Dirt
MID-WEST DRAG RACING SERIES
oped . We wanted to give racers a place to race for a good amount of money ,” Haney says . “ We are a working man ’ s organization . You can come in on Friday , run Friday and Saturday , and know you will not race on Sunday . That ’ s something that has been really good and people know that what we say , we ’ re going to do .”
That attention to detail and structure has also paid off in building sponsorship loyalty , working with a variety of partners who have meshed well with the series ’ approach .
“ They believe in us and we deliver on what we promise them ,” Haney says . “ The biggest factor is return on investment . We ’ re helping them grow their business .”
Haney is eager for a big finish in what ’ s been a roller-coaster of a season . The MWDRS last raced in early May in Tulsa , and due to weatherrelated event postponements , the series doesn ’ t return until Aug . 20-21 at SRCA Dragstrip in Great Bend , Kansas .
It ’ s one of a handful of new facilities on the MWDRS schedule this year and it sets up a big finish for the organization . The second Tulsa event will include two events and double the purse in one race weekend , hoping to cap off 2021 – and another year of growth – with a bang .
“( SRCA Dragstrip ) has resurfaced the whole place . There ’ s enough parking for 400 cars on concrete . They ’ ve just been amazing and we ’ re excited to get there ,” Haney says . “ I can ’ t wait for these last handful of races to finish off the season .”
While the start and stop nature of the year has been frustrating , the MWDRS has pushed forward and may have something major to add for 2022 .
Haney is in talks to add Top Fuel to the lineup next year , offering professional drivers in the nitro ranks another place to race . It would be a pair of qualifiers , an eight-car field and eighth-mile Top Fuel racing , and it continues to show the forwardthinking approach of the MWDRS .
“ We ’ re always looking at ways to evolve and we ’ re always looking at different classes ,” Haney says . “ We ’ re getting a lot of great information and hopefully we have Top Fuel come on board in 2022 . It ’ s just crazy how well the series has done . We ’ re not just a fly-by-night organization . We ’ re a force to be reckoned with .” DI
26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 169