The 2018 NHRA season kicked off this weekend with the Winter Nationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA this weekend! Armed with a brand new chassis, driver Clay Millican and his Stringer Performance were ready to take the Great Clips/ Parts Plus dragster out on the track for the first event of the year. After a successful test session in Phoenix the week before, Millican and his team, led by crew chief David Grubnic, were confident that all of their hard work during the off-season had paid off – and they were 100% correct.

Friday marked Millican’s first time on the track for Day 1 of qualifying for the Winter Nationals and made quite the statement by taking the No. 1 spot with the fastest run of the day with a 3.694 second run. However, what followed on Saturday not only sent shockwaves throughout the NHRA Top Fuel garage but also made national news when Millican set a new World Record with an elapsed time of 3.628 seconds. Millican broke his own record of 3.631 set last year in Madison, Illinois.

”My crew chief, David Grubnic, runs this car differently than anybody else out here and he is just one of a kind,” Millican said. ”I knew it was a special run at the 330-foot mark, and I even shut the car off a bit early so we know we can improve upon those numbers at some point. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”

Going into Sunday’s finals as the No. 1 qualifier, Millican and team were ready to battle for the Wally and faced Steve Chrisman in Round One of Eliminations. Clay got the win light with a time of 3.709 and went into Round 2 with a bye. Advancing to the semi-finals, Clay went up against Doug Kalita but a mechanical issue kept him from going for the win.

The Stringer Performance team leaves Pomona riding a huge wave of momentum following their World Record run and holding onto the third spot in the standings. Next up for the team is the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, February 23-25th.

In a year when Clay Millican earned his first NHRA race win, earned the pole qualifying position five times and set the national elapsed time record, he finished out the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in sixth place at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona.

“Coming into the year we wanted to be in the Top 5. So our goal all year was: bonus points, bonus points, bonus points. We did that a lot. Unfortunately, we just missed our goal of top five, but we’ll take sixth place. Everyone worked so hard and I am so proud of this team for getting us here.”

Millican drove the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio Top Fuel dragster to an elapsed time of 3.671 at 328.22 mph.

“We came out here to Pomona and qualified incredibly well. We were the second quickest car essentially every lap down the race track. We actually had to miss one qualifying run, but we came back Q4 and put a run down that was just incredible. We racked up nine bonus points,” Milican said.

In Round One, Millican came up against Shawn Reed. It ended up being a pedalfest, with both drivers spinning their tires and having to get their dragsters under control. Millican took the win: 4.941/266.16 to 10.318/83.93. In Round Two, Millican raced Doug Kalitta. It was an extremely close race with Kalitta getting the win: 3.687/330.96 to 3.698/328.38.

“We go out there first round today and it was a little tricky for the driver. We had to do a little work to get to the finish line. For some reason we spun the tires, but we were able to get the win light,” Millican said. “Then we go up against Doug Kalitta who is one of the baddest dudes out here. We lost one heck of a drag race. Three thousandth of a second at the finish line; it was an incredible race. You hate to ever lose, but its way better than losing second round because you smoked the tires or something like that.”

At the end of race day, Millican ended up No. 6 in points. This is the second time he finished out the NHRA season is the sixth position.

“I’m just so proud of this whole team. We always talk about these young guys. They went this entire season without us having to abort a run for anything they did wrong. No mistakes made which is incredible. We went this entire season without a crew failure which is just unbelievable,” said Millican. “This season speaks volumes of this group of people that we have here on this car. David Grubnic has proven he is one of the best crew chiefs in the business. I mean we’re the national record holder and Mac Savage has done a great job making sure the car’s ready to go and gives Grubby that sounding board for all of his ideas. And wow, what a team.”

For team owner Doug Stringer, this was an amazing year. “These guys… We set a lot of goals at the beginning of the year and accomplished almost all of them. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone here and their work and look forward going into next year.”

Looking ahead to 2018 Millican had this to say about his team and has a message for the competition. “It was a heck of a year for this team. You know, we’re really coming into our own. Third year of this operation, single car… these dudes are awesome. The rest of the NHRA world better be looking out next year is all I can say.”

2017 turned out to be a break out year for Clay Millican. Behind-the-wheel of the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio Top Fuel dragster this year he earned his first NHRA event win, he grabbed the pole qualifying position five times and he set the National elapsed time record to become the quickest driver in NHRA history.

“This year has been awesome. David Grubnic, Mac Savage and this team of young guys have done a phenomenal job of tuning a consistent race car this season,” Millican said. “But now we have one race left and we need to get the job done. This is our last chance to go all the way and put our dragster in the Winner’s Circle in 2017.”

The 53rd Annual Auto Club NHRA Finals is the last stop in the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. It is the 24th race in a series that has had the Stringer Performance team traveling all across the United States.

Millican comes into Pomona No.7 in points. This weekend at the Auto Club NHRA Finals the points in play are increased to the one-and-a-half points system, meaning the leader board can change dramatically by Sunday. Winning the race earns a driver 150 points, with a possible 191 up for grabs.

“It’s anybody’s game this weekend. Between bonus points and round wins we are lined up to move several spots in the countdown. We started out the season with the goal of finishing in the top five and this is our chance to do it,” said Millican. “The Parts Plus/Great Clips/UNOH dragster has been running great and there is no reason why we can’t break that top five.”

Auto Club NHRA Finals Schedule (Pacific Time)
Friday, November 10
12:45 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 1
3:30 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 2
Saturday, November 11
12:45 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 3
3:30 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 4
Sunday, November 12
11:00 a.m. Nitro Eliminations Begin

Auto Club NHRA Finals TV Schedule on FS1 (Eastern Time)
Friday, November 10 – 6:30 p.m. LIVE Coverage of Qualifying
Saturday, November 11 – 6:00 p.m. LIVE Coverage of Qualifying
Sunday, November 12 – 4:00 p.m. LIVE Coverage of Eliminations

Las Vegas is a town where one day the odds are in your favor and you’re riding high, but your luck runs out the next. Clay Millican and the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio experienced both this weekend at the NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Millican came into race day qualified No. 3 with an elapsed time of 3.707 at 311.99. This was after four qualifying sessions that included smoking tires and even parachutes popping out early.

“Qualifying started off rough. We made little bitty improvements each run, but not what we wanted,” explained Millican. “And then on our last session, which is not typically your home run session, we go out there and go 3.70. The crazy thing about that run is the parachute came out about half track, so this thing is dragging behind us, and we still go 3.70 at 311 mph. So we went from near the bottom of the pack, all the way up to #3.”

In Round One, Millican faced Mike Salinas. Millican was first off the line and made a strong clean pass of 3.710 at 327.11 mph to take the win light. In Round Two, Millican came up against Terry McMillen.

“In the second round we went out there and got the tires loose against Terry. I really don’t know what happened. It makes no sense because we weren’t trying to run another 3.70. Terry did a great job, got the win light and went on to get his first event win,” said Millican.

With just one race now remaining in the 2017 NHRA Drag Racing season, qualifying high and winning rounds were crucial for earning points this past weekend in Las Vegas. Millican’s goal from February has been to finish in the top five.

“It wasn’t what we were looking for this weekend because of the points. The top of the Top Fuel class group got all mixed up. Stevie (Torrence went out second round, Doug (Kalitta) went out second run, Antron (Brown) went out first round. It was crazy. So we kind of let an opportunity slip away,” said Millican “But we’re going to go out there and keep stomping on the loud pedal. I’m so proud of this whole team.”

Next up for the Millican and the Stringer Performance team is the 2017 Auto Club Finals in Pomona, California in November 9 – 12.

Clay Millican and the Stringer Performance team set a goal at the beginning of the season: earn a spot in the top five. With only two races remaining in the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Season, they are close to reaching their goal.

The highest Millican has finished in the Countdown to the Championship is the No.6 position. He comes into the 2017 NHRA Toyota Nationals this weekend No. 7 with a spot in the top five within his grasp.

“The points battle is just so close. We’re less than a round behind Leah (Pritchett) and Tony (Schumacher). At this point, every lap down the track is critical for us. We need those qualifying bonus points and round wins,” Millican said. “With only two races left, we are throwing everything we have into the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio dragster.”

Millican’s been enjoying a successful 2017 season so far. He currently holds the National Elapsed Time record with a run of 3.631 at 330.39 mph last month in St. Louis. He earned his very first NHRA win in Bristol, TN over Father’s Day weekend. He has also grabbed the No.1 qualifying spot five times this year.

In 2013, Millican was the runner-up at the NHRA Toyota Nationals. Last year at this event Millican was the No.1 qualifier.

“This is always a great race for us. First off, we have done well here in the past. Second, all the fun surrounding Halloween makes for a good time,” Millican said. “All bets are off in Vegas this weekend. We want to take the No.1 spot again and get other event win this year.”

2017 NHRA Toyota Nationals Schedule (All Times Western)
Friday, October 27
2:30 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 1
5:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 2
Saturday, October 28
2:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 3
4:30 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 4
Sunday, October 29
11:00 a.m. Nitro Eliminations Begin

2017 NHRA Toyota Nationals TV Air Times (All Times Eastern)
Friday, Oct 27 – 6:00 p.m. LIVE Qualifying Coverage on FS1
Saturday, Oct 28 – Coverage of Q4 on NHRA.com
Sunday, Oct 29 – 3:00 p.m. LIVE Special Edition of #NHRAToday on FS1
Sunday, Oct 29 – 4:00 p.m. LIVE Coverage of eliminations

Fans and NHRA race teams at the Texas Motorplex dealt with sweltering heat during qualifying on Friday and Saturday. But come race day at the AAA Texas NHRA Nationals, the weather changed dramatically. This meant tune up changes for Clay Millican and the crew of the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio.

Clay Millican came into race day in the No. 10 qualifying position with an elapsed time of 3.773 at 321.42 mph. He earned this time on his first pass of the weekend. In the following qualifying sessions he went 4.950/139.23, 6.804/84.78 and 3.774/323.58.

After overnight storms on Sunday, temperatures dropped significantly. Saturday air temperature for the third qualifying session was 89 degrees with a track temp of 125. In stark comparison, for Round 1 eliminations it was 67 degrees outside with a track temperature of 82.

“Unbelievable how big a weather change we had. We had 90 plus degree temps all weekend long. So we come out this morning and it is cold. You wanted your sweatshirts and jackets on,” Millican explained.

In round 1 Millican came up against Shawn Langdon. Millican had the better reaction time, but a loss of traction caused the car to slow down and Langdon took the win: 3.993/219.54 to 8.830/83.31.

“I was so excited for first round because we know this car is the quickest car in the world. I was very much looking forward to going out there and putting down a huge number. We left first against Shawn Langdon, but unfortunately we got the tires loose and it was a short day,” Millican said. “It was not what we wanted during this countdown. But hey, it happens you know. We’ll just go out there and try to win one of these next two races or both of them.”

Next up for the Stringer Performance team is the 2017 Toyota Nationals on October 26 thru the 28 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Clay Millican comes into the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals as the quickest driver in NHRA history. With an elapsed time of 6.631 at 330.39 mph, he recently set the national record in Top Fuel and he believes it will hold through this weekend.

“We’ve said hot or cold, we can make this dragster go fast and I am confident of that. Looking at the latest forecast, it looks like it’s going to be a hot, Texas weekend,” Millican said. “If someone is able to set a new E.T. record with the air temperature in the 90’s, then they earned it.”

At the past two events, Millican has put the Parts Plus/Great Clips/University of Northwestern Ohio dragster in the No. 1 qualifying position. Millican and the team want to keep the streak going to make it three events in-a-row and he believes he can do that at the Texas Motorplex.

“The Texas Motorplex is a great track to race at. That place is the original super track and stacked with so much history,” Millican said. “This is the track where Eddie Hill made the first Top Fuel dragster pass in under four seconds.”

With only three races remaining in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, Millican is currently in the fifth position, with just one point putting him ahead of the sixth place driver and 141 points out of first place.

“Our plan since Indy has been the same: Go for the best elapsed time every session and collect all the bonus points we can,” Millican said. “On race day we have to continue to fight. We’ve learned it doesn’t matter how fast you go down that track, you could still lose on a holeshot. Everybody on my team is giving their all in these final races of 2017.”

The Parts Plus/Great Clips/UNOH dragster will also have a new look this weekend. The vibrant orange and green colors on the car will be replaced with pink to help bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness month.

2017 AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals Schedule (Central Time)
Friday, October 13
3:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 1
6:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 2

Saturday, October 14
2:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 3
5:00 p.m. Nitro Qualifying Session 4

Sunday, October 15
11:00 a.m. Nitro Eliminations Begin

2017 AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals TV Coverage (Eastern Time)
Friday, October 13 – 6:00 p.m. LIVE coverage of qualifying
Sunday, October 15 – 1:00 p.m. Qualifying coverage
Sunday, October 15 – 2:00 p.m. LIVE coverage of eliminations

This past weekend at the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals, Clay Millican became the quickest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history. On Friday night, Millican drove the Parts Plus/Great Clips/UNOH dragster to a record-setting elapsed time of 3.631 seconds at 330.39 mph.

“It’s just an incredible thing for this team to do. We knew it was there, I’ve said it for a couple races now, that we could set the national record. It wasn’t quite like Babe Ruth calling his shot, but I definitely knew this car was capable of setting the national record. And I truly believe we are capable of re-setting the national record if the weather is correct at these next couple races,” Millican said.

Millican has now claimed three of the top five, quickest elapsed times in NHRA history. He previously set two elapsed time records at the NHRA race in Brainerd, Minnesota this past August.

This is the fifth time this season that Millican earned the No. 1 qualifying spot; his second race in a row. As the No. 1 qualifier, Millican raced No. 16 qualifier, Kyle Wurtzel, in the first round. Millican made a clean pass on the 98 degree track and took the win with a 3.664/328.06 to 5.096/136.69.

In Round Two, Millican came up against Dom Lagana. Millican had lane choice and picked the right lane. In that round of racing, many of the professional cars struggled in this lane. Millican ended up smoking the tires and Lagana took the win, 3.730/326.87 to 5.129/141.09.

“It’s a little disappointing when you have the quickest car out there. I’m not sure what happened today, but Grubby will figure it out,” said Millican. “We keep talking about bonus points, and we got bonus points this weekend, but we’re not turning on enough win lights for points. We want to turn on more. We win and lose together as a team. I believe we will win together again soon.”

Millican earned six bonus points this weekend and that was enough to move ahead of Tony Schumacher into the No. 5 spot. This has put him even closer to the championship. With three races to go, he is 141 points out of first place.

After three consecutive races in a row, the Stringer Performance team gets a weekend off. The next race is the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, TX, October 13 – 15.