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INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 28) - Coming off back-to-back semi-final finishes in Brainerd and Memphis the Morgan Lucas Racing team steams into to the “Mecca of Drag Racing” this weekend - Indy. Known by its many monikers such as ‘The Big Go’, ‘The One’, and ‘The Nationals’, the 52nd edition of the esteemed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at the O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis unites the season’s hope for success into one spectacular event.
Winning at Indianapolis is paramount. For a driver and team, a successful display of their competitive spirit can turnaround an entire season. After all, everyone in drag racing remembers who won the U.S. Nationals. It is that big of an event. Every year the drag racing faithful make their march to ORP and leave with innumerable memories, crowds that once upon a time included a young Morgan Lucas.
“I’ve been coming here since 1995 with my dad,” said Lucas. “Then I started racing and I haven’t miss a year since, so I’ve been coming here for a decade straight. I love this track. I only live five miles from the front door, so I’m excited about that. I get to go home and sleep in my own bed at night. I’m just wrapped up into racing here because this is the biggest race of the year. If anyone is going to be remembered for winning a particular race during the year, it’s going to be this one.”
In addition, this race will mark the debut of Morgan Lucas Racing’s tribute to the construction and the 2008 grand opening of the Lucas Oil Stadium in the form of a special Mac Tools U.S. Nationals paint scheme. (Photos are attached)
“I think it’s exciting,” said Lucas. “I think our relationship with the Colts is just as good as our relationship as we developed with the NHRA and drag racing. There is a lot of focus and things that can benefit drag racing from the Colts and many things from the Colts that can benefit drag racing. We’re going a different avenue and our intent is solely good in marketing our company. In a way, it can actually activate our sponsorship with drag racing a little more and vice versa with the Colts to show that, we are a prominent oil company and we’re serious about our business. Bottom line – we’re here to sell Lucas Oil. We’re serious players, and we want people to understand that.
“We decided on this paint scheme because my whole family is from this beautiful state. The city of Indianapolis is not given enough credit as one of the great cities in the
nation. Its community minded and people oriented. It’s a good place to be. We want to express to the city and people of the state that we actually care and we’re giving something back in trying to promote this team and promote what we’ve done with it to show we want to be part of this for a long time.”
It’s also the dawn of a new era for Morgan Lucas Racing as only a few teams are contending for championship honors. With only six races remaining on the NHRA calendar, the scheming and planning for 2007 begins now for many teams. Lucas Racing may no longer be in the title hunt, but he knows that what they will learn in the remaining races will fortify their championship potential for 2007.
“I think our focus is on next year, but the main fact is we still want to win races,” said Lucas who has five runner-up finishes. “We want to go rounds and finish as high as we can in the points. We believe a top five finishing position is not out of the question. However, that means we have to go rounds and maybe even win a few races along the way. We look forward to things happening for us in the future to spice it up. Right now, you have to look at it as one thing - besides the top 10 we have nothing to lose. We need to go out there and do the best we can and take the pressure of the championship off our backs so we can do our jobs of racing a Top Fuel dragster. Let’s go and make this car run as best we can and win. That’s our thing. We have competitive drive.”
The start of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals begins at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Friday evening; September 2 with Morgan’s first qualifying session starting at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). Saturday's time trials start at 2:45 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by a second session at 7:30 p.m. Two more attempts on Sunday wrap up qualifying with sessions beginning at 12:45 and 4:10 P.M. The race starts promptly at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 4.
www.morganlucas.com
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 830 points and trails the championship lead by 440 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.
MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS TO MARK DEBUT OF LUCAS OIL STADIUM DRAGSTER
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 28) - Coming off back-to-back semi-final finishes in Brainerd and Memphis the Morgan Lucas Racing team steams into to the “Mecca of Drag Racing” this weekend - Indy. Known by its many monikers such as ‘The Big Go’, ‘The One’, and ‘The Nationals’, the 52nd edition of the esteemed Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at the O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis unites the season’s hope for success into one spectacular event.
Winning at Indianapolis is paramount. For a driver and team, a successful display of their competitive spirit can turnaround an entire season. After all, everyone in drag racing remembers who won the U.S. Nationals. It is that big of an event. Every year the drag racing faithful make their march to ORP and leave with innumerable memories, crowds that once upon a time included a young Morgan Lucas.
“I’ve been coming here since 1995 with my dad,” said Lucas. “Then I started racing and I haven’t miss a year since, so I’ve been coming here for a decade straight. I love this track. I only live five miles from the front door, so I’m excited about that. I get to go home and sleep in my own bed at night. I’m just wrapped up into racing here because this is the biggest race of the year. If anyone is going to be remembered for winning a particular race during the year, it’s going to be this one.”
In addition, this race will mark the debut of Morgan Lucas Racing’s tribute to the construction and the 2008 grand opening of the Lucas Oil Stadium in the form of a special Mac Tools U.S. Nationals paint scheme. (Photos are attached)
“I think it’s exciting,” said Lucas. “I think our relationship with the Colts is just as good as our relationship as we developed with the NHRA and drag racing. There is a lot of focus and things that can benefit drag racing from the Colts and many things from the Colts that can benefit drag racing. We’re going a different avenue and our intent is solely good in marketing our company. In a way, it can actually activate our sponsorship with drag racing a little more and vice versa with the Colts to show that, we are a prominent oil company and we’re serious about our business. Bottom line – we’re here to sell Lucas Oil. We’re serious players, and we want people to understand that.
“We decided on this paint scheme because my whole family is from this beautiful state. The city of Indianapolis is not given enough credit as one of the great cities in the
nation. Its community minded and people oriented. It’s a good place to be. We want to express to the city and people of the state that we actually care and we’re giving something back in trying to promote this team and promote what we’ve done with it to show we want to be part of this for a long time.”
It’s also the dawn of a new era for Morgan Lucas Racing as only a few teams are contending for championship honors. With only six races remaining on the NHRA calendar, the scheming and planning for 2007 begins now for many teams. Lucas Racing may no longer be in the title hunt, but he knows that what they will learn in the remaining races will fortify their championship potential for 2007.
“I think our focus is on next year, but the main fact is we still want to win races,” said Lucas who has five runner-up finishes. “We want to go rounds and finish as high as we can in the points. We believe a top five finishing position is not out of the question. However, that means we have to go rounds and maybe even win a few races along the way. We look forward to things happening for us in the future to spice it up. Right now, you have to look at it as one thing - besides the top 10 we have nothing to lose. We need to go out there and do the best we can and take the pressure of the championship off our backs so we can do our jobs of racing a Top Fuel dragster. Let’s go and make this car run as best we can and win. That’s our thing. We have competitive drive.”
The start of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals begins at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Friday evening; September 2 with Morgan’s first qualifying session starting at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). Saturday's time trials start at 2:45 p.m. for the nitro classes followed by a second session at 7:30 p.m. Two more attempts on Sunday wrap up qualifying with sessions beginning at 12:45 and 4:10 P.M. The race starts promptly at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 4.
www.morganlucas.com
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 830 points and trails the championship lead by 440 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.
