NHRA- Larry Morgan

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Morgan continues to show he's capable of beating anyone in Pro Stock

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 1) -- Lucas Oil pro Larry Morgan is proud of the fact he's knocked off four higher-ranked drivers in the first six NHRA races of the season. Now if he could just figure out how to move his impressive first-round wins from the "upset" category to the "routine" column, he'd really be happy.

"When we have our act together, we can beat anyone," Morgan said. "We've proven that four times. We just need to find some consistency so we can start running well every time down the track. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if we turned some of these first-round upsets into longer runs on race day. We'd like to get a win."

Currently ranked 10th in the Full Throttle championship points, Morgan eliminated fifth-ranked pro Allen Johnson in both Phoenix and Gainesville, fourth-ranked Mike Edwards in Las Vegas, and sixth-place Erica Enders in Houston. However, each of those upset wins were followed by losses, none more painful than last Sunday in Houston when Morgan's second-round opponent, Vincent Nobile, failed to get down the track under power but won anyway due to a Morgan red-light foul.

"We gave that one away," Morgan said. "I wrapped up a pretty gift and gave it to Vincent. I hope he liked it. Then he goes on and wins the whole race. It certainly makes you wonder what might have been. It's our fault; we need to capitalize on our successes and that's only going to happen if we get more consistent."

To that end, Morgan and crew will at least spend two days testing at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga., to prepare for this weekend's 32nd annual Summit NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

"It's hot and it's getting hotter," Morgan said. "Atlanta has been a lot friendlier to Pro Stock cars since they smoothed it out a few years back but we'll all be dealing with high humidity and heat. It can get slick out there. It's especially tough on these Pro Stock cars because they're naturally aspirated so they need air just like a person does. When it's humid and sticky with lots of water molecules in the air, it's something you have to plan for.

"We'll be ready. We like the direction we're going and we're excited about this weekend."

Qualifying begins with two sessions at 3:30 and 6 p.m. EDT, Friday.