Morgan Lucas, From 300-Mph Man To Sedate Corporate CEO

Forbes

08-05-2025

Lucas Oil-sponsored Top Fuel dragster.
Morgan Lucas joined the management ranks of Lucas Oil in 2016 as vice president of sales after having been a successful NHRA Top Fuel drag racer in the early part of his career. In 2024, he was named chief executive.
Lucas' transition from 300 mph on the drag strip to the tranquility of the boardroom wasn't as hard as people might think. He never looked back, or "hung on" past his prime, as many professional athletes do. His wife, Katie, and two children at some point became front and center for him.
As a person who oversees some 350 products in 48 countries now, Lucas, 38, is still plenty busy - and still must perform, albeit in a different way - as well he did on sticky asphalt. We appreciate his taking a few minutes this week to discuss his family business - and his transition from pro athlete. Following are edited excerpts from a longer Zoom conversation.
Jim Clash: What's it like to transition from 0 - 330 mph in less than four seconds on the track to a sedate office position within your family's company?
Morgan Lucas: The decision was tough. In my younger years, I was always around Lucas Oil, involved to some extent. But my focus was on racing, wanting to be the best driver I could, a life I knew. I had just gotten married a couple of years before, and, when we had our second child, it was a no-brainer [to make the switch]. Another factor was that my father wasn't getting any younger. I wanted to learn as much from him as I could. I realized there was no time to rip off the bandaid than the present. No matter how uncomfortable it is, it's what you have to do.
Morgan Lucas, CEO of Lucas Oil.
It was a learning curve and a half moving into the boardroom. The performance there is less quantifiable versus what you do on the racetrack. In racing, there are all of these metrics you look at in real time. In corporate, you have to be more patient, understand where the proverbial levers are.
Clash: Did the fact that you were a father have anything to do with hanging up your helmet?
Lucas: To be perfectly transparent, the thought did come to mind. I've known people who've left us early through racing accidents, and I can't imagine the pain that their families experienced. I'd always wanted to be a dad, so I knew it was the right decision. I also didn't want to spend all of my time away from my family.
It's a tough pill because racing is exciting, exhilarating. But I was fortunate enough to get in it at a very young age. I felt like I'd lived that life, travelled all over the world. I'm getting to live my life now with a little less threat of impending doom [laughs].
Clash: You recently moved the company from California to Indiana. Any hiccups?
Lucas: We loved our team in California. The company started there because it was where we sourced a lot of raw materials at the time. We have more vendors from around the country now, and California is a more expensive state. It became difficult to do business there. When the 32-hour workweek came up in conversation, we realized that it was probably the last straw.
I was already living here with my wife, and we had a satellite operation set up for some of our management. Indiana is so well run - they love business, especially motorsports in Indianapolis. I'll say this, too. I've been very impressed with the talent you find here.
That said, any big move is not easy, especially when you care about the people you work with. It's tough to make those big, hard decisions. But I know that in the long-term it was the right thing to do. I can't imagine being anywhere else.
Clash: What are you afraid of, and how do you handle fear?
Lucas Oil CEO Morgan Lucas and wife, Katie, president of Lucas Oil.
Lucas: It's not death, or failure. Even during the bad runs in drag racing, you learn something. Failure brings opportunity. From a business standpoint, I dont know what to say - government intervention, I guess, because it's unpredictable, co-dependent on who's in charge. That's a variable we can't control, and it's the thing that keeps me up at night.
As far as how do I handle it? Because of my parents foresight with this business, we are debt-free. That helps us adapt easier. We prepare by looking at hedging different scenarios. We're in it for the long-haul, and, when I feel we are at the point where we can weather enough different types of storms, that's when I'll sleep more easily at night. Having great partners in life, my faith and my wife, helps, too, but you have to realize that there are some things in life you can't control.