Forrest Lucas obit

Forrest Lucas, the unlikely self-made multimillionaire and namesake of Colts stadium, dies

 

He was not on the list.

Forrest Lucas, the namesake of Lucas Oil Stadium who was raised in Indiana in poverty and went on to became a self-made tycoon worth $500 million with his entrepreneurial prowess and ingenuity in the automotive and film industries, has died.

Lucas was 83. His company, Lucas Oil Products, announced his death Saturday.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our founder, Forrest Lucas. 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,” the statement reads.

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 ... Our hearts go out to Charlotte, Morgan and Katie and the entire Lucas family for this incredible loss. We are proud to carry his legacy into the future every time we take the field. And of course, our dad had a special relationship with Forrest, and we know he is awaiting him with open arms."

Born in 1942 in rural Bartholomew County, Lucas' beginnings were humble. He was raised on a small farm in the now-defunct town of Elkinsville and, later in life, said his childhood was one of "rural deprivation."

During his teenage years, Forrest and his three younger sisters survived hard times in the home Lucas told IndyStar in 2014 was a "shack."

"Mom made 65 cents an hour working for a sewing machine company in Columbus," Lucas said in the interview. His father struggled with alcoholism and would come home only when he had "sobered up for a day," Lucas said.

As a child, and the only boy in the family, Lucas was tasked with feeding the pigs and milking the cows before and after school. By the time he was 15, he had left his family's farm to work on a nearby cattle ranch in Harrison County. His goal, he later said, was to find financial security.

Lucas was always trying to help with the family's finances. To do that, he was a hired hand who cleaned barns and showed livestock at the Indiana and Kentucky state fairs.

After graduating high school, and with no money for college, Lucas called his post education "a long college called hard knocks."

Yet, what Lucas created for himself with his gritty work ethic and a knack for building businesses, would be bigger than anything the farm boy from Indiana could ever imagine.

When the Colts' new stadium opened in 2007, replacing the RCA Dome, Lucas signed a 20-year agreement paying $121.5 million for the naming rights. Lucas Oil Stadium was born.

But before Lucas would have that kind of money, he would turn his small startup into a massive global brand called Lucas Oil Products.

After buying his first truck at 19, Lucas soon upgraded to a semi-trailer, hauling loads for Mayflower Transit. But Lucas wanted more. He wanted to create something bigger that belonged only to him.

By the time he was in his early 30s, Lucas had a small fleet of trucks. When the trucking industry was deregulated in 1980, "Lucas made history by becoming the first individual in America to obtain full 48-state operating authority, allowing him to haul anything, anywhere, without restriction. It was a game-changer," Lucas Oil writes on its website.

Owning all those trucks quickly gave Lucas an idea. He had seen the performance issues in truck engines and fuel systems and saw an opportunity to change that by inventing better lubricants and additives.

In 1989, at the age of 47, Lucas and his wife, Charlotte, founded Lucas Oil Products. What started as a small operation in a single warehouse grew into a global brand with products available in more than 30,000 auto parts stores and distributed in more than 90 countries.

Lucas perfected an oil additive to help big rigs not overheat, and the company now sells more than 100 lubricants, additives and greases.

As Lucas' oil business flourished, he soon became a leading figure in motorsports, creating one of the longest and most impactful sponsorship partnerships in drag racing history, according to the NHRA.

"For more than two decades, Lucas Oil has served as the title sponsor of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, supporting thousands of grassroots racers and sportsman competitors," the NHRA wrote after Lucas' death.

The brand also became the official oil of the NHRA, lent its name to the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., and the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., and secured naming rights to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, home of the NHRA U.S. Nationals.

IndyCar team Arrow McLaren posted to X, in part, "Forrest's impact on the Indianapolis community is felt far and wide, and he was a long-time fan of motorsport and a friend of our team. We race for him and the Lucas family this weekend."

In 2014, Lucas and Charlotte were the subject of the documentary "American Real: The Forrest Lucas Story."

On top of his business and motorsports ventures, Lucas started dabbling in films. In 2018, he founded Forrest Films with race car driver-actor-producer Ali Afshar. The company said its goal was to make inspirational and hopeful family films.

Among the actors who have been cast in Lucas' films are Sharon Stone, Lea Thompson, Jon Voigt and Jane Seymour.

Actor

Dennis Quaid, Sean Patrick Flanery, Katrina Bowden, and Edson Barboza in Born a Champion (2021)

Born a Champion

6.8

Mr. Miller

2021

 

Bennett's War (2019)

Bennett's War

6.1

Forrest

2019

 

Jane Seymour in Pray for Rain (2017)

Pray for Rain

5.3

Pastor Forrest

2017

 

Producer

Dennis Quaid, Sean Patrick Flanery, Katrina Bowden, and Edson Barboza in Born a Champion (2021)

Born a Champion

6.8

executive producer

2021

 

Jeff Fahey, Ali Afshar, John Ducey, Christina Moore, Gabriel Tigerman, Noureen DeWulf, Matty Cardarople, Matt Jones, and Jessica Serfaty in Wheels of Fortune (2020)

Wheels of Fortune

5.5

executive producer

2020

 

Roped (2020)

Roped

5.5

executive producer

2020

 

Christopher McDonald, Michael O'Neill, and Jacqueline Toboni in The Stand at Paxton County (2020)

The Stand at Paxton County

6.4

executive producer

2020

 

Sean Patrick Flanery and Grace Van Dien in Lady Driver (2020)

Lady Driver

5.8

executive producer

2020

 

Bennett's War (2019)

Bennett's War

6.1

executive producer

2019

 

Sean Patrick Flanery, Tommy Flanagan, and George Kosturos in American Fighter (2019)

American Fighter

5.4

executive producer

2019

 

The Ride (2018)

The Ride

7.2

executive producer

2018

 

Kevin Dillon, Christina Moore, and DeRon Horton in Dirt (2018)

Dirt

6.1

executive producer

2018

 

Jane Seymour in Pray for Rain (2017)

Pray for Rain

5.3

executive producer

2017

 

Sharon Stone, Tommy Flanagan, and Jason Lewis in Running Wild (2017)

Running Wild

5.8

executive producer

2017

 

Lea Thompson, James Remar, Kathleen Wilhoite, Ashley Parker Angel, Philip Boyd, Jamie Christopherson, Seth Coltan, Ali Afshar, Cullen Douglas, Matthew Glave, Brett Hedlund, Karen Kahn, Mike Lutz, George Maguire, Tag Mendillo, Christina Moore, Sherry Stringfield, Robert Merrill, Atticus Todd, Alex Ranarivelo, April Adams, Michael King, Reuben Steinberg, Scott Manuel Johnson, Jayson Blair, Brando Eaton, Allison Paige, Stephen Rider, Will King, Ajani Perkins, Nick Mavrakis, David Will Coussins, Lindsay Leopold, Ashley Michaelsen, Courtney Hope Turner, Shannon Matesky, Annabelle Kavanagh, Alex Robertson, and Jeff Fowler in The Dog Lover (2016)

The Dog Lover

5.5

executive producer

2016

 

Jon Voight, William Fichtner, Ali Afshar, Lia Marie Johnson, and George Kosturos in American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016)

American Wrestler: The Wizard

7.1

executive producer

2016

 

Self

Life, Liberty & Levin (2018)

Life, Liberty & Levin

6.2

TV Series

Self - Founder & CEO, Lucas Oil Products

2019

1 episode

 

Forrest Lucas in American Real: The Forrest Lucas Story (2014)

American Real: The Forrest Lucas Story

Self

2014

 

Archive Footage

The Project (2009)

The Project

4.2

TV Series

Self (archive footage)

2016

1 episode