually deep staged, and the truth is we both missed the tree and he beat me.
“If I would have won that round on a holeshot, I would have not felt right to rerun,” Perkinson continued. “There are plenty of times where a rerun is the correct thing to do. But for me, my feeling was that this is a heads-up race and the tree dropped and he was the better car that round and beat me to the finish line.
“If we would have rerun and we won the round, much less the race, I wouldn’t have felt in my heart I won,” Perkinson added. “Everyone will have a different opinion and that’s OK, but for me, I let the button go late and I watched out the window Haney cross the finish line in front of me. We lost that round and he won.”
This story was originally published on April 20, 2026. 
