CHICAGO (June 29) - Lucas Oil Pro Stock driver Larry Morgan may be having a difficult season on the track, but he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

The veteran lost in the first round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Route 66 Raceway to Jeg Coughlin Jr., but Morgan joked that he let his fellow Ohioan win.

"I did good off the line," Morgan said. "But I put it in second gear because I thought I was going to beat him."

Morgan and Coughlin -- the defending Pro Stock champion -- had identical reaction times of .012-second, but Coughlin sped away to the victory with a pass of 6.606 seconds at 209.72 mph.

Morgan's pass was 6.680 seconds at 207.27 mph, matching his best speed of the weekend, but it wasn't enough.

"No, I just shifted into second gear too quick," Morgan said. "We just didn't make a good run."

Morgan, as the No. 14 qualifier, was fighting an uphill battle against No. 3 qualifier Coughlin, but the Newark, Ohio, native is used to fighting long odds. His family-owned team doesn't have deep pockets or countless employees, but Morgan has fought to keep up.

"It's hard with what we're up against," Morgan said. "Some of these teams have 10, 12 guys working for them and I've got half of that. They've got 10 times the budget, but, hey, we're doing the best we can do.

"I'm trying to represent Lucas and Streamlight and MoldStar and all the guys who help me. I just want to do well for them."

Morgan will return home to race in Ohio next weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals July 4-6 at Summit Motorsports Park.

"We've got to go home and find out what I've got going on with all this stuff so I can do well at Norwalk," Morgan said. "We need to do well there because that's home, you know?"