First-round red-light sours 600th NHRA race for FireAde’s Larry Morgan

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – FireAde Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan’s first-round loss in the Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Sunday at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park was so bitter than even his dentist recommended a sugary treat.

“My dentist, Jim Daniels, is from up here, and he came over to say goodbye,” Morgan said. “The people at the E.T. shack gave me a bag of caramels, and (Daniels) looked at me and said, ‘Have a caramel. That’ll make you feel better. Your dentist encourages it.’ ”

Morgan left .002-second too soon against Allen Johnson to draw the unwanted red-light and hand the win to Johnson.

“I’m just bummed out about it,” Morgan said. “We could’ve gone some rounds today. I can be mad because we could’ve gone rounds. I’m mad over that because I had a chance to do well, but I’m not mad because I red-lit. I’m not going to change a thing because you know what? If you’re not on top of that Tree, you’re not going to go anywhere anyway.”

Morgan’s words were proven by the numbers of the race against Johnson. Morgan’s pass was 6.520 seconds at 213.57 mph while Johnson’s was a 6.519 at 213.87 mph. Had Morgan let the clutch out .002-second later, he would’ve raced Alan Prusiensky in the second round.

“It just happens; it’s that close,” Morgan said. “It could’ve gone either way, you know? Two-thousandths is nothing. But stuff happens. Nobody is going to be perfect every run.

“I’d rather do what I did than be dead late. No one out here is a pushover, so you have to be ready every time you go up there.”

The result, though, didn’t ruin a weekend in which Morgan celebrated his 600th NHRA race, as fans and competitors showered Morgan with support.

“The fans have been fabulous,” Morgan said. “I’ve got a lot of support out here. We’ve got a lot of people pulling for me, and that’s great. I sure appreciate it.

“All I can do is go to the next race. I’ve got such a fast race car that I’m bummed out when things go wrong.”