Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis
(Sept. 5-7)
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Larry Morgan Mopar Parts Dodge Stratus R/T |
Reports: Sunday Saturday Friday |
Indianapolis, Sunday: Mopar's Larry Morgan trekked to the semifinals during today's rain-delayed 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
On the strength of a strong fifth-place qualifying effort, Morgan moved into the semifinals before falling to Kurt Johnson. Against Johnson, the Newark, Ohio, resident took a (.029 to .037) of a second starting-line advantage, but his 6.873-second elapsed time at 201.88 mph wasn't enough in the end. Johnson posted a quicker 6.831-second pass at 201.88 mph.
"I'm so proud of both of these teams today," said Morgan, commenting on teammate Gene Wilson's second-round appearance. "We just made a horrible run on that last one. But, it was a great weekend for us. I have nothing to complain about.
"We don't have but a dozen runs on our new Stratus," Morgan continued. "It's going to be a great race car. (Chassis builder) Rick Jones and (Mopar aero-thermal engineer) Terry DeKoninck have done a great job with this new car. And I can't say enough for how hard my team has worked to get us to this point. I'm really looking forward to Reading (Pa.) because I think we might have something for them."
Morgan, who won this event back in 1989, beat six-time U.S. Nationals winner Warren Johnson on a holeshot in round number one. His .018 of a second reaction time and 6.834-second pass at 200.95 mph was enough to hold off W.J.'s slightly quicker 6.823/202.58 combination. In the second round, Morgan left on Jim Yates and pulled away with a 6.862-second elapsed time at 201.04 mph. Yates recorded a slower 6.867-second lap at 201.10 mph.
Indianapolis, Saturday: Larry Morgan drove his Dodge Stratus Pro Stock entries to the top half of the field for tomorrow's rain-delayed 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Morgan, who won this event in 1989, maintained the fifth-qualifying position after improving his elapsed time during the first session today. He logged a 6.811-second lap at 201.85 mph. The Newark, Ohio, resident, who also made the fourth-fastest pass of the weekend at 203.43 during last night's only session, was the third-quickest car of the morning run.
"We've had a pretty good weekend so far," said Morgan, who will face off against Warren Johnson in round one tomorrow. "On the last run, we had a bad run in the front half of the track. We ran the back half well, so I'm pretty pleased. We really feel good about it. If the track is going to be as good as we think it will be, it should be a great weekend. We're so elated with our performance this weekend. Just to be able to consistently run with the quick cars is a big deal.
"My Stratus us going to be an awesome race day car," added Morgan, who will be making his Sunday appearance in his new Stratus. "Rick Jones has done a great job in getting this car put together. We're working real hard to make some things happen for Mopar this weekend."
Indianapolis, Friday: A week made quite a difference for Larry Morgan and his new Hemi-powered Dodge Stratus.
After a week-long wait due to record amounts of heavy rain in the Indianapolis area, the third round of qualifying went off today for the 49th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Ohio's Morgan, who was in the 15th spot following last week's first two sessions, clicked off a 6.813-second elapsed time at 203.43 mph to collect the provisional fifth position.
"We went testing and it paid off for us," said Morgan, who beat his current crew chief/consultant Bob Glidden to win the 1989 U.S. Nationals. "I'm just so elated right now for Mopar and this whole race team. To get a car going that fast right now is quite a deal. We really needed this.
"I think Gene just made a bad run because he was the first one out," continued Morgan, on teammate Gene Wilson's car. "He ran within a hundredth of me during testing. So he should get in as well. For Bob (Glidden) and all of the guys back at the shop, this is such a great deal. This new Stratus is a great race car and I can't say enough for what (Mopar aero-thermal engineer) Terry (DeKoninck) has done to get this car prepared. The Mopar engineers have really worked hard on this car and has gotten it right."
Morgan's speed was the fourth fastest of the weekend thus far.
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