Mike Decker Jr., the two-time reigning champion of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA), continued his winning streak by claiming victory in the highly competitive $25,000-to-win Churchview Farm Pro Mod class at the annual Yellowbullet Nationals. This marked his third consecutive win in the prestigious event held at Cecil County Dragway on Sunday night.

Decker Jr., hailing from Maryland, secured the victory by defeating none other than his son, Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, in the final round of the NEOPMA’s seventh race out of eight on the 2023 schedule.

Decker Jr. is overwhelmed with his accomplishments.

“Any racer goes into the weekend feeling like they have a shot to win, but deep down, you realize you’re not going to win this thing again,” Decker said. “It just don’t happen that way. So close so many times and just came up short. It’s unbelievable. I knew going in there when we qualified both those cars, No. 1 and 2, that we had the perfect storm set up; it was just a matter of how it was gonna go. To win that thing three years in a row, it’s just unbelievable. It gives me cold chills.”

The Decker duo, sporting matching screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaros, dominated the qualifying rounds. Decker Jr. secured the No. 1 spot with an impressive 3.593-second pass at 211.49 MPH, while Decker III took the second position with a time of 3.636 at 203.89. The competition was fierce, with eleven out of the sixteen qualifiers clocking in at 3.60 seconds or quicker.

Decker Jr. also expressed his gratitude towards his son’s tuning expertise. 

“Uncle Todd [Tutterow] was there on Thursday, flew in from Indy and worked with Mike, then he left, and Mike’s on his own,” he said. “Hollywood does the tuning on the cars. I told him I didn’t need to go out there and run a fifty. I was good with a .62. The thing goes out there in the heat and runs a .59. It was jaw-dropping. It’s hard to believe. The car was very stout all weekend.”

The elimination rounds saw Decker Jr. score a holeshot win against track owner Jim Halsey in the opening round and continued his impressive performance in the subsequent rounds. Decker Jr. was on his game again in the second round, cutting a .008 reaction time and running a 3.621 at 208.97 to beat Keith Haney’s 3.817 at 167.07. He and Beadling left the starting line together in the semifinals, but Decker Jr. powered to a 3.636 at 208.20 while Beadling slowed to a 4.858. 

Decker III, on the other side of the bracket, worked his way to the final round, beating Steve Wooley in the opening round and laying down a 3.622 at 207.56 to beat Wooley’s 3.994 at 197.97. Second-round opponent Tommy Gray went red by .008 seconds, while Decker III went on to win with a 3.644 at 206.29. He earned lane choice for the final round when he posted a 3.631 at 204.79 unopposed in the semis, as Andy Jensen broke. 

In the final round, Decker Jr.’s experience paid off as he took the lead right from the start with a .006 reaction time. Although Decker III initially gained ground, Decker Jr. powered through to secure a victorious finish. Decker Jr. crossed the finish line with a time of 3.632 at 208.23, while Decker III recorded a time of 3.749 at 169.78.

“I told him I was going to burn him down, play him out, and I was going to leave him,” Decker Jr. said. “Luckily, I did leave him, but I don’t know if you can call that leaving. He was .009, and I was .006, so I told him I left him. But I watched the video from MotorMania and by the 330, he had about half a hood on me before that car shut off. I lost a cylinder. That’s why I only ran a .62. His car shut off after it went into high gear. I said I’ve been there many times where I shoulda coulda won it and didn’t, so welcome to my world.”

Decker, who picked up his first win of the season, quickly spread the praise for his third consecutive Yellowbullet Nationals win. 
 
“I want to thank the Lord for the win and putting us where we needed to be to get it done,” Decker Jr. said. “I think Him for the good lights because they didn’t come from me: my team, my father, my wife, and Hollywood for tuning the cars. Uncle Todd teaches him, but he has to do it. He has to use the information that he learns, and he does a heck of a job with it.”

Earlier in the weekend, NEOPMA completed the final round of its July race at Cecil County, which couldn’t be completed due to curfew. It came down to Derek Ward, who was seeking his third consecutive win, and past series champion Kevin McCurdy. Both drivers left the line with .007 reaction times, but they ran into trouble down track and slowed from their typical pace. McCurdy in the ProCharged Hard Racing ’68 Camaro won with a 3.933 at 160.21 over Ward’s 4.767 at 140.07 in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro. 
 
Of the 17 Pro Mod entries on the property, 13 were NEOPMA racers, including all four semifinalists. 
 
“I’m really proud of the way our racers show up for this race,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president of NEOPMA. “Some of the best Pro Mod racers in the country compete with us, and that was evident this weekend. We’re looking forward to seeing these racers and more at our season finale next month.”
 
NEOPMA will crown 2023 champions at its 31st-anniversary celebration race during Maryland International Raceway’s Supercharger Showdown, October 6-8. The series expects at least 30 Pro Mod teams to join in celebrating NEOPMA’s 31st season, and the winner will walk away with $31,000.