Morgan’s gamble doesn’t pay off with Topeka round-win

TOPEKA, KS – Larry Morgan and his Lucas Oil Ford Pro Stock team took a big gamble in the first round of the NHRA Kansas Nationals on Sunday at Heartland Park Topeka.

Facing an uphill challenge against 2012 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion Allen Johnson, Morgan knew he’d have to try to a different setup to match the speed of the No. 6 qualifier.

And while the gamble didn’t pay off with a round-win, the tune-up worked. Morgan made a solid pass of 6.690 seconds at 206.61 mph in some of the worst conditions of the weekend, and he came up .063-second short against Johnson.

“Well, we did the best we could,” Morgan said. “We tried something a little different, and it worked pretty well. We figured it would either be pretty fast or it would shake the tires off. Thankfully, it didn’t shake.”

Johnson’s run of 6.676 seconds at 206.95 mph moved him into the second round.

Morgan, meanwhile, was left looking for data from his run, as a computer malfunction didn’t allow any information to be gleaned from the pass.

“We’re not sure what happened there,” Morgan said. “Darn it. It’s always something, isn’t it? We were working on some stuff, but we don’t know if it worked or not without the numbers. When it rains, it pours.”

Morgan had beaten Johnson on a holeshot at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif., but Johnson turned the tables on Morgan this time.

“I just didn’t do a very good job,” Morgan said. “Hey, it happens sometimes. We’ll go after them again in Englishtown. My guys work pretty hard, and they deserve better and so does Lucas Oil and Forrest and Charlotte Lucas. We’ll be all right.”