Al Morey IV placed second at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series in late September. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | STAFF REPORTER | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu
Ever since he was nine years old, first-year exploratory studies major Al Morey IV knew the high-energy racing environment was where he belonged.
Morey began his racing career with indoor go-karting at K1 Speed where he won his first championship at 14. While he received encouragement after his first racing win, Morey did not think much of the accomplishment.
“After I won that race, the manager of K1 Speed came up to me and said ‘Hey listen, you might actually have something going for you here,’” Morey said. “I did not know what I was supposed to do with that comment at the time.”
Now in his second year of professional racing, Morey has progressed to earn a second-place podium standing in the racing capital of the world — Indianapolis Motor Speedway — for the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series (LST) on Sept. 20-22.
“Standing on that podium is a big deal for me and my family,” Morey said. “It shows how far I have come. From watching that track on the TV when I was younger, to going to the races all the time with my family, this podium placement is special.”
Race watchers, like junior strategic communication major Gwen Hayes, applaud the rookie racer for this early career achievement.
“Al is a hometown hero,” Hayes said. “He got a podium in his backyard and that’s spectacular here in Indy. It’s the home of an absolutely iconic track with tons of history. The track is the pinnacle of motorsport, and everyone wants to get on the podium here. For Al to be [racing] there at the up-and-coming part of his career is amazing.”
Along with being a rookie, Morey and his co-driver Cole Kleck only worked together for four months before Indianapolis’ LST.
Despite this short preparation period, the duo obtained a victory the day after they were officially paired at California’s LST on May 10-12. Then, they secured a second and third-place win at Texas’ LST on Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Kleck credits their immediate success to their cohesive partnership.
“I think of Al as a brother,” Kleck said. “He and I think alike, and we’re very similar in our driving styles. This helps us because we always have the same goal of what we want to do, and we always make sure to be on that same page by talking it out, planning it out and getting it done on the track.”
In Indianapolis, the duo proved their partnership by working through an unforeseen obstacle: a loose steering wheel.
“During qualifying, our loose wheel really set us back,” Kleck said. “We still were able to qualify, though, and had a lot of work cut out for us. We overcame the situation by talking with one another and getting the problem solved. It is all about working together, and that’s exactly what Al and I do.”
After the setback, Morey regained momentum by leading the next circuit race on the fifth turn of lap one.
“Everyone is usually pretty cautious on the first lap, but I chose not to be,” Morey said. “It was a risky move on my part, but I was aggressive and it worked this time. We may have gotten passed up at the very end, but I led for the entire stint.”
Hayes explained that these quick decisions racers make on the track are more complex than people may think.
“I think there’s a big misconception that racing doesn’t take any talent,” Hayes said. “People think that you’re just driving in circles, but they don’t understand all the little things that go into the sport. A good racer has to be headstrong and definitely a risk-taker. There are so many split-second decisions you make while driving in that high-speed environment with the adrenaline rushing. That energy is unmatched.”
Even though Morey now has a passion for fast-paced racing, it is not where he expected to be so early in his career. After his time with K1 Speed as a child, Morey was connected to an outdoor karting team with Jay Howard Driving Development. He spent a year racing with Howard before he furthered his career.
“When I did outdoor karting, it was a solid year with some podium finishes,” Morey said. “But I went to go sit down with Jay and said ‘Hey, what’s the next move?’ I thought he would tell me that I would be ready for just a faster go-kart, but nope. Jay said ‘I think I want to put you in a Formula 4.’ I did not expect that because those cars are awfully fast.”
Regardless of his initial hesitation, Morey tested out the Formula 4 car and ended up racing it at the end of 2022. Morey continued to venture out to faster cars, such as the USF 2000 car he drove in 2023.
He received various calls to test out different cars and eventually decided on driving Lamborghinis with Topp Racing. Morey found adjusting to Lamborghini to be a substantial change.
“I was hopping into something totally different,” Morey said. “I was coming from smaller open-wheeled cars, and now I would be in a car that was triple the size. I will say that one of the good driving aspects I have is adaptability and consistency. So, I was able to use that skill to my advantage when transitioning to Lamborghinis.”
However, no matter what car he is in, Morey expresses that the passion he has for racing is unparalleled.
“I love the close battles I have always had from karting all the way up to now,” Morey said. “It’s a rush of action between all the racers. You have to be next to people, weave inside and outside and defend your spot. It is such a cool feeling.”
When choosing to come to Butler, Morey found the university’s 15-minute location from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to just be an additional perk. He wants to become a full-time racer but plans on diving into business and marketing classes to expand his possibilities.
“When I’m too old to race, I’d love to be able to have my own team,” Morey said. “I think having a marketing or business education is a good avenue for being able to do that. The education would help in not only marketing myself while I’m racing but also after with my own team. It would be really cool to help guide younger racers, like myself, to success in the future.”
