Every Race a Blast for Millican

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Clay Millican flashed an electric smile as he rolled his Hope For Sudan Top Fuel dragster to the starting line at Bristol Dragway Saturday afternoon.

It was another stressful day at the office for the personable native of Drummonds, Tenn., and he appeared to savor every high-speed second of it.

“Man, I enjoy life,” Millican said. “I spent 11 years driving a forklift trying to figure out how I could drive a race car for a living. Now I get to do it. I’m very fortunate.”

Like many of the stars in the National Hot Rod Association, Millican developed his instincts and driving skills as a weekly bracket racer. He won six International Hot Rod
Association Top Fuel champions before opting to make the full-time jump to the more lucrative NHRA Full Throttle ranks.

Entering this weekend’s Thunder Valley Nationals, Millican is 11th in the Top Fuel standings.

“The field is just so close right now,” Millican said. “We have to be prepared to push these cars to the limit, and that’s what we do.”

Millican admits that his quest for consistency and financial help has been complicated by the grim economy.

“It’s extremely tough,” said Millican, who drives for Memphis businessman and sportsman racer Mark Pickens.  “Right now, we are literally going race-to-race and just trying to
make our way through the season.”

Pickens and his wife, Lauren, have pledged to donate 10 percent of the winnings for their Top Fuel dragster to assist in the war-torn country of Sudan. 

While he has earned a ride in the top ranks of drag racing, Millican hasn’t forgotten his formative years. He has appeared this season on two Speed channel shows, Drag Race High and Pinks All Out, which appeal to the heart of the sport.

Drag Race High pits students from rival high schools in a race to build the fastest car. The action culminates with an actual race on a drag strip.

“I had a blast doing the show, and the kids did a great job building cars,” Millican said. “I grew up in bracket racing, so I can relate to all the fans. It’s just great to see how our sport has grown.”

More than 30,000 fans attended a recent taping of Pinks All Out at zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C.

Few facilities in drag racing are more representative of the grassroots of the sport than Bristol Dragway, said Millican.

“This place is absolutely beautiful, and the fans are very appreciative,” Millican said. “I raced on the old track here where you had the little dogleg at the end of the track. People say you can’t move mountains, but don’t tell [dragway owner] Bruton Smith that, because he moved a mountain right here at Bristol.”

Millican has become famous among drag racing fans for his animated interviews. Don’t expect that approach to change anytime soon.

“I truly love to drive a Top Fuel car,” Millican said.