Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Indianapolis, Ind.
(Sept. 1-6)
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Morgan Lucas Lucas Oil Top Fueler |
Reports: Monday Sunday Saturday Friday Pre-race |
Indianapolis, Monday: A long weekend of racing came to a close today at the 50th annual Mac Tools Nationals. Top fuel driver Morgan Lucas scored a first round victory over childhood-hero Cory McClenathan when he drove his Lucas Oil/Driver FX/ Top Fuel dragster to a 4.661 second elapsed time at 319 mph.
"That win felt pretty good because I've looked up to Cory all my career. I knew who I was racing, but when I strapped in I had to put that out of my mind and just think about doing what I need to do."
Lucas would face current points leader Tony Schumacher in round-2. It was a rematch of their second round race in Memphis where Lucas defeated Schumacher. Today would be different however, when Lucas "snapped" the throttle too early and lost to Schumacher on a red light.
"I tried too hard to cut a good light and the anticipation just got the best of me, I just flinched," Lucas said. "It could happen to anybody but if I'm going to be a professional I can't do stuff like that."
In only Lucas' third professional race, he was being hard on himself.
Everyone on the team knows Lucas is developing very fast.
"We win as a team and we lose as a team and we don't point fingers on this,"
crew chief Wayne Dupuy said. "Morgan made a mistake today, but I'll make some in the future. That's just the way it is."
"It's just part of the stuff I have to learn," said Lucas. "I developed a confidence in the Top Alcohol class that I don't quite have in this class yet. That's why we are racing this year. We can get stuff like this out of the way and next year chase the championship."
Indianapolis, Sunday: After a strong 4.725 E.T. in today's early round, the Amato Racing team skipped the final qualifying session when one of the rear tires looked suspicious.
"We were happy with the first run," Lucas said. "But then we got back to the pits we found the tires had chunked up and parts of it hit the wing. We had plenty of time to fix it but we decided skipping the final qualifying session was the best thing to do."
The crew spent the extra time looking over the car and getting new tires mounted for each round of eliminations tomorrow. The problem seems to be with the second run on the tires so the team won't take any chances running any tire twice.
"I'm thankful for the decision that Wayne, Joe and Morgan made," said Charlotte Lucas, Morgan's mother. "The last thing any of us need is for something to happen out there."
Lucas will match up against Cory McClenathan in tomorrow's first round of eliminations. McClenathan qualified seventh with an E.T. of 4.607 seconds at 324 mph. McClenathan also has lane choice over the Lucas Oil/Driver FX dragster.
"Cory's got a good team but I think we do too," Morgan said. "I've looked up to Cory for a long time and he's been a hero of mine since I was a little kid. It's going to be awesome to race him for the first time."
Indianapolis, Saturday: After a loose run during today's earlier session, Morgan Lucas successfully drove the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster into the program on his third attempt at the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
"We were nervous when the guy in front of us oiled the track," owner Joe Amato said. "That makes you nervous when you are not qualified and you know the track will be hotter tomorrow."
Amato's worries were unfounded when crew chief Wayne Dupuy showed he has a handle on the new car with a run of 4.644 seconds at 310 mph. The pass was good enough to move Lucas from 24th to seventh going into tomorrow's final qualifying rounds.
"That was my first full pass at night and it feels like you are going a lot quicker than you usually feel." Lucas said. "I can't wait to get a picture of it with the header flames for my wall."
Lucas is showing real prowess driving the Lucas Oil/Driver FX dragster in a short amount of time. As a former driver, Amato is taking notice of his young protégé's skill behind the wheel.
"Morgan felt the thing rattle the tires and tugged on the brake, for a kid that's just been driving a couple of races gives him a lot of credibility." Amato said. "The combination of the driver doing a good job and the crew chief doing a decent job and everyone working together to try and make a winning car, that's what it is all about."
Indianapolis, Friday: New cars are always an unknown quantity, and Top Fuel driver Morgan Lucas' new car has Joe Amato's team looking for more.
"The new racecar launched good but quickly went into tire shake," said Lucas, who is currently qualified 23rd in the 26-car field with a shut-off run of 10.006 seconds at only 81.60 mph. "Obviously the Lucas Oil dragster has a lot more in it. We will learn what happened on that run and should be able to adjust tomorrow. I feel confident that we'll run much better before eliminations on Monday."
Hopes are high in the Amato camp. The team is debuting a new car at this weekend's Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The car is based on a frame that was very responsive to crew chief Wayne Dupuy's tune-up earlier in the year. Now it is just a matter of adjusting the old tune-up to the new rule changes that went into effect at Denver in July.
Saturday will be the real test for the team with the Top Fuel cars scheduled to run at 3 p.m. in the heat of the day. If the Lucas Oil team can get a good baseline, they should have another shot at cool conditions during Saturday night's session.
Lucas has qualified in the top-half of both Top Fuel races he competed in earlier this summer. Based on that history, Lucas should have the worst of his runs behind him.
Indianapolis, pre-race: Morgan Lucas will be trying for his first Top Fuel victory at this year's 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Lucas, who stepped into the seat of Joe Amato's Top Fueler only two races ago, also will attempt to defend his Top Alcohol Dragster title from last year's U.S. Nationals, drag racing most prestigious event.
"I'm coming to Indy as both a rookie and defending event champion, all at the same time," Lucas said. "It's pretty wild to think about it that way. Last year's victory in Top Alcohol was the highlight of my career so far. With any luck maybe this year's race will replace it."
After winning both of his last two sportsman races, in Sonoma, Calif., and Brainerd, Minn., Lucas is considered the favorite to win the Top Alcohol Dragster title in Indianapolis. It would be an impressive feat should he pull off the win, considering Rick Santos is the only Top Alcohol Dragster driver to win the event twice, in 1993 and 1999. Lucas could be the first driver in NHRA history to win back-to-back U.S. Nationals in Top Alcohol Dragster.
So what about the possibility of a Top Fuel victory?
"You have to come into any race feeling like you can win it," Lucas said. "Otherwise you are hurting your chances before the race begins. But lets be realistic here, I'm still new at this and it is Indy we are talking about. Everyone will be on their game and the competition will be very tough. I just want to go out and run the best race I can for Joe and the crew. If I can do that I will feel good about my first Indy experience in Top Fuel."
Amato has other plans for Lucas. "We are going to try to win the race," Amato said. "It's not just going to be a test and tune for us. Morgan is a quick study and he is ready. He came close to winning the last race so whatever it takes to win Indy we are doing. We have a brand new car and Morgan fits in it better so that will help."
The new racecar should also help crew chief Wayne Dupuy who is adapting to recently mandated rule changes limiting nitromethane in the fuel mixture and rear wing angles. Dupuy showed what his team can do at the last event in Memphis when Lucas piloted his Lucas Oil dragster around current POWERade points leader Tony Schumacher in the second round before settling for a final four finish.
It's been a long and emotional year for Amato Racing. A win at this prestigious event would not only be a highlight in Lucas' brief career, but also an uplifting victory for the rest of the team as well.
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