Lucas expects the unexpected in Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 15) -- Morgan Lucas is preparing for anything as he and the GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster head to Bristol Dragway for this weekend's 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

"At that track the weather can go any which way," Lucas said. "It can be hot or cold, it could be rainy, or it could be windy and dusty. You never know.

"But no matter what I'm always happy to go to Bruton Smith's racetracks because I feel like they are clean, safe, and well promoted. You can't put a price on that in the sense of what we're trying to do out here."

Lucas currently sits seventh in the Full Throttle Series points with six races left before the cutoff for the Countdown to 1, the NHRA's version of the postseason. He said that while keeping an eye on the points is important, right now a more pressing concern is to make the GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster more consistent.

"We've got to listen to the car and not be afraid to make drastic moves in the right situations," Lucas said. "With the chance of crazy weather at Bristol, we're going to have to make use of all the data we've collected so far this year."

Before Lucas and crew are faced with the possibility of taking some big swings at the racetrack, Lucas will take some big swings of a different variety during the annual charity golf tournament for Speedway Children's Charities.

"It's fun to take your sticks down there and hit away," Lucas said. "It's great to be outside, enjoy the weather, and take your aggressions out on a little white ball -- there's nothing like it.

"I've played the course at Bristol before and there's some crazy elevations to it. My driver is the wacky club in my bag right now, so I'm going to have to leave it in there and use my irons to get up and down the course."

Qualifying for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begins at 5 p.m. Friday from Bristol Dragway. Qualifying and eliminations will be broadcast on ESPN2 on June 19-20.