Bandimere Speedway is the toughest track to tame on the NHRA Full Throttle circuit as teams must
figure out how to make horsepower a mile above sea level. Top Fuel teammates Morgan Lucas and Shawn
Langdon have had their struggles through qualifying but both men enter race day with a great shot
at winning the race after earning mid-pack positions on the elimination grid.
"This track has certainly lived up to all the stories people told me," said Langdon, a Top Fuel
rookie who is experiencing Bandimere for the first time in his 8,000-horsepower Lucas Oil/Dixie
Chopper dragster. "It takes some getting used to, that's for sure. Either way, Morgan and me are
both in the show and in Top Fuel any one in the field has a legit shot at winning so we'll be
geared up and ready to go."
Langdon qualified slightly better than his Lucas, taking the No. 7 position with a best of 3.982 at
309.63 mph. Lucas wasn't too far behind, clocking in with a ninth-best 4.045 at 290.57 mph in his
GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster.
"I love the Bandimere family but right now I'm glad we only come here once a year," Lucas said.
"It's tough to find a tune-up that works here. It's just so different from everywhere else we go.
"Our car is super-safe, which is good. I mean, we could run this thing down a dirt road right now
and post a 4.04. I just wish we could get it to run a little bit quicker. My confidence would
probably be a little better if we could pick up half a tenth or so. We've got a few little issues
to try and correct and we'll do all we can to get ready for tomorrow."
Lucas will open his quest for his second victory of the year against good friend Brandon Bernstein,
who qualified eighth with a 4.008 at 304.94 mph. The two men have raced just once this year with
Bernstein taking the win.
Langdon draws No. 10 qualifier Joe Hartley, who tripped the timers with a 4.076 at 265.37 mph.
Langdon beat Hartley in their one heads-up race earlier this season.
"We've been dropping cylinders but I've noticed a lot of guys are doing that so it's something
everyone is dealing with," Langdon said. "If we can fix that issue and race the way we know how
then we can go rounds tomorrow."
"It's supposed to get hot again so I think that favors both of our cars," Lucas added. "We seem to
handle the heat a little better at the moment. This ought to be a really fun race. I know the guys
on both sides of the pit are ready to win again."
Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. MST.
