When will the Top Fuel field ever take the hint?

When it rains, Morgan Lucas reigns.

For the third time this season, Lucas scored a Top Fuel victory when rain altered the schedule for final eliminations. At a water-logged Memphis Motorsports Park, Lucas pedaled, smoked and wrestled his Gecko-adorned, Geico-sponsored dragster to the finish line first at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals, besting point leader Tony Schumacher.

Lucas believed at the onset of Monday’s final eliminations that he had the team to beat.

When will the Top Fuel field ever take the hint?

When it rains, Morgan Lucas reigns.

For the third time this season, Lucas scored a Top Fuel victory when rain altered the schedule for final eliminations. At a water-logged Memphis Motorsports Park, Lucas pedaled, smoked and wrestled his Gecko-adorned, Geico-sponsored dragster to the finish line first at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals, besting point leader Tony Schumacher.

Lucas believed at the onset of Monday’s final eliminations that he had the team to beat.

“I went up there with the clear intention of doing the same thing we had done all day long and that was to get down the track and nail the tree,” said Lucas. “The funny thing about wins are that sometimes the car can be on, sometimes you can be on and sometimes both are on at the same time. I felt like today was one of the deals where we were both on.”

And even when the car wasn’t on, the former Top Alcohol Dragster standout picked up the slack. Besides, when the tires go up in smoke, Lucas is clearly no joke.

“The last think you think about going up there is that the car is going to shake the tires or do something stupid,” Lucas admitted. “When it did it [smoke the tires], it was awesome because it got sideways and I got out of it. I thought I was going to cross the centerline. I looked for him at half-track and just hit the gas trying to get it to go.

“The awesome part about racing that way is that you get to see the scoreboards and know if you won. It was intense.”

In the end, Lucas accepted the fact that his masterful job of lassoing in a bucking bronco of a race car was only witnessed by a select few dedicated race fans.

“I guess I’m apparently not meant to win when there’s a full set of bleachers,” Lucas concluded. “I’m not going to complain because I went five years before I won one of these things.”

The victory moved Lucas into fifth place in the championship point standings.

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