Morgan Lucas knows his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster can be the baddest hot rod in the Top
Fuel class. On several occasions this year he's ripped down the 1,000-foot drag strip with the
quickest elapsed time of the round, a feat that tells his opponents how serious his team is about
winning races.
"If there's one thing we've proven in 2009 it's that no one should ever take us lightly," said
Lucas, who at 25 years old remains the youngest driver in the nitro ranks.
That point was hammered into the record books in Atlanta and Brainerd, Minn., when his group ended
race day in the winner's circle. Those two wins, combined with the fact both of the dragsters he
owns made it into the Countdown to 1 playoff had Lucas declaring the season an unparalleled
success, even before the post-season began.
However, racers are wired differently from normal folks and it didn't take long for Lucas to eye
the next goal -- winning the Full Throttle championship. To that end, Lucas remained at the Texas
Motorplex after last Sunday's race to test his rail. The session was a big success and with the
current NHRA limitations on testing, the fact his team had a day left to try things out this late
in the year was looked at as a true bonus.
"We figured out a lot of things Monday," Lucas said. "We've had a great car for several races now
but there's always room for improvement. Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) wanted to try some things out so
we made a few passes and everything worked out real well.
"Right now, we're two races into the Countdown with four races left so it's a free-for-all to the
finish. My teammate Shawn Langdon is ahead of us in the points (in fifth place) so he's the primary
focus of everything we do. We tested things for them as well. But we're not giving up on this side
of the pit by any means. We're going to do everything we can to win these races down the stretch.
The main thing is delivering for our sponsors and fans."
Heading into this weekend's 22nd annual O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park,
Lucas is 148 points off the Top Fuel lead. Langdon, who drives the Lucas Oil/Dixie Chopper
dragster, is just 84 back of the top spot.
"We've seen several races this year where there are swings of three or four rounds in one day,"
Lucas said. "That's 80 points right there. I don't think you go into a race thinking you can make
up that much all at once but it does happen. The more realistic thing is to try and go a round or
two more than the guys in front of you at each race and try to be there at the end. That's the
gameplan."
The Memphis race, which begins with two sessions at 3 and 6:15 p.m. Friday, is the third of four
national events in a row.
