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Anyone's Game - A "Mess" in Pro Mod Points

As the summer break continues the Stroud Safety Pro Mod Points race is one of the tightest in years, and it's time to take a look at the field in a little more depth as the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series barrels into the championship chase. A word of warning, this thing is a mess. It's too tight to call and it's anyone's game.

For those unfamiliar with the MWDRS points system, from a thousand foot level each round of Eliminations awards 20 points towards the championship. A further 25 points for the #1 qualifier, reducing by 1 point per qualifying position down to 10 points for the #16 qualifier. A further 25 points are awarded for paid entry into the event. So when Racer A is behind Racer B by 10 points, Racer A beating Racer B would put A ahead by 10 points. If Racer A Qualified #1, and Racer B qualified #11, and they both were eliminated in the same round they would be tied. There are other points to play with in the alternate rule, race attendance bonus, and more, but for now we will keep our view at 1000 feet and our eyes on the chase for the championship.

Goolsby here is certainly one of the strongest stories of the season. After what can only be described as rotten luck last year, the Black Pearl and crew have come into form this year with a 5-3 record in rounds of elimination. Goolsby, still searching for his first MWDRS event win, seems poised to find it in the near future. The twist for the Black Pearl came in the form of a broken rear end at the IHRA Outlaw Pro Mod Nationals last weekend, which shipped the Camaro back to Larry Jeffers for repair. Goolsby hopes to get the car back before round #5 in Martin, but repairs take time and parts that could affect his championship chase.

Meanwhile, Muenks and Wells are 2 drivers who have been in this position before. Both of them are chasing their second championship and the points alone don't quite tell the full story.

Muenks is 33 points behind, true, but he also crucially missed the first race in Martin, the Shakedown alongside the Radial Outlaw Series and DuckXPromotions. Of the 3 events in which he and Wells have ran together, Muenks has actually out-pointed Wells in 2 of them including a clutch runner-up at the season opener at Xtreme Raceway Park.

Wells on the other hand propelled himself and his family into MWDRS history by winning in Tulsa Alongside his son Tyler. In a night that may be the turning point for the season, Aaron grabbed runner up at US 131 Motorsports Park at the Shakedown. Not only was the points haul impressive, but as a testament to how well the Wells Motorsports crew has Bullitt running it should be noted that Aaron achieved that against the tightest, quickest field in MWDRS history.

While some may look at the top 3 in points, the Chase is much tighter than you may think with racers in 4th and beyond battling each other and for a spot at the top. The battle of attrition for 4th and beyond requires keeping track of in the back half of 2025 is intriguing and could be where a surprise championship run comes from.

Fourth place currently sits in the hands of Jacob McNeal at 239 points. Behind him is Kallee Mills at 223, Keith Haney at 221, and Sean "Murder Nova" Ellington at 218. With barely over one round's worth of points separating the 4, I'm not sure anyone can say with confidence what's going to happen. There are however some takeaways.

McNeal has seemingly been fighting gremlins as of late after damaging his engine in Martin, throwing rods in KC, and running into a mag wire issue in IHRA's debut race, and finally breaking the car fiercely in round 1 of the Outlaw Pro Mod Nationals. That violent tire shake in Milan also put the Barracuda in the shop at Larry Jeffers, right next to Keith Goolsby and Cole Pesz. Despite the issues, a runner-up in Tulsa and a Semi-Finals appearance in Martin paint the picture of a team that can go the distance if the racing gods will cooperate.

Ellington has yet to be eliminated in MWDRS competition, winning in XRP and being among the last standing when curfew hit at Flying H. The KHR Ramjack Camaro have the most consistent hot rod of this group, but It's important to remember that this is "Murder Nova." He's a popular and busy man! He's already had to miss 2 races so far this year, which is the only reason he's not up at the top of the standings.

Mills had been in the "get to know you" phase with Scarlett, who was built this year and debuted as she stepped into the pro mod scene. That feeling out phase is well and truly gone, however, as she rocked her way into the finals at the $125,000 race in Milan. Kallee is no stranger to fast hot rods, and has the wheel skills to go toe to toe with anyone. Kallee has found the next step, and will be even more of a threat in the second half of the season.

Haney and the black mamba haven't looked in Champion form this year, having fought tire shake in some rounds, and a voluntary exit in Tulsa to watch his daughter graduate. While the start of the season has left points on the table, Haney is the one in this group with a championship, 2 actually, to his name. It's hard to bet against a guy who has gone so many rounds before.

Normally I'd use this part to make some kind of prediction, but with the field is tight as it is I think you'd just be better flipping a coin at the top end of the field. For the battle for 4th I think the question is who is going to decide to have that one event where they go to the finals. One good run is all that's needed to separate yourself from the field. There's really only one way to find out who will answer the bell, the season resumes Sept. 5-6th at US-131.

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