Story By: ELON WERNER / JOE MORRISON RACING – FLEMINGTON, NJ – Joe Morrison will continue his pursuit of Funny Car glory at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals this weekend.
The longtime Nostalgia Funny Car and Fuel Altered pilot from Flemington, NJ will make his second start of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the first race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff race.
While Morrison will not be in contention for the Funny Car world championship the veteran driver is looking forward to his potential spoiler role and racing in the ultra-competitive NHRA Nitro Funny Car division, driving for legendary Funny Car driver, owner, and tuner Paul Smith.
In his 2024 debut race in Norwalk, Ohio, Morrison qualified for the 16-car field and was ousted in the first round by No. 1 qualifier and Funny Car point leader Austin Prock.
“It was an amazing weekend for our Funny Car debut in Norwalk and I expect even better results at Maple Grove Raceway,” said Morrison, who views this facility as his home track. “We will have more data, and I will be much more comfortable in the race car. This class is so much fun, and I received a great welcome in Norwalk. This weekend we will be looking to make four great qualifying runs and then see what happens on Sunday. We have some amazing partners along for the ride.”
The veteran Top Fuel racer turned Funny Car racer uses his race program to promote Right2Breathe.org and he is on a personal mission to help other people have more time with their loved ones. Morrison lost his father to COPD in 2016 and he has joined forces with a number of incredible organizations to bring the opportunity for early detection and treatment to the race track. Joining Morrison at the NHRA Reading Nationals, will be three instrumental companies and organizations: Right2Breathe, the Temple Lung Center and Chiesi USA. All three groups will have a specific mission at Maple Grove Raceway and Morrison will be the ambassador promoting their initiatives.
“I love racing at Maple Grove Raceway. I got my first wins here at an event called ‘Geezers at the Grove’ in my nostalgia altered in 2009. It’s my home track, and I always have a ton of friends and family around,” said Morrison, who made his Funny Car debut at the Norwalk Nationals in June of this season. “The fans here are some of the best anywhere. Every year, people who we have ‘Put Their Lungs on the Dyno’ at past events come by to tell us how their lives have improved. To know that we are making a positive impact in the lives of fans and racers is both humbling and gratifying.”
For Morrison, partnering with Right2Breathe has been a life-changing experience for him and for NHRA fans. One ongoing example of this partnership is the free onsite lung health evaluations Right2Breathe has provided fans giving them the chance to ‘Put Their Lungs on the Dyno.” As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Right2 Breathe is celebrating their 10-year anniversary in 2024, and they have provided lung screenings and lung health education at the Reading NHRA Nationals five times since 2017. Their mission is to provide free lung screening for people at risk for lung disease as well as provide education and support for people already living with lung disease.
Morrison, who last competed in NHRA Top Fuel in 2022, wrapped up his NHRA license cross-grade process in July 2023 with Smith at Virginia Motorsports Park. This expanded his diverse NHRA competition license to an impressive 11th active class, ranging from Top Fuel & Nitro Funny Car to Super Comp and Super Gas.
Morrison will be ready to go on Friday night for two qualifying sessions following an afternoon of fan events including an autograph session at the Right2Breathe.org midway display. On Saturday Morrison will be the featured guest on the NHRA Stage for “10 questions with Joe Morrison” followed by two more qualifying sessions.
The New Jersey native will be competing at Maple Grove thanks to the support from recently added associate sponsor support from the Napp Brothers as well as PennGrade 1® High Performance Oils, Stoms Automotive, Dawn D’Agostino, and MarSchanMotorsports.com (Mar-Schan Motorsports).
“As a New Jersey guy who spent so much time at Englishtown getting support from the Napp brothers is really special,” said Morrison. “We are methodically building our program and every dollar or part deal helps us so much. We are thankful for all our partners.”
On Sunday Morrison should be one of the 16-quickest Funny Cars racing for the iconic Wally trophy in front of an expected sold-out crowd. The race will be broadcast on FOX and will be the lead-in programming for the NFL game on Sunday.
