Phoenix, Arizona (February 27, 2016) - Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster driver Richie Crampton knows there is enough potential in his Morgan Lucas Racing car to win the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
Getting to the winner's circle won't be easy, of course, but after qualifying No. 9 despite testing some new equipment, Crampton is confident heading into final eliminations.
"There are only 15 cars on the property, so we've been testing a little bit here in qualifying, in between our runs when we were trying to put a decent number up," Crampton said. "We're good. We've got a good outlook on what tomorrow is going to be like for us. It's going to be another hot race day."
Crampton's best pass was 3.812 seconds at 309.98 mph, run in the hot weather conditions in Phoenix this weekend. Improving the team's hot-weather tune-up is an important issue for crew chief Aaron Brooks and the team, and Crampton seems to be heading in the right direction in warmer conditions.
"Aaron's got some different combinations of parts and pieces that we're trying," Crampton said. "They're showing promise, so that was exciting to get that figured out here. We're trying to make some headway and go quicker and quicker."
Crampton, who sits third in the Top Fuel points standings, will face off against No. 8 qualifier Dave Connolly in Sunday's first round. Connolly's best lap was 3.794 seconds at 309.34 mph. Connolly is renowned as a being a good driver on the Christmas Tree, but third-year driver Crampton is making strides, too.
"They had a pretty decent car in qualifying, so it's going to be a helluva race," Crampton said. "Connolly's on his game, as always. It's definitely going to be a throw-down in the first round for us, but the Lucas Oil team is up for the challenge."
FOX Sports 1 will air live coverage of eliminations from 2-5 p.m. PT, Sunday. More than 1.1 million viewers tuned in to the first broadcast of the season.
