Take a look at this, War in the Woods 15 Delivers Huge Wheelies, Wild Crashes and Insanely Close Racing!
War in the Woods 15 had everything drag racing fans could ask for: massive wheelies, cars fighting for traction, terrifying close calls, crashes, controversial finishes and some incredibly tight racing all the way to the stripe.
With an enormous field of roughly 233 cars showing up to compete, the event turned into a marathon of horsepower and unpredictability. From Billy the Kid sending the Apollo Camaro down the track with the wheels in the air to Ryan Mitchell making another deep run at an event where he has enjoyed tremendous success, War in the Woods once again proved why racers and fans keep coming back.
More Than 230 Cars Show Up for War in the Woods
One of the biggest stories of the weekend was simply the size of the field.
Organizers reportedly had around 233 cars on the property, creating such a packed racing schedule that officials decided to run the first two rounds of every class before moving deeper into eliminations.
That meant almost nonstop action.
The difficult racing surface combined with changing conditions made every pass a challenge. Some cars hooked and carried the front wheels while others moved around considerably after the launch. Drivers had to balance aggression with simply keeping their machines in their own lane.
It didn’t always work.
Billy the Kid Sends the Apollo Camaro Flying
One of the cars attracting plenty of attention was Billy the Kid’s Apollo ’67 Camaro from Street Racing Channel.
The Camaro looked aggressive throughout the event, but one of its most memorable moments came during Small Tire competition when Billy launched hard and carried the front wheels.
It wasn’t just a quick wheelie off the starting line, either.
Apollo stayed aggressive as Billy fought to keep the Camaro moving toward the finish line, creating one of those passes where everyone watching immediately knows the driver is completely committed.
Later in eliminations, Apollo produced another spectacular wheels-up launch.
The announcers summed it up perfectly:
“Houston, we have a liftoff.”
That’s exactly what War in the Woods fans came to see.
Tony McKenny’s Scary Trip Into the Wall
Unfortunately, the event wasn’t without serious incidents.
One of the biggest came when Tony McKenny lost control and made contact with the wall.
Sparks immediately flew as officials told everyone to hold position while safety crews headed toward the scene. It was a frightening moment, especially considering how quickly things can go wrong when high-horsepower cars are racing on a difficult surface.
The early indication from the commentary was that the drivers involved were able to get away from the incident.
McKenny’s weekend wasn’t necessarily finished, either. Later racing action showed Tony back in competition and picking up a win with the car appearing glued to the track.
That turnaround demonstrated just how quickly fortunes can change in this type of drag racing.
Huge Wheelies and Cars Crossing Lanes
The McKenny incident wasn’t the only wild moment.
At another point, a competitor crossed lanes, leaving the announcers almost speechless.
“What the hell just happened?”
It was an understandable reaction.
Throughout the event, drivers repeatedly had to pedal their cars, correct them and occasionally lift completely when the machines started moving toward the centerline or wall.
Then there were the wheelies.
Several competitors carried their front tires, but some launches were particularly dramatic. These weren’t perfectly controlled passes on a heavily prepared national-event surface. Drivers were trying to put enormous horsepower down while dealing with a track that could change dramatically from one run to another.
That uncertainty made every pair worth watching.
Small Tire Racing Becomes the Main Attraction
As Small Tire eliminations progressed, several familiar names began separating themselves from the massive field.
Billy the Kid continued advancing in Apollo. Jimmy Dale and Bumblebee were also in the fight, while Ruthless Ray, Rowdy Gains, Frankie Rapper, Billy Hoskinson, Michael New and Ryan Mitchell were among the racers making noise.
Rowdy Gains picked up an impressive victory before the field continued getting smaller.
Ryan Mitchell also survived a particularly interesting race where he appeared to leave late but managed to drive around his opponent before the finish line.
As the rounds progressed, Mitchell became increasingly difficult to eliminate.
Ryan Mitchell Chases Another War in the Woods Championship
Few racers entered the weekend with a stronger War in the Woods résumé than Ryan Mitchell.
Before one of the later rounds, Mitchell explained that his team had already won the event five times and was attempting to capture number six.
The next challenge wasn’t going to be easy.
Mitchell was preparing to face Devin Grace and the Witch Doctor, setting up one of the most anticipated matchups of the round.
At this stage of an event, horsepower alone isn’t enough. Racers need a combination of reaction time, chassis setup, track reading and consistency.
Mitchell continued finding ways to advance.
By the semifinal stage, the remaining field included Frankie Rapper, Billy Hoskinson and Mitchell, setting up a dramatic finish to Small Tire competition.
Ryan Mitchell Wins War in the Woods 15
After surviving round after round of unpredictable racing, Ryan Mitchell finished the job.
The final stages were extremely close, with officials carefully watching what happened both at the starting line and finish line.
When everything was settled, Mitchell was announced as the War in the Woods 15 champion.
It was another major accomplishment at an event where Mitchell has repeatedly proven difficult to beat.
Getting through a field like this isn’t simply about having the fastest car. Surviving multiple rounds on an unpredictable racing surface requires consistency, smart tuning and the ability to react when the car doesn’t behave exactly as expected.
Mitchell and his team managed to put the entire package together.
Second Chance Racing Produces Controversial Finishes
The main eliminations weren’t the end of the action.
Small Tire Second Chance competition delivered some of the closest racing of the entire weekend.
At one point, two consecutive races were so close that officials struggled to determine the winners.
Jeff Duncan, driving the ’87 Chrysler Conquest known as Leslie Chow, faced Noah Denny in one of those controversial matchups. Officials repeatedly reviewed the finish but couldn’t confidently separate the cars.
The decision?
Run it again.
Another matchup involving Matt Stevenson and Peter Baron also required additional review.
Eventually, officials determined that both extremely close races would need to be rerun.
For spectators, it created even more drama. For racers, it meant preparing to do everything again with their weekend potentially depending on a single additional pass.
Wild Builds Add Even More Variety
War in the Woods wasn’t simply a showcase for traditional combinations.
One particularly interesting machine was a 1990 Mustang described as a full Matt Moore chassis car powered by a 401-cubic-inch LSX engine and Vortech V30 supercharger.
The owner joked that it was “just a street car.”
The response came immediately:
“Not no more.”
Another competitor explained that his car had previously been powered by a 2JZ and had only recently received its new combination. With both cars having very limited passes on their latest setups, their matchup became another example of the diversity that makes events like War in the Woods so interesting.
You never really know what combination is going to roll into the burnout box next.
War in the Woods 15 Was Controlled Chaos
There are drag racing events where everything feels calculated and predictable.
War in the Woods isn’t one of them.
That is part of its appeal.
More than 200 cars, huge horsepower, small tires and an unforgiving racing surface created a weekend where virtually anything could happen.
Cars crossed lanes. Drivers made incredible saves. Front wheels climbed toward the sky. Sparks flew after wall contact. Finish-line decisions became so close that races had to be run again.
And through all of that chaos, Ryan Mitchell managed to keep advancing until he was the last man standing.
War in the Woods 15 wasn’t simply about who had the most horsepower. It was about who could survive the track, adapt from round to round and deliver when everything was on the line.
For fans of raw drag racing where nothing is guaranteed until the cars cross the finish line, this event delivered exactly what they came to see.
