The weather was threatening, but that never stops the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series. Mid-West Pro Mods rolled into Tulsa Raceway Park on Thursday before qualifying on Friday. To say the action was tight all weekend would be a huge understatement. Points battles, owner versus owner, rain, and lumberjacking were just some of what we saw over the weekend.
Photos by Patrick Williams
The Throwdown in T-Town is one of the largest events the Tulsa Raceway Park holds all season long, and it is something that its owners, Todd Martin and Keith Haney, always look forward to. The fans are the best in the country, and they were lined up out the gate trying to get in while MWPMS was having their regular Friday night driver’s meeting.
“Home really is where the heart is, and my home is Tulsa Raceway Park. Todd and I do our best to always make sure that our fans, racers, and media are treated with the utmost respect. They are there to see a show and that’s exactly what we try and give them,” stated Haney, the series’ founder.
Aaron Wells
“I love when we have the opportunity to race at home. Others say that we have the best staff and put on amazing events. Both Keith and I are absolutely humbled by the support the MWPMS racers, crew, and media have for TRP. I really believe that we have the best fans in the world and cannot thank them enough for their continued support of the Throwdown in T-Town,” stated Martin.
Just a touch over two weeks ago, the MWPMS was in St. Louis, and it was there that Aaron Wells was pushed off the line after the burnout in the final round. A small oil leak cost him a chance at a win versus Kevin Maddux. In Tulsa, it was obvious that Well’s Mustang was going to be the one to beat. He was running in the mid to high 3.60’s all weekend. Aaron buzz-sawed through the competition and then had to line up against arguably the most popular star competing in the MWPMS, none other than last years champion, Jonas Aleshire.
Jonas was a lumberjack on the tree throughout the competition — his reaction times were .004, .009, .001, and a .010. You didn’t read that wrong…Jonas was cutting down the tree with more consistency than we have ever seen in a single event at the MWPMS. So, when Aaron and Jonas lined up in the finals, it was Jonas off the line first, but Aaron had the ET, lighting the scoreboard with a a 3.67 to Jonas’ 3.69. The win gives Aaron a commanding lead in the points over second place Justin Jones, who went to the semi-finals but had an on-track accident.
In Top Sportsman, Earl Folse has been the dominating car this season, and it looked like he was going to run away with it. But everything can change on a dime — Earl had a slip and went out in the first round and left the door wide open for Bob Gulitti. Bob mowed down the field on his way to the finals, where he met up with and defeated Marlon Goates. Bob has his sights set on being the first ever MWPMS Top Sportsman champion and it appears he and Earl are going to battle it out the second half of the season.
Bob Gulitti
Race Star Wheels Top Dragster had a familiar face to the class in the winner’s circle over the weekend. With killer times and monster 60-foots, Steve McDermott Sr. took the victory over a tough challenger in Jeremy Maples. After having the first-round bye, Steve had to get past Brown and Harris in round two and the semi’s before lining up with Maples in the finals. The win pushes Steve well up in the points standings, as well. Look for Top Dragster to be a fight to the finish in the second half of the season.
In the Slammers class it was previous event winner Kevin Maddux who took the win over Tulsa Raceway Park’s Todd Martin. The Slammers win helps to keep Kevin solidly in the top ten, which means that there is still a great chance of him moving up the leaderboard and closer to the number one spot held by Aaron Wells. It also keeps him in front of Martin in the points standings right now. These two both have the skills and cars to be in the winner’s circle all season long.
Wrapping up the MWPMS classes was none other than the insanity that is X275 radial racing. Thousands of horsepower on tires as big as the ones on the car at the dealership. This is always exciting action, and these drivers didn’t disappoint. There were quite a few regulars on the property, like Bob Bales and Marty Chance. Dave Pierce was on hand playing in the X275 waters, as well. In fact, it was Dave that made it to the finals and faced off against Stephen Plunkett. Stephen snagged victory over Dave in the finals. Both will be shaking up the points standings as well, since the numbers one and two in points were unable to attend the event. Congratulations to Stephen on the win!
Steve McDermott Sr.
That’s a wrap on Tulsa. The next stop for the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Pro Mod Series is deep in the heart of Texas, Fourth of July weekend at Xtreme Raceway Park. Stay tuned to Mid-West Pro Mod on social media and the website (www.midwestpromodseries.com) for all the details.
