NORWALK, Ohio (June 27) -- Morgan Lucas Racing drivers Shawn Langdon and Morgan Lucas maintained
their third and seventh qualifying positions on Saturday in the final two qualifying sessions at
Summit Motorsports Park for Sunday's third annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
Langdon, steering the Lucas Oil/Dixie Choppers dragster, took the No. 3 spot, setting the stage for
a first round match-up against part-time racer Troy Buff.
Lucas, driving the GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster, will line up seventh, paired against
six-time and reigning champion Tony Schumacher.
"Early in the run we were making progress but the problem is, down at the end, the track is so
hot," Langdon said. "We definitely got some information today that we can use for tomorrow. It will
be hot again tomorrow.
"If it cools down a little bit, that will play into our favor. That's usually when we run our best.
It would definitely make for better racing."
Langdon's teammate Lucas echoed his thoughts on the temperature, stating that the high temps on
Saturday slowed down their machines.
"I don't think anybody really had any runs today that they would write home about," Lucas said. "We
have to race Tony Schumacher tomorrow. I think that's a fair shake for first round.
"Shawn's car ran good both runs. I think they just need to make some progress on the track to show.
Today, it was just hot and nasty. Usually, NHRA, when the track gets out on them, they will bring
it together for the next day so I'm not too worried about it."
There is a chance of rain on Sunday, leaving the possibilities for a much cooler racing surface. On
Saturday, track temps soared, approaching 130 degrees.
"I can tell you right now that I pray for rain," Lucas said. "The track would cool down and I feel
like we have a racecar that can step up in those conditions. We're going to have an even draw
tomorrow. We just have to step up."
