GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 12) -- Veteran Pro Stock racer Larry Morgan is in central Florida for this weekend's 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, but the way his new Lucas Oil Ford Mustang is behaving he could easily think he's in Texas.
"I feel like I'm driving a Top Fuel car we've got so much horsepower with these Ford motors," Morgan said. "The difference is we're burning up pistons instead of popping the supercharger at 330 feet like the fuel cars do. We've got to get our horses under control.
"We're at a better point now, power-wise, than we ever were with the Dodges. We're just having this issue with burning up a piston every run. We don't really know why. It could be the carburetors, it could be a pre-ignition problem, or it may be we're just too lean. I don't think it's a motor issue at all; I think we're off with the tune-up."
Fortunately, Morgan makes his own motors at his Newark, Ohio, shop and is widely considered one of the top engine builders in the sport. With a little time off between the last NHRA race in Phoenix and the Gatornationals, Morgan and crew kept their dynometer humming in a search for answers and even got in a little test time in south Georgia and east Florida.
"We're getting a lot closer," said Morgan, currently fourth in the Full Throttle points. "We ran decent, probably mid-pack of the group of guys who were testing with us. Our best was a 6.63 and I think the fastest guy went 6.60, so we're creeping up on them.
"For as much as we have that's brand new this year, with the switch to the Ford Mustang and Ford motors, I'm pretty pleased with where we're at overall. You always want to be better -- that's the nature of Pro Stock -- and the exciting thing is we know exactly where we need to improve to be better. We'll get it figured out."
Weather permitting, Friday qualifying for the Gatornationals will run at noon and 2:45 p.m.
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