Charlotte Lucas

If there was ever any doubt that the Lucas family was not only committed to NHRA Sportsman-class racing after agreeing two years ago to sponsor the wide-ranging series but also passionate about the competition, you don't have to look much further than the quarter-mile itself.

On Tuesday, July 15, Charlotte Lucas -- who with her husband, Forrest, own Lucas Oil Products and sponsor their son, Morgan, in the Top Alcohol Dragster class -- earned her Super Comp license from Frank Hawley's NHRA Drag Racing School at Pomona Raceway. She started the class on Monday morning and was an official drag racer the following day.

"Thomas Bayer and Jack Beckman were very supportive through the whole process," said Lucas of her drag racing school instructors. "They teach you everything you need to know and then walk you through all the steps. Everyone was so incredibly nice, it was a great experience."

Some of the first things drag racing students learn are how to master burn-outs, backing-up straight and the all proper techniques for driving the car. The instructors utilize video footage of each run the students make to teach them what they are doing correctly and where they need to make adjustments.

"The biggest obstacle I faced was the fear of the unknown," explained Charlotte of her initial nervousness about driving down the quarter-mile. "You want to do the best you can but you don't always get it right the first time. It took me awhile to get out of the 200-foot mark class but I finally did and it felt great."

"I wanted to learn how to drive so I could experience what it is that my son, Morgan, loves to do so much," said Charlotte when asked why she decided to earn her Super Comp license. "The launch (off the starting line) is so fast and in no time at all you are at the end of the track put the brakes on, it was such a thrill."

"I'm really excited for my mom," said Morgan. "Everything went very smooth during the school. She did a really great job keeping the car straight and once she gets a few more laps in, she'll be ready to compete."

Now that Lucas is an officially licensed Super Comp driver, she plans to rent a track in order to practice and get comfortable in her new car before making her racing debut. Looking into the future, Charlotte estimates she will debut her Lucas Oil Super Comp car at the Division 7 event in Las Vegas.