After a tremendous second half of the season, Keith Haney has a chance to put one final exclamation point on his incredible finish to the 2021 season in the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.
After picking up an impressive Pro Mod victory at the second race of the Osage Hotel Casino Throwdown in T-Town in Tulsa, Haney can end the year with back-to-back wins at this weekend’s MWDRS Xtreme Texas World Finals at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, Texas.
Haney has put together three final round appearances, including one win, and a semifinal showing since August in his nitrous-powered “Black Mamba” Camaro, and the veteran remains in championship contention as well. It’s an outside shot, as he sits 94 points behind Joey Oksas heading into the last race, but even having a chance is a massive victory for Haney and a tribute to the team’s performance over the last two months.
“It would be hard for me to win it, but it could happen,” Haney said. “I feel like our preparation at our shop has made a huge difference. The last four races, we’ve been dominant. It’s been great and we’re coming to Texas with the goal of qualifying No. 1 and winning from the No. 1 spot again.”
That’s exactly what happened to close out the double-race weekend in Tulsa, qualifying No. 1 and putting together a run of 3.671-seconds at 207.37 mph in his Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro backed by Summit Racing Equipment.
It took that kind of run and a solid reaction time for Haney to get the win, a nod to the standout competition in the Pro Mod class in the Mid-West Drag Racing Series. The nitrous power from his Pat Musi Racing Engines-powered Camaro has been impressive, and the tough competition also seems to bring out the best in Haney.
“That’s how it is with this series. There’s just unbelievable side-by-side racing,” Haney said. “I knew in that final round I wasn’t going to mess up and we were on a mission that weekend. It’s tough to win against these guys and the competition is so tough, but we’ve had a good run and hopefully, we can keep it going.”
It was Haney’s first win in the MWDRS since 2018 and now he has a huge opportunity to really end his year with momentum.
Two straight wins and four final round showings over the last five races would be a remarkable finish and give Haney another huge boost going into the off-season. It’s taken a total team effort to this point and Brandon Switzer has been nearly flawless as the tuner. Combined, it’s led to the most successful run in Haney’s career and he’s determined to try to finish it off with a victory, which would be a fitting thanks for the outstanding support he’s received this season.
“It would be wonderful to finish off the year with a win,” Haney said. “My wife, Misty, and my family, and all these crew guys, they all spend a lot of time preparing for a race. But when you’ve got a great family backbone and a great crew, it makes a huge difference.
“I would love to win it for all of them. They’ve all devoted themselves for years to this team and I appreciate every one of them. Getting a win for them to close out the season would be great.”
The first two rounds of qualifying take place at 6 and 8 p.m. on Friday, with the final round of qualifying starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday at Xtreme Raceway Park.
This story was originally published on October 21, 2021. 
