6/11/2025
Joe Morrison
BLOG - On the Go with Nitro Joe
As seen on RacingJunk.com
Behind the Ropes with drag race driver Joe Morrison
I get a sick sense of amusement out of irony, even when it’s at my own expense. For example, coming home from a medical conference feeling like I have an upper respiratory infection made me laugh as much as I coughed. Picking up where we left off with my last BLOG entry, I was flying home to New Jersey from the American Thoracic Society conference in San Francisco. I arrived home about 1AM Wednesday morning and was asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow.
There was a serious sense of relief that Mother Nature decided to provide rain all day Wednesday. While I only had a day and a half to get all the work done for my landscape business, I also felt like I had been hit by a truck and absolutely NEEDED to take the day and rest. I knew I had to feel better to do my job behind the wheel of Tom Pickett’s Top Alcohol Dragster at Maple Grove Raceway for the NHRA Division 1 event just 2 days later. I slept most of the day Wednesday and did very little on Thursday in an attempt to be at my best when it was time to race.
The good news is, I did better in the car, and I am getting very comfortable. My foot-swap technique is very competitive, and my reaction times are decent. Unfortunately, due to a tricky racetrack and persistent electrical gremlins, we ended up 9th out of 10 cars in an 8-car field. We were also shorthanded because team owner Tom Pickett was stranded twice: first in Connecticut then in New Jersey with a broken motorhome. I felt terrible for Tom and our teammate Austin as they dealt with a problem with the diesel regen system. We did make progress, and I am really looking forward to my next divisional race in the Top Alcohol Dragster at Lebanon Valley Dragway July 4 & 5.
I had a few days at home to try to get some work done then I headed up to New England Dragway on Friday, May 30 for the NHRA New England Nationals with Dennis Champney and his Crazy Horse Mustang to be on display with a bunch of cool nostalgia cars. Our friend and crew member Tom Smith was there to help run the car. My friend Maura McGonigle always puts together an amazing group of cars and this year was on point as expected! We were supposed to make one run each day with my pal Cody Helger and his badass “Dazed and Confused” Camaro, but the rain came in and we only got to run on Friday night. I had a bit of tire shake but after letting the car settle and a pedal job, we still ran a 6.60 at 225 MPH. Cody got there first by a few hundredths, but we had a good time. It was awesome hanging out with so many friends including Paul Zona, the Russell family and their awesome Iron Outlaw funny car, and even Jay Blake and his brother Jim were there for a while. If you ever get to go to the New England event, you must stop by and see all the cool hot rods and race cars.
One of the great events that happens on Saturday night at the New England Nationals is the Scott Kalitta Memorial Dinner at the Kalitta Motorsports hospitality. Also known as “Eddie’s Lobsterfest”, it originally happened at Raceway Park in New Jersey but was moved to New England after my home track here in NJ closed. It seems like more than ½ the race teams at the track shows up. I honestly think it is one of the biggest unofficial gatherings that happen, and I have been fortunate to be able to attend almost every one. As I walked in, I saw my pal and fellow “Jersey” guy Bob Szelag and got to sit with him and a
few folks from NHRA. In addition to being a great photographer, Bob also works on Scott Palmer’s top fuel car when he is not taking pictures for NHRA. We had a blast, and the food was amazing as usual and there were many great conversations with friends. I thought it was great to see JR Todd get the win for the DHL Team on the same weekend as the memorial to Scott.
After 7 weekends in a row of events, I have a few weekends before my next race. That means it’s time to catch up on all the repairs and upgrades that I want to get done as well as work on some of the Right2Breathe proposals for later in the year. I am planning to spend some time this upcoming weekend replacing the leaking water pump in the little RV trailer as well as figuring out why the new AC unit is freezing up. I will also be trailering my old Harley down to my pal Rocky Pirrone’s shop to replace the rear tire on the bike.
I haven’t had it out to ride since last October when Rocky and I rode the “Tail of the Dragon” in Tennessee. The tire was WAY past needing replacement last fall, and before the ride there was one little spot where the tread was gone. By the time we finished 3 days of riding, the chords were showing so badly it looked like a ran over white paint! I have really missed riding, so I can’t wait to make the bike safe to ride again and get out for some “wind therapy”.
So, what’s next? I am psyched to get back behind the wheel of Paul Smith’s Nitro Funny Car again at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. It will be a busy weekend because my nonprofit, Right2Breathe, will be providing free lung screenings at the race in the midway. We have once again partnered with Cleveland Clinic to provide great resources and from one of the most respected institutions in the country. If you’re coming to the race June 27-29, be sure to stop by the booth and “Put Your Lungs on the Dyno” to find out how your lungs are performing. Of course, come by the Paul Smith Racing pit and say hello. There might even be a throttle whack during a warmup or two.
It should be interesting from there, since I will be driving 3 different cars in 3 weekends starting with the Nitro Funny Car in Norwalk, Ohio; then on to the Top Alcohol Dragster upstate New York, then back in the Nostalgia Funny Car at Dragway 42 for their Rock-N-Race event July 11-13. Check back in a few weeks to see how it all turns out!
Lastly, to all my fellow dads out there, I hope you have an amazing Father’s Day this weekend! See ya at the drags…
Article Credit: Joe Morrison
Article Media
