{"id":74776,"date":"2020-09-03T07:47:59","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T14:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=74776"},"modified":"2020-09-04T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T00:19:00","slug":"joe-morrison-races-part-5-i-got-a-golden-ticket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/joe-morrison-races-part-5-i-got-a-golden-ticket\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Morrison Races Part 4: I Got a Golden Ticket"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Joe<\/a><\/h4>\n

Follow along with Joe Morrison as he campaigns Leverich Racing\u2019s Top Fuel car! This is Part 4 of his story. You can read Part 3 here: https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/69677\/<\/a><\/em><\/h4>\n

Willy Wonka said it best – \u201cSo much time, so little to do. Wait. Strike that, reverse it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a while since my last blog<\/a> \u2013 and no, I haven\u2019t successfully captured that Never-Ending-Gobstopper of NHRA Top Fuel Dragster sponsorship funding. But I finally punched that first Golden Ticket, completing the first phase of my 40+ year goal of being a licensed NHRA Top Fuel Driver.
\nI missed qualifying at my first event by less than 0.003-seconds, but we qualified at the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals in the lucky 13th spot, getting the pleasure of staging next to Clay Millican in the opening stanza.<\/p>\n

However, the story of how I accelerated from \u201csoon to license driver\u201d to competing at an NHRA National Event in the Kings of the Sports, is a long \u2013 yet important – one. It’s filled with ups and downs, a global pandemic to combat, and even a few lessons to learn. But it\u2019s a good story, so I hope you\u2019ll forgive me for the length of this post.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s fire it up.<\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/a><\/p>\n

Time is a Precious Thing \u2013 Never Waste It<\/h4>\n

After submitting my first blog, there really wasn\u2019t a whole lot to write about. I went to the Gatornationals with the idea of helping the team then finishing my license during the \u201cMonday Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then COVID-19 hit the United States (and the entire world for that matter) like a Freight Train (one of my favorite cars of all time BTW) and everything came to a grinding halt. One cool experience was being able to attend the Hall of Fame dinner to see my friend (and racing legend) Don Enriquez inducted and Robert \u201cBones\u201d Balogh inducted by that Jack Beckman guy. That was certainly the highlight of the trip to Gainesville.<\/p>\n

After the looooong wait through April, May, and June, we were finally cleared to get back to the track. Since that time, I feel like I have truly been living life at 300 MPH (which technically \u2013 I haven\u2019t run 300 yet, but it\u2019s coming soon \u2013 trust me). Thanks to the staff at Maple Grove Raceway, the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association for allowing us to run during their event, and an amazing group of friends who all pitched in to help I finished my licensing passes with a best run of 4.03 at 293 MPH.<\/p>\n

I could finally say that I am a Top Fuel Driver!<\/p>\n