NORWALK, Ohio (July 5) - Lucas Oil Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan came through in the clutch.
Morgan bumped into the field at his home-state race, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, in the final qualifying session Saturday.
"The problem was we had to slip the clutch to get it to go down the track," Morgan said. "And we did. We slipped it bad. It was horrible but it was good enough.
"It's hard to tell how fast I can run. I'm excited."
Morgan's pass of 6.698 seconds at 208.42 mph wasn't his best of the weekend, but it was enough to get him into the field with the No. 14 qualifying position.
Morgan had a top lap of 6.613 seconds at 210.77 mph, but that came in Q2 on Friday and it wasn't quite enough to make the top 12. Morgan therefore had to start from scratch Saturday, and after a poor run in Q3 he was on the outside looking in.
But Morgan and his team got help from several sources in the pit area, and changes were made to the Ford Mustang's balance. Morgan also made sure not to shake the tires off the starting line so he could make a full pass.
"I'm going to take the clutch out and grind it," Morgan said. "But I'm OK with that."
Morgan initially thought he had bumped Travis Mazza from the field, but Mazza made it in at No. 16. Mazza is Morgan's car builder who was using a Larry Morgan Racing engine in Norwalk.
"That made me feel better," Morgan said. "I was real excited for Travis. His dad passed away about 10 years ago and he was a big-time racer. Travis wanted to do this and I'm so happy for him that he got in. It's a cool day for us."
On Sunday, Morgan will line up against No. 3 qualifier Allen Johnson in the first round. Johnson's pass of 6.532 seconds at 211.89 mph doesn't intimidate Morgan.
"I'm looking to kick Allen Johnson's butt -- and three others," Morgan said.
