Lucas out to ride momentum in NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas

Success came early last season for Morgan Lucas.

It was the rest of the season that didn't go so well, resulting in a 10th-place finish in the NHRA Top Fuel standings for the second year in a row.

Now Lucas hopes a major offseason change and a strong showing two weeks ago when he stormed to victory in Gainesville, Fla., will help carry momentum over to Las Vegas.

The SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals begin today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's The Strip. Full Throttle Series qualifying is at 2 and 4:30 p.m.

Lucas posted the second-fastest run in NHRA history at the Gatornationals and won the final round in 3.743 seconds at a speed of more than 326 mph to beat seven-time series champion Tony Schumacher.

Making the victory even more special, Lucas' fiancee, Katie Pallone, was there.

"It's probably been the best start to a season I can even imagine," Lucas said.

The couple will be married Dec. 1, and they leave Sunday night for a 10-day family vacation in Italy. Lucas' father, Forrest, owns Lucas Oil, which owns the Indianapolis Colts' home stadium.

So Lucas is more than just an interested observer in whether the Colts draft Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III to replace Peyton Manning at quarterback. He sees Luck as more of a long-term solution because of concerns about a running quarterback like RG3 taking so many pops, but Lucas likes Griffin.

"I've been saying for a long time that RG3 shouldn't be ruled out," Lucas said. "But I think Griffin is going to be the five- to six-year plan guy, and I think Luck is the 10- to 12-year."

This weekend, though, Lucas isn't concerned about football. He hopes to show that Gainesville was more of a starting point than a season climax.

Lucas, 28, opened last season with a win at Pomona, Calif., and then didn't record a victory the rest of the year.

He certainly likes the early results with the new crew-chief tandem of Aaron Brooks and Rod Centorbi, who bring championship experience.

"Last year we were close at one point, and then we had a couple of rough races," Lucas said. "We didn't have the mental confidence, the stamina to really get back on the right track. The guys we have now have been around so many great teams and worked with so many great crew chiefs in their careers. They're confident, and they know how to go back to basics.

"It's really exciting to have people who have common sense about what they're doing. They don't overthink it. If something doesn't make sense, they don't do it."

So maybe Lucas -- second in the points standings behind Schumacher -- will end the combined nine-year series reign by the Al-Anabi and Schumacher teams.

"As an independent, it's very difficult," Lucas said. "To actually steal a win away from them and a couple of them on qualifiers is a big deal for us."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.