His influence in racing, in Indianapolis and all of Indiana was impressive.
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was just one of his investments—naming rights for the NFL Indianapolis Colts’ home for $122 million for 20 years, starting in 2006.
Lucas Oil is the title sponsor of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series—home of the NHRA Sportsman classes— and is the official oil of the Dallas Cowboys.
Forrest Lucas liked to call it “cow candy,” this molasses-laced feed that got the attention of his herd of black Simmental cattle at his family’s 10,000-acre ranch near Wheatland, Mo. It made him seem like the Pied Piper of the Ozarks.
Whenever the steers saw him in the pasture, they would lumber toward him and the treat he would dispense from the bed of his pick-up truck when he was trying to relocate them to another part of the property.
Whether it was driving cattle or shepherding business associates in the direction he wanted them to move, Forrest Lucas used a style that was folksy, practical, and kind. “It doesn’t cost a dime to be nice,” he said.
That’s what made Lucas an anomaly in the unfortunately cutthroat and egomaniacal corporate world as he spread his Hoosier values around the world from long-haul trucking/automotive to motorsports to the NFL to major-league baseball to ranching to local commerce to broadcasting to politics, advocating for the American farmer.
And Saturday, Aug. 23, this self-made tycoon, this genuine American Dream model, died at age 83. He leaves wife Charlotte Lucas and an extended family. They include son Morgan Lucas, a former Top Fuel driver wo’s now CEO of Lucas Oil, and his wife Katie, the firm’s president.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our founder, Forrest Lucas,” Lucas Oil officials wrote in a prepared statement released Saturday night via social media. “Forrest’s boundless drive for Lucas Oil, his generosity and love for his family, friends, and community defined his life. While we grieve this tremendous loss, we take comfort in knowing his legacy will continue to inspire our team and all who knew him.”
Forrest Lucas certainly inspired Hector Arana, the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer who was first in a long list of motorsports stars to sport the Lucas Oil shield and went on to earn the 2009 bike series championship.
Just as sponsorship is the lifeblood of motorsports, so is employment to family security. And Arana found both in his relationship with Forrest Lucas. Arana left his service-department job at a Miami Cadillac dealership at Lucas’ invitation and moved his family to Corydon, Ind., to perform maintenance at the production plant. Three of his four children began their careers there, as well. He became a key gear—a grassroots ambassador—in the company’s well-oiled research and marketing machine, representing not only the company but the product itself.
Arana said he kept asking himself, “How can I help them market?” But he said Lucas “taught me how marketing is powerful.” And Arana helped Lucas perfect and sustain a global initiative that has spread to Canada, Australia, Wales, Scotland, England, Italy, Poland, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, and Korea. He even drove Lucas’ motorhome to and from the drag races, continually analyzing the oil’s performance. Same with the racing motorcycle oil. “Believe me, he has high standards,” Arana said. “It has to be right before it will go out. He believes that if you pay for it, you should get what you pay for.
“His standards, his morals, are ‘Do it right.’ Any product, he goes through his own personal test with his own personal vehicle. We open up the engine and look to see if we have any issue. When everything checks out, then we release it,” Arana said.
Physically distributing his products posed a challenge, and Lucas again proved his shrewdness. In May 2006, Lucas realized the short-line railroad that moved his goods out of Corydon was in financial trouble and that “it was either shut down, go somewhere else, or buy a railroad. So we bought a railroad," Lucas said, admitting that “I don't know anything about running a railroad." The Louisville, New Albany, & Corydon Railroad, which operated a grand distance of 7.7 miles, morphed into Lucas Rail Lines.
Throughout his career, Forrest Lucas simply realized what he needed to do and did it, even if unconventionally. In the business’ early days, Bob Patison—their former counsel who later served as Lucas Oil’s vice-president—remembered a day when as a young attorney, Forrest and wife Charlotte Lucas paid him in lawn furniture.
“It was brand-new,” Charlotte Lucas said. “We were supposed to deliver it to somebody, but they had gone out of business.” The manufacturer told them to keep it and do whatever they wanted to do with it. And, Patison said, “We needed some lawn furniture anyway.”
Lucas Oil relocated to Indianapolis from Corona, Calif., last November. But Forrest Lucas had hinted about it for years, suggesting that returning to his roots would require critical incentives, such as state or city vehicles using his products.
His influence in Indianapolis and all of Indiana was impressive. Lucas Oil Stadium was just one of his investments—naming rights for the NFL Indianapolis Colts’ home for $122 million for 20 years, starting in 2006. His company struck a deal recently to be the Indiana Pacers’ jersey patch sponsor for the 2025-26 NBA season. Lucas Oil is the official oil of the Dallas Cowboys. And he was the boss at MAVTV (Now RACER Media) and Forrest Films, which promoted family friendly programming. He preserved jobs in Southern Indiana by purchasing a railroad in 2006.
Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon posted to X: "With the passing of Forrest Lucas, the Indianapolis Colts have lost a dear friend, and our city and state have lost an extraordinary business pioneer, leader and a giant among Hoosiers. Our memories with Forrest and his family go back a long way, and we have cherished every moment of our business partnership. as well as our personal relationship. We are proud to carry his legacy into the future every time we take the field. And of course, our dad [the late Jim Irsay] had a special relationship with Forrest, and we know he is awaiting him with open arms."
Pacers representatives also posted a message on X, saying, “We are saddened by the passing of Forrest Lucas, a visionary entrepreneur and long-time friend of Pacers Sports and Entertainment. His passion for innovation, commitment to excellence, and dedication to giving back set an example for us all. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Lucas family and the entire team at Lucas Oil.”
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE ON LUCAS OIL'S INCREDIBLE RANGE OF SPONSORSHIPS IN THE SPORTS WORLD
Patison summed up Forrest and Charlotte Lucas’ character: “They have no ego. They’re not hung up on appearances and status.” They didn’t stay at fancy hotels in their travels. They didn’t drive fancy cars. They did buy a 25,000-square-foot mansion at Carmel, Ind., that Conseco Inc. co-founder Stephen Hilbert owned – not as a personal residence but rather for philanthropic purposes. He said, “I consider this property to be a true work of art which should be preserved and shared. This is an asset with enormous potential not only for Lucas Oil but also for the community. I anticipate that this property will be utilized for various business activities as well as community functions.” Charlotte Lucas said she saw it “as the perfect site for occasional fundraisers and benefits.”
Always approachable, Forrest Lucas often blended into the crowd, wearing no Lucas Oil advertising on his clothing, his elbows propped up on the fence as he watched the action on the dragstrip at NHRA races. (“My parents really like people,” Morgan Lucas said. “My dad likes to be sociable and hang out.”) Ron Jenkins, who in 2004 sold the Lucases his Wheatland Raceway in West Central Missouri, said, “He hasn’t forgotten how he got there. They’re just ordinary people.”
Forrest Lucas was at once ordinary and extraordinary. And his passing will leave an extraordinary void.
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