Clay Millican Will Have a New Addition in 2018… A Brand New Car!
Clay Millican had a career year in 2017, finding his way to the NHRA’s Victory Lane for the first time in his career and ending the season as the quickest man on the planet. However, the chassis that carried him to these milestones, along with several top qualifying efforts and late-round finishes is due for retirement, and that means the Great Clips/Parts Plus/UNOH team would also have to find a new chassis builder after legendary fabricator Brad Hadman retired.
As part of its expansion into manufacturing and fabricating over the past several years, Don Schumacher Racing has opened it’s doors to other teams, building and selling practically every part needed to assemble a competition-ready Top Fuel Dragster, and that’s who Clay and his team have decided to go with for 2018’s new ride. Millican visited the expansive DSR headquarters in Brownsburg, IN to check on progress and to be fitted for his new ride.
Look for the car to make it’s on-track debut, carrying the Speed Society logo along with the Great Clips/Parts Plus/UNOH colors at the pre-season test session in Phoenix, AZ in February, where crew chief David Grubnic will have his first opportunity to tweak his tuneup to work with the state of the art DSR chassis. From there, the team will head a little farther west for the season-opening Winternationals at Pomona Dragway.
With a brand new chassis and Grubnic and the entire team back together for 2018 and will be looking to pile up more wins in pursuit of another berth in the Countdown to the Championship and a world title. However, I can say with all the confidence in the world that this team also focuses on having a good time and sharing their love for the sport with the fans, something many top teams often lose sight of. Anytime you stop by Millican’s pit, you’ll find him smiling and chatting with the fans or speaking to groups of students or fans who have gathered in the hospitality area to listen to him share his unquenchable thirst for speed. Despite having only just wrapped up the 2017 campaign, Clay is already ready to stomp on that loud pedal, this time in his brand new DSR-built chassis!
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