MARK MICKE

year . We were the quickest car on the property – that includes World Series of Pro Mod , U . S . Street Nationals , and the Snowbirds . You can ’ t get much better than that , in my opinion .”

Success did not come without its challenges . Micke and his team faced multiple rule changes throughout the season , including a total of 175 pounds in weight penalties and a switch from 98mm turbos to 88mm . Adapting to these changes required a collaborative effort from his team and partners .

“ When you ’ re No . 1 , you ’ ve always got that target on your back ,” Micke explained . “ After Michigan , we took 100 pounds in one race , which is quite a bit to deal with . But we were able to adapt . Dustin Hart and Roger Conley at Harts Turbo were instrumental in helping us adjust . Every time there was a rule change , they came up with a new design to keep us competitive .”

Micke also credited his transmission business , M & M Transmission , for enabling the team to fine-tune ratios and converters to meet the evolving challenges .

“ There ’ s very few people that have dealt with that many rule changes and still been able to come out on top . It was a struggle , but that kind of shit motivates us ,” he said with a smile .

Behind every championship is a team of dedicated individuals , and Micke ’ s crew exemplifies this . From his wife , Maria , to a group of talented young team members , each played a vital role in the success of the season .

“ It starts with me and my wife , Maria – we ’ re a good team . She ’ s a huge part of it ,” Micke said . “ At the shop , we ’ ve got 3-4 guys working on this car all the time that don ’ t get the notoriety . At the track , Damon Cole has excelled as our car chief , ensuring everything works . My nephew , Bryce , takes care of the engine and anything else that needs to be done . And Alec Miller , our youngest guy , has been exceptional .”

Micke highlighted the pressure his team faced to perform flawlessly .

“ We never lost a round because something fell off or broke on the car . Usually , if something goes wrong , it ’ s the tuner or driver – which is me . Knowing the car will go down the track every time makes it so much easier for me .”

As for defending his championship in 2025 , Micke remains undecided .

“ We ’ d love to defend our championship , but it ’ s going to be tough ,” said Micke , who finished ahead of reigning champion Keith Haney and past champion Aaron Wells in the top three . “ Our business has taken a huge jump because of the Winter Series , and we ’ re so busy . We ’ re going to play it race to race .”

Micke ’ s Pro Mod title was one of several championships MWDRS awarded in 2024 . Other MWDRS champions included Steve Macklyn in Funny Car , Rod Moore in Top Sportsman – for the third season in a row , Jordan Eperjesi in Top Dragster , Dave Pierce in Pro 4.20 , Tyler Wells in Pro Jr . Dragster , and Cayden Duell in Sportsman Jr . Dragster . DI

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