Dirt
Like Father , Like Son
Mike ‘ Hollywood ’ Decker III joins father as NEOPMA champion By Nate Van Wagnen
After watching his father , Mike Decker Jr ., win back-to-back Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association ( NEOPMA ) championships in 2021- 2022 , Mike “ Hollywood ” Decker III was determined to get a title of his own . He kicked off the 2024 season with a final-round win over his old man , giving “ Hollywood ” the momentum he needed to end the season as a champion .
“ It means a lot to win a championship ,” Decker said . “ When you go out and race a series , that ’ s the goal : win the championship . When you win a championship , you ’ re forever remembered as a champion , so there ’ s a lot of weight to winning a championship . It ’ s cool to be able to go out there and win the Northeast championship .”
The 2024 NEOPMA season started just like it did in 2022 : with the father-son Decker duo and their matching screw-blown Decker ’ s Salvage Camaros in the final round at Maryland International Raceway ’ s Door Wars . This time , though , it was “ Hollywood ” defeating his father to claim his first Pro Mod win . To make the win sweeter , he had to take out reigning series champion and newly crowned World Series of Pro Mod winner Derek Ward in the semifinals .
“ My first win as a Pro Mod driver was a high point for sure ,” said Decker . “ We ran Derek in the semifinals , and after beating him we knew it was me and Dad in the finals . That ’ s always a cool feeling when it ’ s just you two and you know one of you is going to win .”
The elder Decker then took out Ward in the final round at the next race , the Northeast Outlaw Empire Pro Mod Challenge VI at Empire Dragway . “ Hollywood ” kept the streak going when the series returned to New York for the Northeast Outlaw Empire Pro Mod Challenge VII later in the summer . He knocked down Canadian Pro
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID HILNER
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