FireAde Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan goes three rounds in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE – FireAde Camaro driver Larry Morgan reached the semifinals of Pro Stock eliminations this weekend 
at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Morgan’s march to the final concluded in the third round of eliminations against Vincent Nobile. Odds favored Nobile, who was 10-3 against Morgan in previous matchups. Nobile, with a slightly better reaction time, led the contest from wire to wire and defeated the Ohio veteran, 6.599 at 210.28 mph to 6.641 at 209.30 mph.
“I feel good about getting to the semifinal, but the track — and I don’t want to talk bad about the track — wasn’t what we wanted,” Morgan said. “It ended up they fixed it and my tune-up went the other way. You know what? For the most part, getting to the semifinal is good. We feel good about that. We stayed in the top five in points. I feel good about it. I feel good about the Countdown to the Championship.”
Morgan’s Chevrolet was paired against Shane Gray in the second round of eliminations. With the track temperature at 121 degrees, the pair posted almost identical reaction times, then both experienced tire shake. Morgan came from behind and pedaled to the win with a margin of victory of .0647-second, 8.170 at 188.25 mph to 8.236 at 180.33 mph.
Morgan’s second-round victory eliminated the team who supplies his engines.
“I hated to have to race him and take him out, but that’s how racing goes,” Morgan said. “This thing took off, it shook, I couldn’t see. When it shakes you kind of lose track of where you’re at. I just kept shifting gears and he kept pulling away. All at once, I could see he was shaking, and I jammed that thing into 5th gear and put it on the mat.
“I didn’t know if I got around him. I think it was a pretty close race. It’s fun to win that way. I hate to race a teammate but it was good. We’re looking forward to doing really well in the Countdown for FireAde, Lucas Oil, Streamlight, and all the people that help me.”
In the opening stanza, Morgan dispatched rookie Alex Laughlin. Morgan left the starting line first and took the win, 6.586 at 211.23 to 15.847 at 53.95 mph.
Morgan will race next in the second round of the Countdown to the Championship at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals Sept. 25-27 at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis.
