NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Top Fuel racer and team owner Morgan Lucas gave the Indiana Bicentennial Torch a high-speed ride on his 10,000-horsepower Lucas Oil dragster on Sept. 23 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Indiana statehood.

The event took place at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis located in Brownsburg within Hendricks County. A ceremony kicked off day 13 of the torch relay, a five-week celebration that will see the torch visit all 92 counties in the state.

The torch, mounted on the back of the dragster, was lit by Jeff Boles, a longtime Hendricks County circuit judge. Lucas then gave the trophy a trip down the track with his father Forrest and mother Charlotte cheering him on.

"To be able to represent the Brownsburg community and drag racing for the state, especially considering how much drag racing does for the local economy, is an honor," Lucas said. "We were really excited about the opportunity, and for me, it's a win-win situation because it let me hit the gas.

We made one run," Lucas said. "It went well, but it could've gone better. We dropped a cylinder at the step, but I ran it out as far as I could. You know what? Nobody else is going to get the torch to go as fast as we did. We can say that with a sense of pride."