Motor Sports Weekly News

By: Drew Hierwarter

NHRA Photo

Next season NHRA veteran Larry Morgan will have a shot at becoming one of the very few Pro Stock drivers to finish in the top 10 in points driving cars from all three of Detroit’s major manufacturers. Morgan raced General Motors cars from 1987 through 1998 before switching to a Dodge for the next ten years.

 

And now Larry Morgan will begin the 2010 NHRA Pro Stock season behind the wheel of a Ford Mustang built by RJ Race cars and powered by a 500 cu.in. engine. A second car is being prepared by Don Ness. The team will carry sponsorship from Lucas Oil.

 “This is a project that I’m really excited about,” Morgan said. “I was involved with David Nickens in helping out with the design work for the Dodge Hemi, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Ford’s Brian Wolfe, Jesse Kershaw, Mose Nowland, and others with their new power plant, and I feel fortunate to have been able to be on the ground floor in the development of both programs.”

2010 will be Morgan’s 23rd year in Pro Stock competition.

 

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Danica Patrick continues to make news and fuel rumors of her NASCAR debut. Sources say she has already signed with Andretti-Green to run the full 2010 Indy Car season but the speculation that she will run a few selected ARCA and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races just will not die. Expect a “big announcement” (their words) on GoDaddy.com and Good Morning America today, Monday.

 

 

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Noblesville, Indiana’s Bryan Clauson won the prestigious 69^th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix for USAC midgets on Thanksgiving evening at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. Clauson gained the lead from Josh Wise on the 42^nd of 98 laps and never looked back. Teammate Levi Roberts finished second and pole winner Josh Wise was third.

 

Clauson now joins an elite group of midget racers who have won the Thanksgiving classic including Parnelli Jones, Billy Boat, A,J, Foyt, Sleepy Tripp, Ron Shuman, Mel Kenyon, Tony Simon, Tony Stewart, and Stan Fox, just to name a few.

 

The race also saw the crowning of Brad Kuhn of Avon, Indiana as the 2009 USAC National Midget Champion. In spite of a lap 12 incident that knocked Khun out of the race, he was still able to finish just 8 points over Brad Sweet.