Rapid Start For Morgan
Ohio's Larry Morgan is off to his fastest season start yet in NHRA's demanding Pro Stock class following strong performances during the first four races of the '04 season. Morgan's Team-Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T has gone to the "final four" at three of the four events so far and currently sits third in NHRA's POWERade point's standing. Morgan's strong qualifying record also includes a second seed, following a 6.764 e.t. at 204.03 mph during the recent NHRA Mac Tools Gatornationals in Florida. That effort just missed the pole position by a scant .001-second.
"So far this season has been great for us," Morgan said. "We all work so hard and it's a good group of guys here. They give their lives to do this and it's all we do. We're real happy with the car right now, and our goal remains to win a championship."
One major reason for Morgan's strength this season has been the addition of NHRA Hall of Fame driver Bob Glidden, who joined Morgan's team in April 2003. "Bob Glidden has been a wonderful addition," Morgan continued. "He's helped us straighten the car out everywhere including the engine and the chassis. His work ethic has made a big difference and has rubbed off on all of us. He's an 18-hour-a-day guy; up at 6:30 a.m. and working on the car. In this class, that's really what it takes."
Stratus Showtime
Dodge Stratus Funny Cars made quite an impression at NHRA's SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the nitro FC ranks, Whit Bazemore, driving the Schumacher Racing Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T, just missed winning his first national event title of the season. After qualifying with a 4.850 e.t. at 313.80 mph, the Indianapolis-based racer ran extremely consistent; knocking off class rivals Del Worsham, Gary Densham, and Eric Medlen during the first three rounds of eliminations. In the final round, both Bazemore and his opponent Phil Burkart Jr. experienced problems, but Burkart earned the win light.
The event also marked the public debut of a spectacular new '04 Dodge Stratus R/T driven by Swedish national champion Leif Andreasson from Solna, Sweden. Andreasson's machine-jointly sponsored by Kamasa Tools and Texaco-runs in the Top Alcohol Funny Car category and caught both the imagination of the public and the scrutiny of NHRA officials. It was the deserving winner of the event's prestigious Best Engineered award.
Cool Classic 'Cuda
Chuck Beach from Delaware, Ohio, campaigns one of the most recognized and popular Stock eliminator cars in North America. Beach (a computer technician by trade) has been racing his show-stopping '69 Barracuda since 1975.
Powered by a high-compression 340 engine built by Maryland's Bud Whitaker, Beach's Barracuda weighs in at 3,455 pounds. Beach is the current IHRA national record holder for the G/SA class with an 11.10 e.t. at 118 mph. Beach campaigns one of only five or six Mopars in G/SA trim.
"We run a rather uncommon combination-a high compression motor with a small carburetor," revealed Beach. "It's rather restrictive according to the rulebook, so I have to give a lot of credit to Bud and his staff for making the horsepower."
Beach's finest hour came during the '00 NHRA U.S. Nationals when he placed in the semifinal round of Stock eliminator and lost by 1/1000 second.
Beach's machine is as good-looking as it runs. The team has been the recipient of the Best Appearing award during the IHRA's marquee season event, the World Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio.
For 2004, Beach reports he will curtail his own Stock eliminator racing program in order to devote more time to a current project. He is building another '69 Barracuda. This one will be Hemi-powered and compete in Pro Street. It will resemble a SS/AA class car in configuration.