BRISTOL, TN – Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan knows there is more speed to be had in his Lucas Oil Ford after he qualified No. 14 for the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Saturday at Bristol Dragway.

Morgan had to start from scratch Saturday after his fastest run of the weekend was wiped out because he was not in the top 12 following Friday’s two sessions.

Then in Q3 Saturday morning, Morgan shook the tires but stayed in the throttle to complete the 7.064-second pass at 202.76 mph.

That left him outside the top 16 heading into the final session, but he was able to make a run of 6.822 seconds at 205.22 mph to slip in to the show.

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BRISTOL, TN – Lucas Oil Ford Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan has his sights set on a good performance at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend at Bristol Dragway after a minor eye procedure on Monday.

Morgan was taking it easy Monday afternoon, which is unusual for the hard-working driver. Doctors cleaned under the lens of his left eye to help clear his vision.

“I’ve had an issue with my eye,” Morgan said. “There’s something that keeps messing it up and they keep trying to clean it. They lift your lens up and scrape underneath it.”

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Jr. didn’t win the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Sunday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, but chances are good you won’t find many competitors happier after their performance this weekend.

Arana qualified No. 2 and raced to the semifinals, all while setting career-bests for elapsed time and speed.

“I can’t complain,” Arana said. “We did an awesome job and the bike was consistent. We know we’ve got a good bike now. We’ve just got to work on how to go faster. I know we can do it, I know there’s a little bit there. We’re going to work hard, and we’re going to do it.”

All three of Arana’s passes Sunday were 6.807 or quicker, defeating Jim Underdahl and Chaz Kennedy before falling to eventual race winner Andrew Hines.

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Only five out of 16 Pro Stock race cars managed to make it down Old Bridge Township Raceway Park under power in Sunday’s opening round of elimination action, and unfortunately for Lucas Oil pro Larry Morgan, he was in the majority, losing with a wacky 9.916 at 101.76 mph to opponent and teammate Rodger Brogdon’s slightly better but equally ugly 7.788 at 170.82 mph.

“They probably won’t be showing that one on the highlight reel,” Morgan said. “No matter the circumstances, we needed the win there and didn’t get it. I’m sore about it but that won’t fix anything. We just need to tighten up and stay after it.

“My continued thanks to Lucas Oil. Forrest and Charlotte Lucas are a Godsend for us and I desperately want to show my appreciation for their continued support, and the way we do that in drag racing is by turning on win lights. It didn’t happen today but it damn sure wasn’t because of our oil. That stuff is the best on the market.”

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Larry Morgan and his Lucas Oil Pro Stock team are looking for a turnaround in fortune after a trying weekend at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Morgan qualified No. 12 with a best pass of 6.611 seconds at 208.46 mph, but even that run was far from perfect. His other two qualifying passes ended well short of the finish line, as a myriad of problems cropped up Friday and Saturday.

“I heard Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) say they had a ‘comedy of errors’ at Atlanta a couple weeks ago, and he went and won the dang race,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “So I’m going to say the same thing about us: ‘We’ve had a comedy of errors this weekend.’ Think that will work like it did for Jeggie?”

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Sr. made one of the fastest passes of his career to qualify No. 7 for the Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Saturday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, but the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion knows he can do even better.

“There’s still more improvement in there,” Arana said. “That’s what I was going for in Q4. We’re trying to look at the data real carefully and come up with a better tune-up for tomorrow so we can improve on that e.t.”

Arana’s run was 6.822 seconds at 197.57 mph, recorded in Saturday’s first qualifying session, and he tried to go even quicker in his final pass, but after a sudden start, Arana had to abort the run before the finish line.

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – In just his second race of the 2014 season, Morgan Lucas has proven he still knows his way down the dragstrip, running four strong passes down Old Bridge Township Raceway Park to solidly qualify for the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals.

Lucas posted consecutive runs of 3.835, 3.833, 3.826, and 3.823 to earn the No. 13 position on the elimination ladder. His car’s consistency has given his Lucas Oil/GEICO race team a good dose of confidence as they prepare for Round 1 opponent Steve Torrence.

“I’m a proud team owner right now,” said Lucas, who owns the GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster driven by Richie Crampton in addition to his part-time ride. “Both cars are running well here and we’re starting to reach our potential. Having Richie’s car running consistently in the 3.70s and this car making four passes all within 12-thousandths of a second of one another is impressive.

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr. has won seven times in his short career, and he’s looking to make it eight this weekend at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

The Lucas Oil Buell has been consistent so far this season, but not to the standards of Arana Racing. After starting the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season with three straight wins, Arana is looking to return to that level of reliability.

“After Atlanta and this season in general, I hope the motor is ready to go and is solid,” Arana said. “Once we fix the problem we’ve been having, we will be able to give it our best shot. I know we are capable of being the top contenders at every track we go to; we just have to get over this hurdle first. We’re working hard and making progress, and the results will follow shortly, I know it.”

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Morgan Lucas will return to the driver’s seat of the Lucas Oil/GEICO Top Fuel dragster at this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park as a way of saying thank you to longtime partner Toyota.

Lucas is racing part-time in 2014, picking the races and tracks at which he most enjoys racing. With Toyota backing this weekend’s race, racing Englishtown was a no-brainer.

“Toyota has been one of our sponsors for quite a few years now, and they’ve been a great partner of ours,” Lucas said. “They’ve done a lot to promote us, our drivers, and our team. This is one of the races they sponsor, and we felt it was only right to make sure we pick one of their events when we’re having some fun.

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ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – Lucas Oil/MAVTV Pro Stock driver hopes lightning strikes twice — even if 10 years apart — during this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

The veteran Pro Stock driver went to victory lane at the famed racetrack in 1994, beating Darrell Alderman in the final round.

“Has it really been 10 years since we won there?” Morgan asked. “I guess I’m getting old. No, that was a great day, but any time you win is a great day, right? It’d sure be nice to be able to do it again.”

Morgan has been racing in Pro Stock since 1987, winning 10 times. During that span, he has raced in Englishtown countless times and has always been a fan favorite.

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