FireAde, Gray Motorsports make Larry Morgan a threat to win in his 600th race

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Not that long ago, Larry Morgan probably wasn’t looking forward to the 600th race of his NHRA career, which will occur this weekend at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

That has all changed, however, thanks to Ron Thames of FireAde and Johnny Gray of Gray Motorsports. After several lean years driving a Ford, Morgan switched to Chevrolet, secured sponsorship from FireAde, and acquired engines and technical support from Gray Motorsports.

The changes have made quite a difference, as Morgan snapped a long losing streak earlier this year in Charlotte and is a threat to win every weekend in his FireAde Camaro.

“I’ve been blessed to be hooked up with Ron and Johnny Gray,” Morgan said. “Johnny’s kids look after me like I’m their dad, and I feel good about that. It’s an honor to be able to go out there and run a car that’s competitive, and we have a good chance of winning every time we run.

“It makes you want to get to the racetrack. The last few years, I haven’t had that opportunity, so I’m going to take advantage of every chance I get to win.”

After struggling to win rounds in 2014, Morgan knew he had to make a change, and it started with a marketing relationship with FireAde.

“I’m glad we’re able to help put FireAde on the map,” Morgan said. “It’s a wonderful product, and Ron and (wife) Teresa are wonderful people and deserve to get a lot out of what we can do for them. I’m very proud to be hooked up with them.”

Morgan is also proud of his numerous relationships throughout his long career: Gil Kirk of The Rod Shop; Bob Panella, his first car owner in Pro Stock; Oldmobile’s Arlen Fadley, who helped get him in Pro Stock; and Forrest Lucas of Lucas Oil, his longtime sponsor.

“I’ve had a lot of good people I’ve been hooked up with over the years to get to 600 races,” Morgan said. “I’ve been around so long, there have been a lot of people who have helped me. I could write a book about them all.”

And he’s proud of his 600 races.

“That’s quite a feat,” Morgan said. “I look at that and think, ‘Darn, that’s badass.’ Drag racing has been awful good to me and my family. I couldn’t say a bad thing about it. I’ve been lucky enough to run different classes and race with different people. I have no regrets. If I never race another race after this, I still couldn’t complain. It’s been exciting.”

But Morgan has no intentions of slowing down, of course. As he becomes only the third driver to reach 600 races, he has his sights set on all-time leader John Force (who will reach 668 races in Englishtown) and second-place Warren Johnson (649).

“I don’t plan on quitting anytime soon,” Morgan said. “I know I’m going to last longer than Force does.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: FireAde Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan will participate in his 600th career NHRA race this weekend at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

We bring you the final of three stories highlighting this accomplishment, on his resurgence in 2015.