Forrest Lucas reconnects

Wherever you find cars, trucks or any motorized vehicles – and whether they race, haul the nation's freight or take Grandma to church – you're going to find Lucas Oil products.

And while many people have become familiar with the success story of company founder and former long-haul trucker Forrest Lucas, they may not know that he's still got trucking on his mind.

I caught up with Forrest during a busy but chilly Friday during the Heart of America Trucking Show. He was preparing to record a spot for TV at the Lucas Oil booth, but the rain had his crew scrambling to find a dry place to finish the shot.


Forrest Lucas is a proud OOIDA member
(Photo by David Tanner, Land Line Magazine)

Even with the change in plans, and the rain coming down mid-afternoon, nothing could dampen this man's enthusiasm to attend and be associated with OOIDA's 40th anniversary event. Not even the cancellation of the Kansas rock concert he had sponsored for the main stage would get him down on this day.

In fact, he was all smiles. Being here, among the truckers, was enough.

"I wanted to reconnect with the owner-operators," he said. "We've been busy, but it's time to reconnect."

Forrest Lucas' story has been well-documented, but it was still cool to hear him talk about the beginning.

He told me it all started with a desire to develop oil products for use in his own trucks. Everything – the racing, the dedication to research and development, the naming rights to the NFL stadium in Indianapolis – is a result of and an extension of that desire.

This is a man who seems to have a bit of everything on his plate these days, but Forrest Lucas has never forgotten where he came from. He has tremendous respect for the nation's truckers, and he told me he wouldn't miss OOIDA's show for anything. He's been a member of the Association for years.

"The owner-operators ... if it hadn't been for them, we wouldn't be here today," he said.

"Every time we do something, we keep the truckers in mind."