LAS VEGAS (April 17) -- Carrying the banner for GEICO Powersports this weekend in Las Vegas, Top Fuel professional Morgan Lucas blasted to a best of 3.980 seconds at 303.50 mph during qualifying for the 11th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals to secure the No. 6 position in the elimination field.
Lucas and the other nitro drivers leaned heavily on their crew chiefs as temperatures soared at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Traditionally, the spring race in Las Vegas signals a transition from the cooler months to the heat of summer, where traction is at a premium.
"The last run we had on Saturday we tried something and didn't get away with it," Lucas said. "We were trying to see how fast we could go in the heat. We're running right with the top cars to 330 feet, we just need to figure it out down track. I think we can have as good of a racecar as anybody here."
By qualifying sixth, Lucas earned a first-round date with Troy Buff, who qualified 11th with a 4.094 at 276.29 mph. Lucas and Buff have raced one time this year with Buff getting the upper hand at the season opener in Pomona.
"Everybody is really close right now and I think it's going to be a driver's race," Lucas said. "When it comes to reaction times to pedaling to everything else, every little bit of that is important. We saw a little of that already in Houston (last week)."
Entering this race, Lucas, 26, was a comfortable seventh in the Full Throttle Championship points. A strong showing Sunday could lift him as high as third overall, although the sport's youngest nitro pro would be happy with any upward progression.
Sunday's eliminations begin at 11 a.m. PDT with Round 1 of Top Fuel.
