NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Born in Chicago, Terry McMillen made his first trip down the racetrack in the Chicago area. It is also why the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, July 7-10, means so much for the Top Fuel standout.

 

It’s a chance for McMillen to come home, and he plans on delivering a big performance in his 10,000-horsepower Amalie Motor Oil dragster, XtermiGator. McMillen went to his first final round this season in Gainesville, an event where Amalie Motor Oil is also the title sponsor, and he hopes to re-create that impressive showing at another race that remains incredibly important to him.

 

“Chicago is home to me, and we’ll have a lot of family and friends there,” McMillen said. “I’m looking for a very big weekend at the track. We’ve got a ton of marketing partners from that area, and it’s going to be an exciting weekend showcasing what we do.

 

“We’re continually building our team, and I’m just proud of what we’ve done. By the same token, I want to do well. Chicago, Indy, and Gainesville are our three key spots. I’m stoked to go in there, and racing at night, I’m looking to be in the [3.70s] quite a bit there.”

 

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event that will for the first time be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1. The fan-favorite event at the state-of-the-art motorsports facility will mark the official start of the second half of the 2016 season as the 13th of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series circuit.

 

The race means a great deal to McMillen, but it’s also an opportunity to get his season back on track after a string of first-round defeats. McMillen and his team, led by crew chief Rob Wendland, started the year strong, posting five round-wins, including the final-round appearance in Gainesville, through the first three events.

 

But a myriad of struggles have followed, and McMillen, who has dropped from fifth to 11th in the Top Fuel points standings, has not won a round since. That’s a string of nine straight races, but McMillen and his crew are diligently working to stop this stretch as soon as possible.

 

“This season has been a roller coaster, but I know we’re working extremely hard,” McMillen said. “We believe we had solved it going into Bristol, but no matter what we did, the car didn’t respond. I feel confident that we’ll go right back to that consistent car. To win rounds, you have to be consistent on race day. We can’t change our game plan, and we have to stay on that path.”

 

That path got decidedly more difficult after McMillen’s dragster went up in flames in Houston. They quickly got a new car, but it has been a learning process.

 

“We really like the new car and feel like it’s a better car, but the way it reacts is just totally different,” McMillen said. “We changed a lot of stuff at Bristol and threw a lot at it, so hopefully we’ve located the culprit, and we’ll just get back to what we do, and that’s running A to B and getting down the track.”

 

Through all of the struggles, McMillen has kept his head held high, knowing better days are ahead. It has been difficult at times, especially after the promising start, but McMillen remains right in the thick of a top 10 spot in Top Fuel and his first playoff berth in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Only five races follow the K&N Filters Route 66 NHRA Nationals before the NHRA’s six-race playoffs begin, and McMillen sits 24 points back of Leah Pritchett, who won earlier this season in Phoenix.

 

“There’s a lot of tough competition behind us and in front of us,” McMillen said. “We’re not desperate by any means, but the will to do better and perform is there. The best thing we can do is stay on track with our game plan. We just have to figure out how to go rounds. We can do that, and we’ve certainly proven we’re capable.”

 

McMillen dipped into the 3.70s for the first time in his career in Topeka, running 3.762 at 324.59 mph, something he hopes to replicate at Route 66 Raceway. But doing so means getting his dragster to perform better off the starting line and getting back to its consistent ways.

 

He will also have to do it against the likes of fellow Chicago native and defending event winner Schumacher, an eight-time world champion. Other challenges in the loaded Top Fuel class will come from points leader Doug Kalitta, two-time 2016 winners Brittany Force and Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, who also has two wins this year, J.R. Todd, Richie Crampton, defending world champion Antron Brown, and Clay Millican.

 

“Rob is a pretty calming factor, and that’s big because our team is really young,” McMillen said. “We help them understand this is what happens in racing. It’s imperative we keep everybody motivated. But I have a strong belief in my team, and I know we’ll be OK.”

 

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. Friday, July 8, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, July 9, at 3:15 and 6 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, July 10.

 

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call 888-629-RACE (7223) or 815-722-5500 or log on to www.route66raceway.com. Kids 12 and younger will be admitted free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.