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JOE MORRISON TAKES POSITIVES FROM A BUSY RACE IN NORWALK

JOE MORRISON TAKES POSITIVES FROM A BUSY RACE IN NORWALK

NORWALK, OH (June 29, 2025) – The results may not have veteran driver Joe Morrison sitting at the top of the qualifying sheet or rolling his Paul Smith-tuned Right2Breathe Funny Car into the winner’s circle but his weekend racing at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals was a huge win for the team. Morrison’s Right2Breathe® Project once again teamed up with the highly acclaimed Cleveland Clinic as well as the Allergy & Asthma Network, BluZone Health and the Kroger Health display, to present the “Put Your Lungs on the Dyno” Lung Health Screening Project. While Morrison was making four qualifying attempts on the track between rounds he was in the pits talking with fans about their lung health and living their best lives.

“I think we did over 100 screenings just on Saturday,” said Morrison, who has also been racing nostalgia Funny Cars and Top Alcohol Dragsters this season. “That is a huge impact. We had two pulmonologists from Cleveland Clinic here so the fans had the opportunity to talk to some of the best professionals in the country, right here at an NHRA race. The Allergy and Asthma Network did a type of testing for asthma called FeNO testing, or fractional exhaled nitric oxide testing. I don't even have the total numbers so far. We really helped a lot of people and are helping folks live their best lives.”

“That’s so rewarding,” said Morrison. “We're all competitive and in order to be at your best, you have to be able to focus on the moment and detach from the outcome. To have Right2Breathe here and to see so much positivity happening, it really takes a lot of the sting out of not qualifying. I have to be honest, drag racing matters a lot to me. I care so deeply about this sport. I love this sport. Seeing the positive things we are doing with Right2Breathe puts it all in perspective.”

This was Morrison’s third career Funny Car start and he had his hands full in every session. On Friday the team rolled off the trailer and made a conservative run to shake the race car down. At the end of last season Morrison qualified No. 14 at the Reading Nationals and he was looking forward to grabbing one of the quick 16 spots from a competitive field of 21 Funny Cars.

“We had a couple of issues that we had to get straightened out,” said Morrison. “The first run was going to be a short run since it was the first time I was back in the car since Reading last year. These cars are absolute beasts. This is my sixth race of the year, but the first in a Nitro Funny Car. On the second run it rattled the tires a little bit. We have a new seat, and I think I was sitting in kind of a weird spot where my helmet got up against the padding. I couldn't see so I lifted off the throttle. Somehow in my exuberance, my excitement, I got back in it, which I know is a cardinal sin. In qualifying you don’t get back into it. The car shot me over and I took out two cones. I own that one that was on me.”

Coming into Saturday Morrison was optimistic the Funny Car’s performance could improve to get him into the field. The summer heat and tricky track conditions had all the crew chiefs diving deep into their data banks. Veteran Paul Smith and his crew did their best to turn Morrison’s Funny Car around twice and give him his best shot.

“We figured out the seat issue, we went out there for the first run on Saturday, thinking the track is a little tricky, but we have to get after it,” said Morrison. “We need to run and to try to get in. We were a little aggressive. Paul said to me, ‘Be ready. It might smoke.’ It did and I kept control of it. It turned pretty good but I felt like a Funny Car driver keeping it in my lane and getting it back under control.”

In the final session Morrison had a car that could run quick enough to qualifying, but an unfortunate issue on the starting line derailed his final attempt. On the burn out there was an airflow issue that impacted the throttle.

“The last run we go up there and felt good. Knew what we needed to do. The crew did a great job turning the car around, and had high hopes and a lot of optimism,” said Morrison. “I think we lost air pressure in our Co2 bottle. We fired the car and thought everything's fine. I start rolling forward. I go to step on the throttle, do the burnout. And I knew right away what it was that the disconnect had disconnected the throttle. The crew did all they could do to try to get it reengaged. Unfortunately, I went to stage and I had no throttle. It’s a crushing disappointment, really, because I felt like we had a good shot. I think we had a shot at running, maybe a 4.09 or 4.10 in this heat. I think we had a shot to get in. That's nitro racing.”

While the on-track results won’t be reflected in the wins and losses column Morrison knows that the impact from Funny Car performance will carry over from Summit Motorsports Park. The veteran driver will be back on track and at NHRA national events later this season.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 5.248 sec, 147.04 mph; Qual. 18
Q2: No Time; Qual. 13
Q3: 6.406 sec, 103.37 mph; Qual. 20
Q4: 13.159 sec, 81.84 mph; Qual. 21
Bonus Points: 0

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