Lucas overcomes pressure to qualify at Kansas Nationals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact: Rob Geiger (832) 971-9345 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lucas overcomes pressure to qualify at Kansas Nationals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOPEKA, Kan. (May 18) - Despite a few anxious moments around the GEICO/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster pit on Saturday, driver Morgan Lucas and the team qualified their car for Sunday's eliminations field at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Lucas was on the outside looking in heading into Saturday afternoon's final qualifying session after having to pedal the car during the morning round. Lucas rose to the occasion with the pressure on and ran a 3.854 at 315.86 mph to land 14th on the eliminations ladder. "We bookended the weekend with 3.85s," Lucas said. "We made the field, which is good. Now we have a real important matchup in the first round that we've got to win tomorrow." Lucas will square off against No. 3 qualifier Doug Kalitta in the first round on Sunday morning. Kalitta had a best pass of 3.770 seconds at 324.98 mph. Lucas currently sits eighth in the Top Fuel standings, 36 points behind fifth-place Kalitta. A timely opening-round win on Sunday would be a major step in Lucas' quest to climb back into the top five in the standings. "The racing is so close in this class right now," Lucas said. "You can see it on the time sheet and in the standings. We've got a big opportunity right now to gain some ground back by winning a round or two tomorrow. We're starting the heart of the summer schedule right now, and nobody can afford to give up any ground right now." To get around Kalitta, Lucas said the team has to get the GEICO rail back into the shape it was in a couple of races ago. "We're off the pace right now," Lucas said. "It's not where we want to be right now. We've got to keep digging around and find out what the problem is. We've got a big round ahead of us tomorrow, and we want to try to come out on top." Eliminations for the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka will get under way at 11 a.m. CDT on Sunday. ESPN2 will air the the eliminations show at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --30-- Visit www.morganlucas.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bTxb6yyXs_RIGtpPqfq-KIVj2t2APmW8Ksnq67UkQu8Tres_VcedHZAqSgt0TqcPSkx48w4zqsJEdtWe_dKMPhuF4uffgSgMhSu9u4FOzdJUZp4M2GFkUg==] for info and www.go2geigerphotos.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001bTxb6yyXs_RcPfWWErtQ87HzsG1LloW2eCmpy3jLFbe7VgBaD3Ql0VCyr-DXUIh4YmGQpuReHkn4bYpyI4IvHEG1B28W-VA0sg3ZQX78xPMxN1CwXBUwiHvyYA178nW_] for images. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=uiezvfkab&m=1110439661844&ea=submit@theautochannel.com&a=1113467904746 This email was sent to submit@theautochannel.com by rob@go2geiger.com. Update Profile/Email Address http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&mse=00135j0QBRtzs1u7QAPgsIhpFvT1eiSLnGl&t=001_4x6POgqpalg6aOPEDudLA%3D%3D&llr=uiezvfkab Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM) http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=00135j0QBRtzs1u7QAPgsIhpFvT1eiSLnGl&t=001_4x6POgqpalg6aOPEDudLA%3D%3D&llr=uiezvfkab Privacy Policy: http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp Online Marketing by Constant Contact(R) www.constantcontact.com geiger media llc. | 2434 Lake Village Drive | Kingwood | TX | 77339