Take a look at this, War in the Woods 15 Turns Into No-Prep Chaos as Ryan Mitchell and Billy Hoskinson Battle for the Crown!
War in the Woods has built a reputation for being one of the wildest and most unpredictable no-prep drag racing events in America, and War in the Woods 15 at Brown County Dragway delivered exactly what fans have come to expect. With massive wheelstands, cars fighting for traction, spectacular saves, crashes, and some incredibly close finishes, the rarely used drag strip showed once again why racers have so much respect for this event.
More than 230 race cars packed the property for a huge weekend of racing, but by the end of the event, much of the attention centered on the Small Tire category and a highly anticipated showdown between Ryan Mitchell and Billy “The Kid” Hoskinson.
Brown County Dragway Shows No Mercy
Brown County Dragway isn’t a conventional heavily prepared racing facility. According to the video, the track is essentially used for War in the Woods events, meaning racers arrived to find a surface with very little rubber and almost no traction early in the weekend.
They didn’t have to wait long to discover how difficult it would be.
The first pair of cars down the track immediately produced trouble, with one racer losing control and crashing. Fortunately, the driver was able to climb from the car and walk away.
It became an early reminder of just how important proper safety equipment is in high-horsepower drag racing.
And the opening incident wouldn’t be the last.
Another car later got into the wall after becoming unsettled, while throughout the weekend numerous competitors found themselves using every inch of the racing surface—and occasionally some of the grass beside it.
Huge Wheelstands Steal the Show
War in the Woods isn’t just known for close racing. It’s also a place where enormous horsepower combined with a difficult surface can produce some incredible wheelstands.
One Fox-body delivered perhaps the most spectacular example of the weekend.
The car launched hard enough to carry the front end high into the air and drag the rear bumper. Instead of immediately abandoning the run, the driver managed to bring the car back down under control and continue toward the finish line.
Even more impressively, he still won the race.
The same car continued providing entertainment throughout the event, repeatedly carrying the front wheels and forcing the driver to fight for control.
Billy Hoskinson was also putting on a show.
His twin-turbo big-block combination repeatedly carried the front wheels, including passes where the Camaro appeared to cross the finish line with the front tires barely touching—or completely off—the racing surface.
Tony Makes an Incredible Save in The Lunatic
One of the most impressive pieces of driving came behind the wheel of The Lunatic.
After completing a run, the car became extremely unstable in the shutdown area.
It moved one direction, then the other, repeatedly using nearly the entire width of the track.
For several seconds, it appeared almost inevitable that the car would contact something.
Somehow, Tony kept it away from the wall.
The car eventually came under control without hitting anything, producing one of the biggest saves of War in the Woods 15.
Nitrous Mayhem Crash Brings Racing to a Halt
One of the most serious incidents of the weekend came during Nitrous Mayhem.
A Camaro and RX-7 were racing when the Camaro suddenly moved across the track and contacted the other car.
Both vehicles suffered significant impacts, but fortunately both drivers appeared to be okay afterward.
The Camaro driver later explained that it appeared a bullhorn contacted the left-front tire as the car came back down, causing the tire to lock and abruptly pulling the car across the racing surface.
It was another example of how quickly things can go wrong when extremely powerful cars are racing on a marginal surface.
Witch Doctor Emerges as an Early Favorite
As the Small Tire field progressed, several cars separated themselves from the rest.
One of them was Witch Doctor.
The wild real-steel 1936 Ford runs a conventional-headed big-block Chevrolet engine topped by a massive 14-71 supercharger. Despite its unconventional body, the car was brutally quick.
After speeding the car up considerably between rounds, Witch Doctor became one of the fastest machines on the property.
But eventually it had to face another serious contender: Ryan Mitchell.
Their matchup looked more like a final than an early-round race.
Both cars made strong passes, but Mitchell’s Casey Max Firebird emerged victorious, eliminating one of the strongest competitors in the Small Tire field.
Billy Hoskinson Makes a Statement
If there was any question about Billy Hoskinson’s speed, one particular pass answered it.
Hoskinson lined up against an extremely quick Chevy II that had previously won War in the Woods.
What happened next shocked even the 1320Video crew.
Billy drove away.
The estimated margin at the finish line was approximately four and a half to five cars.
Against a proven car, that was an enormous gap.
Hoskinson explained afterward that the combination was making around 25 pounds of boost at the top of the run, and the team believed there was still considerably more performance available.
At that point, a final between Hoskinson and Ryan Mitchell looked increasingly inevitable.
Ryan Mitchell Keeps Marching Through the Field
Mitchell’s Firebird was equally impressive.
Powered by an LS-based combination using a compressed-air supercharging system, the Casey Max Firebird repeatedly showed tremendous speed on the top end.
Mitchell eliminated Witch Doctor and continued working through the Small Tire field.
In the semifinal, War Pig left the starting line first, but Mitchell’s horsepower became obvious as the Firebird charged back around the Fox-body before the finish line.
That victory officially created the matchup everyone had been waiting for.
Ryan Mitchell vs. Billy Hoskinson.
Other War in the Woods 15 Winners
Small Tire may have received much of the attention, but several other classes produced memorable finals.
The True Street final went to a white S10.
In Stick Shift, Chad Hughes took the victory after an incredibly dramatic run that included a frightening sideways moment near the top end. Hughes managed to save the Camaro without contacting anything and still collected the win.
Gangster 26s featured a Coyote-powered showdown, with Brian White and Rotten Apple ultimately taking the victory.
The car accomplished it on tiny 26-inch tires, making the performance even more impressive.
In Nitrous Mayhem, the Justin Reed C5 Corvette had looked almost untouchable throughout the event. The Corvette repeatedly put substantial gaps on its opponents before completing the job in the final.
Meanwhile, Code Red captured the Hard Tire victory after an extremely close Fox-body battle.
Ryan Mitchell vs. Billy Hoskinson: The Final Everyone Wanted
Eventually, only two Small Tire cars remained.
Billy Hoskinson lined up in one lane.
Ryan Mitchell lined up in the other.
Both had been among the fastest cars on the property all weekend, and neither could afford a mistake.
When the tree activated, Mitchell reacted almost instantly.
The difference was so dramatic that people initially questioned whether Ryan had jumped the start.
Officials reviewed the launch.
It was clean.
Mitchell had simply nailed the light.
From there, the Firebird completed the run and secured the War in the Woods 15 Small Tire victory.
It was another major War in the Woods accomplishment for Mitchell, who has managed to win at the event using several different combinations over the years.
War in the Woods Remains One of No-Prep Racing’s Wildest Events
War in the Woods 15 had practically everything a no-prep racing fan could ask for.
There were enormous wheelstands, turbocharged Jeeps, high-horsepower Fox-bodies, twin-turbo trucks, supercharged monsters, nitrous combinations, extremely close finishes, spectacular saves, and unfortunately several crashes.
But that unpredictability is exactly what makes Brown County Dragway so challenging.
The surface doesn’t give racers many second chances. Horsepower alone isn’t enough. Drivers and tuners have to understand exactly how much power the track will accept while remaining prepared for the car to move unexpectedly at virtually any point during the run.
By the end of the weekend, Ryan Mitchell had conquered one of the most unforgiving no-prep tracks around, defeating a field filled with serious contenders and beating Billy Hoskinson in the Small Tire final.
