Lucas Oil pro Morgan praying for more rain, with good reason
(9-2-2012) INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Larry Morgan, driver of the Lucas Oil Ford Mustang in Pro Stock, is one of the few people in the pits at the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus praying for more rain at Lucas Oil Raceway.
If eliminations go off as scheduled, Morgan would be the odd man out as the No. 17 car on a 16-car ladder. Not only would he not have a spot in the drag racing's crown jewel race, but he would also drop out of the Top 10 in class points and be bumped from the Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA's playoffs.
However, there is a ray of hope for Morgan. If pro eliminations are completely washed away on Monday, the NHRA would bring all the teams back to Lucas Oil Raceway next Saturday and re-open qualifying. An attempt would be made to get a final two rounds of Pro qualifying in the books before resuming eliminations the following day.
"I hope it absolutely pours," Morgan said. "I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. My fellow Ford guy, Robert Hight, is in the same situation on the Funny Car side. We're both hoping it rains just as much tomorrow as it did today. Bring it on.
"With as much rain as we've already had, I don't know how fans are going to get into those muddy parking lots. We try to put on a good show for the fans, but they've got to be able to get into the stands to see the show. This is just a damn mess."
Like most of the Pro Stock field, Morgan only got two cracks at the track during the weekend: once Friday and once Saturday afternoon. He was within sight of the starting line for a third attempt when racing was halted on Saturday night because dew started forming on the racing surface.
"I tell you, it's been a frustrating weekend all the way around," Morgan said. "Me and my guys put in so much effort trying to get this Lucas Oil Mustang into the Countdown. We're .003 seconds out of the field right now. Another chance or two and we would have made it in there for sure."
Morgan's best pass during the weekend was in 6.696 seconds at 205.66 mph. Ronnie Humphrey, the No. 16 qualifier, ran a best time of 6.693 at 206.83 mph.
If the weather holds, eliminations for the 58th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus begin at 11 a.m. EDT from Lucas Oil Raceway.
Please visit
www.LucasOil.com for more information.
Linear Mode
