Larry Morgan, FireAde Racing hope to cream competition in Norwalk

NORWALK, OH – FireAde Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan has close ties to Summit Motorsports Park, which hosts the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals this weekend. For starters, Morgan is a native Ohioan and still maintains his Larry Morgan Racing team in the Buckeye State.

But his ties to the racetrack go a little deeper. His grandmother, Ethel Morgan, was close friends with the matriarch of the Velvet Ice Cream Co., the makers of the famous ice cream that is loved by fans and competitors alike in Norwalk.

“My grandmother was best friends with the Dagers, who owned Velvet Ice Cream,” Morgan said. “Josephine Dager was the mother of the family who owned the business. I was raised on Velvet Ice Cream, and I still eat it. That’s the best thing about Norwalk.”

Without a doubt Morgan will enjoy a scoop or two of Velvet ice cream this weekend because $1 still gets you a pound of ice cream in Norwalk.

Plus, Morgan will share ice cream with lots of family and close friends, as his home of Newark, Ohio, is about two hours from Norwalk. Many drivers don’t care for “hometown” races because family and friends take time away from focusing on racing, but Morgan isn’t one of them.

“I enjoy going to that race,” Morgan said. “There are a lot of family and friends who will be there, but I enjoy it. It’s good to race at home. I don’t put any more pressure on myself because they’re there, but it is good to do well there.”

Morgan is feeling a lot less pressure from many sources this season because his partnership with FireAde and Gray Motorsports has led to an uptick in performance this year. He has already won once and is eighth in the Pro Stock points standings.

“I feel way more relaxed this year,” Morgan said. “We hurt a motor in Bristol, and I was starting to get a little edgy because we’ve not hurt anything this year. We were all on edge, but we were fine, of course. That’s what having a good car, good power, and good people behind you will do.”

Pro Stock qualifying sessions will be held at 5 and 8:45 p.m. ET, Friday and Saturday. Eliminations begin at noon, Sunday. ESPN2 will broadcast all the qualifying action from 10 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, and the elimination rounds live from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday.