Keith Haney earns a living with multiple auto dealerships by giving clients a deal they cannot refuse. Coming later this season, Haney’s got one for the Pro Modified community that he knows they logically cannot refuse. 

Haney isn’t into flexing muscles in competition with other promoters, but he believes the facts will speak for themselves. He plans to deliver the richest payday for any Pro Modified or doorslammer event in existence, period. 

Haney said he’s got 253,000 reasons why Pro Modified teams want to be at Flying H Drag Strip on the weekend of September 19 – 21, 2024, for the Mid-West Drag Racing Series’ inaugural Fall Smackdown. The winner of the event can pocket a hefty $150,000 prize while finishing runner-up can net a $25,000 prize. The Main Event is sponsored by Stroud Safety and presented by M&M Transmission and Proline Racing Engines.

“For about almost eight months, myself and [Flying H Dragway’s] Scott Higgs, Blake [Housley] and some sponsors have been working behind the scenes to put on this type of race that it’s not a winner-take-all,” Haney said. “We have as many Pro Mod cars as elsewhere, but they travel a lot to run some other series. I take that back. We don’t have near the race cars that East Coast has.

“It makes for drag racing on that side of the country to be really big. Take a look at PDRA. They do a wonderful job, and they get a lot of cars. Take a look at Northeastern Pro Mod. They do a decent job, and they get a decent round of cars, and there’s a lot of big races on that side of the country.

“You take a look at Snowbirds and World Street Nationals and all that, there’s always a lot of cars there, but if you start looking at the entries, many of them are coming from the Midwest.”

Haney said the event is a way he can reward the loyal supporters of the MWDRS, all the while trying to attract more competition for the series. There will be an entry fee, but if you race loyally [four of the first six events] with the MWDRS, that fee is covered. 

The MWDRS is paying entry for any Pro Mod racers who attend four of the first six events of the 2024 season to give back to those who have supported the series.

For those who haven’t attended the required number of events, pre-registration is available at $2500. Entries are limited to just 45 outside of the racers who’ve already competed in four of the six events. The Stroud Safety Pro Mod presented by M&M Transmission and Pro Line Racing will be a 32-car field.

Details on the payout are Main Event winner receives $150,000, Runner-Up $25,000, Semis $5,000, Quarters $2,500, down to the 16th $1,000 each with the Fuel Tech #1 Qualifier receiving $5,000.

Even though the marquee race will be at the new track constructed outside of Kansas City, free entry is available for those who faithfully support the series and benefits every track on the circuit. 

“It’s something I’ve dreamed about and thought about for years and years and years, but you got to be able to afford it,” Haney said. “I don’t want to go against World Series of Pro Mod, just so everybody knows that I think West Buck and the staff from the World Series of Pro Mod, Victor and all the sponsors and everything, have done an absolutely wonderful job with that. They actually brought awareness to Pro Mod in a way that we haven’t had it.”

Although Pro Modified will be the key attraction, it won’t be the only one.

The Undercard Event (Slammers) class sponsored by Zimmerman Properties will showcase all non-qualified cars and first-round losers from the main event. There is no entry fee for the Undercard and a prize of $25,000 for the winner and $10,000 for the runner-up.

“The Undercard event gives everyone a chance to take home big money. We want everyone to be able to race and go home with something,” states Event Director Ellen Eschenbacher. “The Undercards in all the classes have been a big part of this event planning from the very beginning.”

“We’ve had a lot of great talks about drag racing and how to start off our heritage at Flying H with a bang. The area is desperate for racing, and we want to bring them the best,” states Flying H Drag Strip President Scott Higgs. “With Pro Mod racer Blake Housley on board as Vice President, we have a wealth of knowledge in our facilities.”

The J&A Service Funny Cars will be eligible for the four out of six-event bonus with no entry fee to their 8-car field. The winner will take home $10,000 with the Runner-Up receiving $3,000, $1,500 to the semi finalists and $750 to the first-round losers. If 13 or more cars attend, there will be a 16-car field and the payouts adjusted.

There will also be opportunities for Top Dragster, Top Sportsman, and a Junior Dragster division. 

Haney understands there are lots of moving pieces in this presentation, but he plans to take the ball and run with it. 

“There are 32 cars that are going home with money,” Haney said. “That’s 32. We’ve got two more major announcements coming that sponsors just keep coming to us, and we’re adding to it. From having the jet truck there, that’s for the kids and the fans, to hospitality night sponsored by Strange Engineering, that we’re going to feed 1500 racers and crew, is what we’re expecting. Live music and really chairs to sit down and eat and get to know each other, get to know each other a little bit better outside of working on a race car.”

In Haney’s case, it might truly be a situation where there’s a party, and a drag race breaks out. 

“I couldn’t tell you how many sleepless nights and how many hundreds and hundreds of hours in this event I’ve created for Flying H,” Haney said. “I’m the promoter. I put everything together, from buying TV and radio to billboards, and we’re not just doing a drag race; we’re doing an entertainment event. It’s going to be off the hook. We want to pack the stands and give them an experience that they’ve never seen before.”