The Anatomy of a Top Fuel win With Clay Millican
After nearly two decades of being the brides maid when it came to NHRA Top Fuel final rounds, Clay Millican finally got to walk down the aisle straight to the Winner’s Circle two weeks ago at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Clay, who had reached the final round nine times before Bristol 2017, has managed to do something many drivers and teams struggle to do in maintaining sponsorships through the years despite being unable to quite seal the deal and bring home that elusive first win. However, if you spend more than a few seconds with the Drummonds, TN native, you’ll quickly realize that the sponsors get far more than a driver and a race car when they align themselves with Millican.
Looking deeper than his trademark grin that quite literally never leaves his face, Clay is a genuine southern gentleman in every sense of the word, going above and beyond at every turn to show the fans how much he appreciates them being there. Unlike some drivers, who rely on their win totals to keep the sponsor dollars rolling in and their operation running and only spend time with the fans at their convenience, Millican will delay team operations like the pre-race warm-up to spend just a few extra minutes making sure every last autograph is signed and selfie is taken. Beyond that, he spends much of his time away from the track doing promotional work for his sponsors that keep their name and logos in front of potential customers, ensuring they get the absolute most value out of their investment in Clay and his operation.
However, it was obvious Millican wanted that winless monkey off his back, and finally, after more than 250 attempts and nine runner-ups, Millican took out, in successive rounds, Kyle Wurtzel, Brittany Force, number one qualifier and points leader Steve Torrence, and finally in the finals Speed Society Racing teammate Leah Pritchett. The video below wonderfully captures the amazing moment, from round one through to the winner’s circle celebration, which continued long into the night for Clay’s amazing crew back in the pits.
A true ambassador for the sport of drag racing, it was an honor and a privilege to be in Bristol and witness Clay’s first win. He and his crew welcomed us into their pits like family, and we could not be prouder to be a small part of such an amazing team. Now that the monkey is off his back, we’re hoping to see Millican and the Great Clips/Parts Plus/UNOH sponsored dragster back in the winner’s circle soon and often!
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