FireAde Chevrolet carries veteran Larry Morgan to Brainerd quarterfinals

BRAINERD, MN – After upsetting young gun Vincent Nobile in the opening round of Sunday’s 34th Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, FireAde Chevrolet driver Larry Morgan was convinced he had regained the mojo that carried him to national event wins in Charlotte and Denver. But an odd electrical gremlin in the quarterfinals ruined a second upset bid over red-hot Chris McGaha, ending the veteran’s day a bit too soon.

“The car just shut off right when I let the clutch out,” Morgan said. “We had visions of grandeur after outrunning Vincent. I thought we’d have FireAde back in the winner’s circle, I really did, but something jumped up and bit us.”

Facing Nobile, the sixth-qualified driver, in the opening round, Morgan was just a fraction behind Nobile’s quick reaction time (.019 to .020) before simply running away with the race. The final numbers showed Morgan crossing in 6.613 seconds at 209.69 mph to Nobile’s 6.622 at 208.97 mph.

“That’s Gray Motorsports horsepower right there,” Morgan said. “Thank you to (FireAde CEO) Ron Thames for setting us up with the best motor program in the sport. We definitely showed what those motors are capable of right there against a really good race team and driver.”

In Round 2, a revved up Morgan gained a nice .013-second starting-line advantage over McGaha, who has won the two national events since Morgan’s last victory in Denver. But soon after his quick launch, his car went momentarily quiet, allowing McGaha to streak back for a fairly easy win, 6.574 at 210.31 mph to Morgan’s resigned 8.490 at 107.02 mph.

“We had a great start there, but there car quit on us,” Morgan said. “We’ll analyze all the data and figure out what happened. I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of whatever it may be. Probably the proverbial 50-cent part.

“Heck, we’re still pretty satisfied. FireAde has given us a season to remember and we’re in the mix for making the playoff field, so we’ll be having fun until the very end. I can’t wait to get to Indy, sell some FireAde for Ron, and then go out and put this car on TV as much as we can so more and more people learn about FireAde. That’s what it’s all about.”