BUDDS CREEK, MD – Two-time and reigning Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) champion Mike Decker Jr. wrapped up the 2023 season with a $31,000 victory at the NEOPMA 31st anniversary race Sunday night at Maryland International Raceway. It was an all-Maryland final round, as Decker Jr. faced off against Chuck Ulsch for the season finale win held in conjunction with MIR’s Superchargers Showdown.

“I’m going to thank God for giving me the ability to get that win, and I’m going to give Him the glory for my team to have the ability to recover to get that win,” Decker Jr. said. “Without that, that wouldn’t happen. To win that 31st anniversary race, it’s not just another monthly race. It just shows the caliber of guys that I surround myself with on my crew. With the support I get from guys like the Tutterows and the relationships we’ve built, we’ve become a strong team and a contender that can win. I don’t believe we had the best car. We didn’t have the fastest car, obviously. But at the end of the day, we were gifted the win.”

In qualifying, “Turbo” Todd Moyer drove Carl Stevens Jr.’s new twin-turbocharged Camaro to a 3.588-second pass at 227.08 MPH to qualify No. 1. That pass also set both ends of the NEOPMA eighth-mile record, as well as the track speed record for eighth-mile Pro Mod. Derek Ward posted a 3.599 at 211.83 in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro to qualify second. Mike “Hollywood” Decker III drove his screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaro to a 3.613 at 208.68 to end up third. Decker Jr. qualified fourth with a 3.621 at 211.69. Jay Santos recorded a 3.623 at 206.42 in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro to round out the top five. Thirteen of the 16 qualifiers ran in the 3.60s or quicker.

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BUDDS CREEK, MD – The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) is set to celebrate the conclusion of its 31st season this weekend, and a fitting payout of $31,000 will make the celebration that much sweeter for the winner. With $45,000 in total payouts and a pre-entry list approaching 30 cars, the NEOPMA 31st Anniversary Race will be a show to remember for the fans at Maryland International Raceway’s Superchargers Showdown, Oct. 6-8.

“Thirty-one years is a major accomplishment for us, and we’re looking forward to celebrating that,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “We’re the oldest surviving club of this type. We’ve outlived several other associations in the Pro Mod space. So when I think of that, I give credit to my team and obviously the racers. We’ve outlived them all, and we’ve done it on a shoestring, which I think is pretty amazing. We provide real value for the racer, as well as for the tracks. We’re a very friendly club, very family-friendly and hospitable. A lot of racers tell me that’s a big reason why they race with us.”

The 31st anniversary race has been in the works for more than a year, as the originally planned 30th anniversary race was canceled last fall due to a hurricane. Inclement weather also forced MIR and NEOPMA officials to postpone the race yet again this spring, leading to this special season finale. The anticipation has been building all season, and Mazzorana and his team have worked to make the weekend even more impactful for racers and fans.

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RISING SUN, MD – Two-time and reigning Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) champion Mike Decker Jr. charged to victory in the $25,000-to-win Churchview Farm Pro Mod class at the Yellowbullet Nationals for the third year in a row Sunday night at Cecil County Dragway. The Maryland native defeated his son, Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, in the final round of the NEOPMA’s seventh of eight points races on the 2023 schedule.

“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. It just don’t happen that way,” said Decker Jr., who’s also taken runner-up honors once in Pro Mod and twice in Outlaw 10.5. “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 Deckers in their matching screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaros led the way in qualifying, with Decker Jr. and his “Big Change” Camaro qualifying No. 1 with a 3.593-second pass at 211.49 MPH. Decker III’s new “Show Biz” Camaro ended up second with a 3.636 at 203.89, followed by Matt Deitsch Jr. in his nitrous-fed ’69 Camaro with a 3.639 at 206.07. Derek Ward, who won the last two races on the NEOPMA schedule, recorded a 3.640 at 195.08 in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro to qualify fourth. James Beadling’s roots-blown Motorsports Unlimited Camaro rounded out the top five with a 3.641 at 204.88. Eleven of the 16 qualifiers ran in the 3.60s or quicker.

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RISING SUN, MD – For the third year in a row, the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) will officially take part in the Yellowbullet Nationals, Sept. 1-3, at Cecil County Dragway. While NEOPMA racers have competed in the event for several years, the popular outlaw eighth-mile event is now a points race for the Pro Mod club. NEOPMA members and other competitors in the Pro Mod class will race for a $25,000-to-win prize.

“The Yellowbullet Nationals has become a staple event on our schedule,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “This is one of the biggest races on the East Coast, so it’s an honor for us to be involved. We’re thankful that Jim Halsey and the Cecil County and Yellowbullet teams find value in making our group a part of this race. We’re looking forward to putting on a show for all the fans as we continue to celebrate our 31st season.”

The Pro Mod payout got a sizable boost from Church View Farm, which also provided funding for a pair of four-car shootouts in qualifying.

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LEICESTER, NY – Just weeks after earning his first Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) victory, Derek Ward is now a two-time NEOPMA winner after driving his screw-blown ’69 Camaro to the win Saturday night at the Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge V. Racing at the series’ second Empire Dragway event of the season, Ward defeated New York’s own Melanie Salemi in the final round.

“It feels great to back it up,” Ward said of his back-to-back wins. “The car is running good right now. We ran our quickest ever E.T. and reset the track record. The car feels very consistent, and it’s just running really good.”

Ward struggled in qualifying, making one clean pass out of three qualifying sessions. His 3.709-second pass at 184.96 in the second session put him No. 10 on the final qualifying sheet.

The Maryland native moved past those struggles for eliminations, though, as he started race day with a 3.635 at 202.98 to beat James Beadling’s 3.646 by thousandths of a second. He left the line first against Mike Stawicki and laid down a 3.609 to finish ahead of Stawicki and his 3.642. In the semifinals, Ward dipped into the 3.50s for the first time with a 3.593 to take out two-time and reigning NEOPMA champion Mike Decker Jr. and his 3.625. He lowered his career best E.T. yet again in the final round, throwing down a 3.591 at 203.71 to defeat Salemi’s 3.617 at 198.41. Ward set low E.T. of all four rounds, as well as a new track record.

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LEICESTER, NY – As the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) continues to celebrate its 31st anniversary season, the eighth-mile series will celebrate another milestone this weekend, August 18-19, at the Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge V. This weekend will mark the series’ fifth time racing at Empire Dragway, which has seen a resurgence under the ownership of Jerry Scaccia.

“When we held a race at Empire for the first time in 2021, I could already tell it was going to be a lasting partnership,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “Jerry Scaccia and his team have welcome us with open arms. The fans at Empire treat our racers like they’re rock stars. Empire is a wonderful facility, and the track prep is always perfect. We had to deal with rain showers at our last race here, so we’re hoping for a nice, dry weekend with fast, safe racing.”

A late-night popup shower prevented the series from completing the final round at the Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge IV in early July. That final round, between New York’s Melanie Salemi and Pennsylvania’s Johnny Camp, will take place during qualifying this weekend.

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RISING SUN, MD – The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) was set to crown two event winners this past weekend at Cecil County Dragway’s Strange Engineering Outlaw Street Car Shootout, as rain had postponed the completion of the series’ early June race at Cecil County. While Derek Ward was able to race to his first-ever NEOPMA victory in that race, more rain showers forced track officials to postpone the final round of the July race to the Yellowbullet Nationals at Cecil County over Labor Day weekend.

“Bad weather continues to interrupt our 31st anniversary season, but our racers and the track officials at our host tracks have been resilient,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “We have to thank Jim Halsey [track owner] and the whole Cecil County Dragway team for their efforts to complete this race. Between the summer heat and the thunderstorms, they really had their work cut out for them. Even on a hot track surface, our teams were able to lay down some impressive numbers.”

NEOPMA started the weekend with two qualifying sessions, which also included the final round from the June 2-3 race. During the second session on Saturday, longtime NEOPMA racer Derek Ward in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro squared off against two-time and reigning series champion Mike Decker Jr. in his screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaro. Ward was first off the starting line and laid down his quickest pass of the weekend, a 3.67-second blast at 207.27 MPH, to defeat Decker and his 3.719.

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RISING SUN, MD – With highs in the mid-90s forecasted for this weekend, the Pro Modified racers of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) will have to adapt and overcome when they compete at Cecil County Dragway’s Strange Engineering Outlaw Street Car Shootout, July 28-29. The event schedule and lineup has been adjusted due to the summer heat, and the series and its racers plans to do whatever it takes to put on a show for the fans.

“These summer races are always tough,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “No one likes to race in such hot conditions, but Jim Halsey (track owner) and his team have made the necessary changes to the schedule to avoid running in the hottest parts of the day. The Cecil County track prep is always top notch, and our teams are experienced enough to make strong passes no matter the conditions.”

NEOPMA racers expected to compete this weekend include Ed “The Iron Man” Burnley, Johnny Camp, Tommy Gray, teammates Tyler Hard and Kevin McCurdy, Fredy Scriba, Matt Deitsch Jr., Derek Ward, Andy Jensen, reigning series champion Mike Decker Jr., Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, and more.

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LEICESTER, NY – Pro Modified standouts Melanie Salemi and Johnny Camp were set to battle it out in the final round of the Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge IV Saturday night when rain showers put an early end to the fourth race on the 2023 Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) schedule. The final round will be contested August 18-19 when NEOPMA returns to Empire Dragway.

“Rain seems to be affecting every racing organization this season, and we were the latest victim this weekend,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “Despite rain in the weekend forecast, the enthusiastic fans at Empire showed up and supported us. [Track owner] Jerry Scaccia and his team worked through multiple rain delays to provide our racers with the track conditions they needed to put on a show for the fans. While we weren’t able to crown an event champion, we’re looking forward to coming back to Empire and handing out two trophies next month.”

Salemi, who races out of the nearby Buffalo area, qualified No. 1 after three sessions with a 3.65-second blast in Eddie Whelan’s screw-blown ’19 Camaro. NEOPMA veteran Derek Ward charged to a 3.671 in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro to qualify No. 2. Johnny Camp, who recently returned from a crash earlier in the season, took his new ProCharged “Back in Black” ’20 Camaro to the third spot with a 3.68. Multi-time Pro Modified world champion Kenny Lang qualified fourth in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro with a 3.689. Two-time and reigning NEOPMA champion Mike Decker Jr. rounded out the top five with his 3.691 in his screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaro.

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