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POMONA, Calif. -- Morgan Lucas is viewing the conclusion of the 2006 NHRA POWERade season as the beginning of a great 2007. For the first time since he began campaigning all the drag racing events, Lucas finds himself out of the Top Fuel top 10 in the points standings and he doesn't like it.
Sure, he would like win the last race of the season to put a capper on his first year ownership, but more important, a good performance on the track would rectify the direction the team has taken as of recent late. "It sure would make going into next year a lot better," said the five-time runner-up. Lucas. "At this point, it would come as a surprise and that would make it even better. It's kind of one of those situations that when you're a raindrop, you're a raindrop with a little luck here and there, but when it rains, it pours. Right now, things are somewhat dry and we need things to start pouring. What I care about most right now is qualifying in the top half and getting off with a good start in qualifying. Right now, we're at ground zero because we didn't qualify at Las Vegas. >From this point, we have nowhere to go, but up. What we need to do is keep our heads in the game, keep ourselves in the right direction and make a major turnaround do what we need to do."
Of all the NHRA tracks, Lucas has been the most triumphant at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. He reached the final round in his professional debut in 2004, and has numerous wins driving his Lucas Oil Alcohol dragster. With Lucas Oil Products based in nearby Corona, Lucas feels a mammoth amount of weight on his shoulders to perform up to expectations. "Yeah, I've won at this track three times and reached the finals five times," said a positive thinking Lucas. "I would have to say my most successful track is right here and I would really like to do good again. I do not like to lose a race, but more importantly, I don't like to lose in front of people I grew up around all my life. It actually, gives me a little incentive and adds a lot of pressure going into an event like this." After some time off when the Auto Club Finals are over, Lucas begins a new project in 2007 and those plans are forthcoming.
I've started taking on a lot more responsibility for what I'm supposed to be doing. I've learned a lot, but it just takes time. I'm just doing everything I can." The start of the Auto Club NHRA Finals begins at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on Thursday, Nov. 9 with one qualifying session starting at 2:30 p.m. (PDT) followed by the same schedule on Friday. Saturday's time trials start at 12:00 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by a second session at 2:30 p.m. The race starts promptly at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12. Morgan Lucas Racing
LUCAS OIL RACING DRIVER NOTES:
Morgan Lucas has five runner-up finishes, which the Riverside, Calif. driver reached in only his seventh (04 Las Vegas2), eighth (04 Pomona2), 10th (05 Phoenix), 20th (05 St. Louis) and 21st (05 Denver) starts. He finished fifth in the 2005 NHRA Top Fuel Point standings with 1,357 points after completing his first full season on the competitive 23-race NHRA circuit. He is presently eighth in the 2006 POWERade standings with 989 points and trails the championship lead by 600 points.
Lucas' quickest elapsed time is 4.474 seconds, set on Feb. 12, 2005 at Pomona Raceway. He sped to his fastest top speed of 328.94 mph on May 29 in the first round of eliminations at the 2005 O'Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. He won two Budweiser low qualifier awards. His first on May 14 at the Atlanta Dragway recording a time 4.541 seconds and Oct. 22 on 'The Strip' at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway setting the pace with his run of 4.508 seconds. Morgan Lucas' first Top Fuel event came behind the wheel of the Joe Amato-owned dragster at the 2004 Lucas Oil Nationals at the Brainerd (MN.) International Raceway on August 15, 2004. DOB: November 27, 1983.
End of 2006 Means Start of 2007 for Lucas
POMONA, Calif. -- Morgan Lucas is viewing the conclusion of the 2006 NHRA POWERade season as the beginning of a great 2007. For the first time since he began campaigning all the drag racing events, Lucas finds himself out of the Top Fuel top 10 in the points standings and he doesn't like it.
Sure, he would like win the last race of the season to put a capper on his first year ownership, but more important, a good performance on the track would rectify the direction the team has taken as of recent late. "It sure would make going into next year a lot better," said the five-time runner-up. Lucas. "At this point, it would come as a surprise and that would make it even better. It's kind of one of those situations that when you're a raindrop, you're a raindrop with a little luck here and there, but when it rains, it pours. Right now, things are somewhat dry and we need things to start pouring. What I care about most right now is qualifying in the top half and getting off with a good start in qualifying. Right now, we're at ground zero because we didn't qualify at Las Vegas. >From this point, we have nowhere to go, but up. What we need to do is keep our heads in the game, keep ourselves in the right direction and make a major turnaround do what we need to do."
Of all the NHRA tracks, Lucas has been the most triumphant at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. He reached the final round in his professional debut in 2004, and has numerous wins driving his Lucas Oil Alcohol dragster. With Lucas Oil Products based in nearby Corona, Lucas feels a mammoth amount of weight on his shoulders to perform up to expectations. "Yeah, I've won at this track three times and reached the finals five times," said a positive thinking Lucas. "I would have to say my most successful track is right here and I would really like to do good again. I do not like to lose a race, but more importantly, I don't like to lose in front of people I grew up around all my life. It actually, gives me a little incentive and adds a lot of pressure going into an event like this." After some time off when the Auto Club Finals are over, Lucas begins a new project in 2007 and those plans are forthcoming.
I've started taking on a lot more responsibility for what I'm supposed to be doing. I've learned a lot, but it just takes time. I'm just doing everything I can." The start of the Auto Club NHRA Finals begins at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona on Thursday, Nov. 9 with one qualifying session starting at 2:30 p.m. (PDT) followed by the same schedule on Friday. Saturday's time trials start at 12:00 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by a second session at 2:30 p.m. The race starts promptly at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12. Morgan Lucas Racing
LUCAS OIL RACING DRIVER NOTES:
Morgan Lucas has five runner-up finishes, which the Riverside, Calif. driver reached in only his seventh (04 Las Vegas2), eighth (04 Pomona2), 10th (05 Phoenix), 20th (05 St. Louis) and 21st (05 Denver) starts. He finished fifth in the 2005 NHRA Top Fuel Point standings with 1,357 points after completing his first full season on the competitive 23-race NHRA circuit. He is presently eighth in the 2006 POWERade standings with 989 points and trails the championship lead by 600 points.
Lucas' quickest elapsed time is 4.474 seconds, set on Feb. 12, 2005 at Pomona Raceway. He sped to his fastest top speed of 328.94 mph on May 29 in the first round of eliminations at the 2005 O'Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. He won two Budweiser low qualifier awards. His first on May 14 at the Atlanta Dragway recording a time 4.541 seconds and Oct. 22 on 'The Strip' at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway setting the pace with his run of 4.508 seconds. Morgan Lucas' first Top Fuel event came behind the wheel of the Joe Amato-owned dragster at the 2004 Lucas Oil Nationals at the Brainerd (MN.) International Raceway on August 15, 2004. DOB: November 27, 1983.
