Recent results from drag racing’s independent NEOPMA and MWPMS racing schedules….

NEOPMA Maple Grove — Former Outlaw 10.5 star Mike Decker Jr. is one step closer to his goal of winning the 2021 Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) championship after winning his second consecutive race, the Pennsylvania Dutch Classic at Maple Grove Raceway. Decker in his screw-blown Decker’s Salvage ‘19 Camaro defeated Andy Jensen in the final round.
 
“I’m ecstatic,” said Decker, who credited Todd Tutterow for setting up the car with proven components. “We got into Pro Mod this year and didn’t know what to expect. We got the best of the business on the car. Last year, Todd asked to drive the car for Shakedown. We saw what he did with it then [a semifinal finish]. We put it on radials and we didn’t do much. We put it back on the big tires and I asked him to dial it back in. We knew we had the car dialed in, but we didn’t know what to expect with my driving. To win the second race back to back, we’re ecstatic.”
 
Decker was the star of the weekend after qualifying No. 1 with a 3.698-second pass at 208.04 mph. First-round opponent Wally Zalak ran into issues, allowing Decker to sail to a 3.742 at 207.08 en route to a second-round bye run. He slowed to a 4.134 at 141.16 on the bye run. The Maryland native returned to his qualifying pace in the semifinals against championship challenger Fredy Scriba, as he used a 3.706 at 207.62 to defeat Scriba and his 4.609 at 118.02. 
 
“Scriba is the guy we’re fighting for the championship,” Decker said. “He kicked my teeth in twice this year. I think we qualified against him twice and ran him in the third round. It was important to me to beat him every time we pulled up against him so when we do win that championship, we know we beat him to do it. He’s beat me twice already this year, in the final at the first race and again down at Budds Creek [last month]. That was the guy I knew we needed to beat. That was the race.”
 
Jensen qualified No. 2 in his turbocharged, small-block-powered Canvas Plus ’68 Camaro. The Pennsylvania racer moved on in the opening round with a 3.856 at 200.41 when opponent Matt Deitsch Jr. couldn’t make the call. Second-round opponent Mike Walker also had issues and couldn’t make the run, letting Jensen move on with a 5.577 at 87.53. A competition bye run followed in the semifinals, and Jensen slowed to a 6.644 at 74.44. 
 
Decker and Jensen were both tuned up for the final round. Decker pedaled to a 3.898 at 198.06 next to Jensen’s 4.952 at 107.39 to secure the event win. 
 
Along with earning the points and payday from NEOPMA, Decker also received a coveted NHRA “Wally” for winning the Pennsylvania Dutch Classic, which is an NHRA National Open. 
 
“When they gave me a Wally, it almost brought a little tear to my eye,” Decker said. “I wasn’t expecting to win a Wally. How often can you win a Wally? One other time we were in the hunt for one and we blew the engine up. It’s just thrilling to have that Wally to put on the shelf in my father’s office. Now we’re going to get to look at it every day when we get to work. It’s amazing. We’re very blessed.”
 
By defeating Scriba in the semifinals and going on to win the race, Decker stretched out his points lead going into the final race of the season. 
 
“We’re going to just keep doing what we’re doing, one round at a time,” Decker said. “If we concentrate on one round at a time, the rest of them will come.”
 
It was a true family win for Decker, as his son, Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, was calling the shots based off Tutterow’s data and tutelage. The team’s patriarch, Mike Decker Sr., oversaw the operation. 
 
“First of all, we’d like to thank the Lord for giving us a safe weekend and another good race,” Decker Sr. said. “And certainly, all our sponsors: ISI Demolition, NGK Spark Plugs, Wyo Motorsports, Ty-Drive, Gil Mobley Motorsports, Autofab Race Cars, and JKR Racing Products. We couldn’t do it without the people that help us.”
 
The 2021 NEOPMA season will conclude in two weeks at the 36th annual Superchargers Showdown, Oct. 1-3 at Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek, Maryland.

Mike Decker Jr won at the NEOPMA race at Maple Grove PA

MWPMS – Michigan — For the second consecutive race, Joey Oksas drove his way to the winner’s circle, picking up the Pro Mod victory at the Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service U.S. 131 Nationals.
 
Oksas picked up his second straight win, one of many highlights of the MWDRS’ second-ever race at the U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich. Racing in front of a huge crowd, the MWDRS put on a stellar show, with Bill Bernard (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Glenn Butcher (Pat Musi Racing Engines Top Sportsman), Christa Schneider (Race Star Wheels Top Dragster), Ron Muenks (Pro Mod Slammers), Conner Jensen (Summit Racing Pro Jr.) and Josie Wanamaker (Zimmerman Properties Construction Sportsman Jr.) all picking up victories.
 
For the second race, Oksas also met Keith Haney in the Pro Mod final round, with Oksas securing the victory and taking over the points lead in the process. Oksas had a reaction time of .021 in the final round, as his run of 3.713-seconds at 214.69 mph in his turbocharged ’67 Mustang held up against Haney’s quicker 3.68 at 206.23.
 
“The place was packed and it was awesome, and this win was almost as sweet as the first one,” said Oksas, who picked up his first career Pro Mod last month at the Mid-West Drag Racing Series’ Great Bend Nationals. “The field was so tight and there were so many incredible cars, it almost felt like a Pro Stock race. Anyone in the field could have made it happen.
 
“We just tried to look at it one round at a time. (Tuner) Jeff Pierce knows what he needs to do against our competition and I just had to do my job. When we both do our job, we’ve had a pretty good outcome so far.”
 
Oksas wasn’t at the top of qualifying, but he made two solid runs, including a 3.705 before going 3.698 at 214.90 in the opening round of eliminations. He followed with a 3.719 to advance to the semifinals, earning the victory there to set up another marquee matchup with Haney.
 
Oksas was stellar on the starting line all weekend and delivered when it counted, putting him in a great position heading into the final stretch of the MWDRS Pro Mod season.
 
“We knew Keith had a good hot rod and we knew it was going to be a damn good race,” Oksas said. “That’s how it is in this class. It really makes it so drivers have to keep up on the wheel. There’s so many good drivers and you have to be on as a driver and you’ve got to have a good hot rod to win.”
 
In all, the MWDRS drew rave reviews at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and series owner Keith Haney praised everyone for delivering on a memorable weekend. In addition to huge crowd, the jet car team of Elaine Larsen set up a school for children at the track. They were bussed to the track to learn about the cars, with nearly 125 children enjoying the show.
 
“The staff at the Mid-West Drag Racing Series and the track both did a phenomenal job,” Haney said. “It was packed and just an unbelievable experience.”
 
The Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service returns to action Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the MWDRS Throwdown at T-Town at Tulsa Raceway Park. The series will conduct a pair of races during the weekend. For more information on the Mid-West Drag Racing Series, visit www.midwestdragracingseries.com.
 
ABOUT MWDRS — The Summit Racing Equipment Mid-West Drag Racing Series is an all-eighth-mile drag racing organization with headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The series is headlined by Pro Modified and Top Alcohol Funny Car, with additional classes including Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, and two Jr. Dragster categories. The 2021 MWDRS schedule consists of eight national events. For more information on the MWDRS, visit www.MidWestDragRacingSeries.com.

Joey Oksas was the winner at MWDRS Michigan.

Posted by Nate Van Wagnen
Photos by Mark Tinari and Damon Steinke