TJ Pruitt
ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 13) — Keith Haney and his Keith Haney Racing team kick off their 2016 season with a test this weekend at Orlando Speed World.
Haney will drive both his Pro Nitrous car and his new Drag Radial car for two days in central Florida. The Professional Drag Racers Association season, during which Haney will drive his Lucas Oil/RacingJunk.com Camaro, begins in March at Casino Tulsa Raceway Park.
But Haney is also entered in the Lights Out 7 Drag Radial race at South Georgia Motorsports Park next week, which will be the debut of his new Drag Radial Camaro.
“I’ve never driven a Drag Radial car, so am I nervous? Absolutely,” Haney said. “Do I feel like it’s going to be any different than what I’ve been doing? No.”
Testing has gone “amazing” so far, according to Haney. He and his team began the trek to Florida on Friday, when he went to Innovative Safety Products in Concord, N.C., to have his seat installed in the Drag Radial car, and then to Florida to test. He started his first passes in the Drag Radial car on Saturday, learning the nuances of the car.
“When they shake, you better get out of it,” Haney said. “The driving side of it is totally different. It’s like a Pro Stocker: When it starts to shake, you’re done, you lift. There’s no driving through it. And if you try to drive through it, you’re liable to end up on your lid or in the wall. A radial is totally different than a big tire.”
The new car was built by Larry Jeffers Race Cars and completed by Brandon Switzer and his Switzer Dynamics team. It was completed in secret and announced only recently, turning the Drag Radial world on its ear.
https://www.facebook.com/dragcoverage/videos/vb.275050099404/10153527952624405/?type=2&theater
This week, Haney debuted the new car to the public.
“The car is so cocky,” Haney said. “I’ve got blowers, I’ve got turbos, I’ve got superchargers in the background on the car, and it’s a nitrous car. On the back, it says, ‘If you’re looking at this, I’m on the cover of Drag Illustrated.’ ”
The car is matte black, with black and white decals from his many sponsors adorning it. Everything on the new car is the latest technology, and Haney credits Switzer for building an exceptional piece.
“I put something on Brandon Switzer and his shop that they weren’t expecting,” Haney said. “The chassis and the shell was built at Larry Jeffers’ shop, and then it went to Brandon. He got it in December, and he just fired the car earlier this week. They had to do everything to this car.
“Everything we learned from my Pro Nitrous car went into the Drag Radial car. Every issue we ran into before has been fixed in this car. He threw the kitchen sink at this car, and his people have put in countless hours. This car is truly a state-of-the-art Drag Radial car.”
Haney credits Lucas Oil, RacingJunk.com, Switzer Dynamics, Brandon Pesz and Pesz Performance & Tuning, Reher-Morrison, and M&M Transmission for helping with the 2016 season.
To see more photos of Haney’s new Drag Radial car, click here.
