LARRY MORGAN
L
arry Morgan has
been around long
enough in the business
to understand there are
times when opportunity
falls into your lap. Mor-
gan, the seasoned Pro
Stock racer from Newark,
Ohio, with a never-end-
ing propensity to tell you
about the world as he
sees it, will never forget
when the opportunity
to become a race series
president fell into his lap.
“It was what had to be
130-degrees, and I was laying on my back fixing a
broken air conditioner unit,” Morgan proclaimed
without hesitation.
Jeff Biegun, Morgan’s sponsor through his rac-
erdirect.net company, called on his driver for a
favor. With sweat stinging his eyes, shirt dripping
wet with perspiration, a wrench in one hand and
his cell phone in the other, Morgan listened as
Biegun proposed he should be the leader of his
newest property. It would have been easier for
Morgan if Biegun had asked him to take over the
operations of a rocket science firm. Biegun simply
stated, “I want you to be the president of ADRL.”
Morgan understood without hesitation the
magnitude of the situation. He was to take lead-
ership of the American Drag Racing League race
series which had a bad reputation of misman-
agement, and reportedly unpaid racers. With-
out hesitation Morgan responded, “I don’t know
whether I’m president material.”
Morgan had no real option other than to ac-
cept the proposal considering the appointment
had been leaked on social media before he was
asked. Being loyal to his friend, Morgan accepted
the challenge. “I told him that I’d help him out,
whatever it took to help him do the right thing
for the racers and the fans,” admitted Morgan. “I
told him I’d do it as long as I can help.”
Morgan figured his four decades of drag racing
experience qualified him to understand the men-
tality of drag racers. He also understood the drag
racers who had watched the ADRL shipwreck
over the last five years were not in the mood to
be patronized.
Morgan figured if Donald Trump could get
elected president of the United States, and do
the job, he could at least try.
“Well, I don’t want to use the Trump-type ap-
proach necessarily, but I will tell you that I hate
bullshit, so I’m going to make sure that we clean
up all the bullshit all the time,” Morgan said. “I
don’t want to walk around with a frigging fire
hose all the time, putting out internet fires on
websites. I don’t want to do that.
“I want to make this series where it makes sense
to the racers, and it makes sense to the fans and
the people that own these race cars. I want to help
them do the right thing. That’s what I want to do.
And that’s what my full intentions are; to do that.”
Morgan understands he’s got a tough row to
hoe, complete with convincing a drag racing
world dead-set against the latest reincarnation
July 2017
PRESIDENT MATERIAL
While Larry Morgan hadn’t served in a race
official capacity prior to being named the
reformed ADRL’s new president, the outspoken
Ohioan has spent decades behind the wheel
and in the shop as a veteran Pro Stock
racer turned Pro Mod rookie, often openly
criticizing race officials along the way. This new
opportunity allows Morgan to put his ideas to
use for the benefit of racers and fans alike.
of the original eighth-mile doorslammer drag
racing series founded by Kenny Nowling. He
understands there are racers who are slow to
forgive a grudge, and he understands the men-
tality, to a point.
“I just want to go out there and fix the problems
with racing in general,” Morgan said. “That’s what
I want to do. That being said, with all the baggage
that’s with it that I don’t care for, I guess that
comes along with it.”
Morgan understands not paying racers is an
unpardonable sin in motorsports, but would
like to clear the air on the misinformation float-
ing around.
“If everybody knew the facts, not the alternative
facts, then everybody would think differently
about it,” Morgan said. “Jeff Biegun bought the
name from Larry Jeffers, and I saw the contract
yesterday. They said he did not assume any of the
debts. That’s how I read the contract. That’s how
a lawyer would read this contract. And the people
that get on the internet, they see it differently. And
I understand that people feel differently about it,
as what I would.”
DragIllustrated.com
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