When Terry McMillen and his Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car, powered by Torco Racing Fuels, roll into the US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, it will be a familiar territory. McMillen, who considers US 131 Motorsports Park home for his team, has logged more laps on the Michigan quarter-mile in testing, match races and elimination rounds than any other track in recent years.
“This is always a great race for us,” said McMillen. “Between all of our families and friends and our extended family with our Amalie Distributors, we are expecting over 100 guests this weekend. It should be a great weekend of racing. Stephanie and Jason Peterson (track managers) always make us feel at home here. US 131 is one of the premier tracks and races in the eMax series, so this place holds a lot of special meaning for us. Plus, it’s the title race for our Major Associate sponsor, Torco Racing Fuels. It would be a great place for us to win a race.”
Racing begins at the Torco Racing Fuels Northern Nationals on August 4, but for McMillen the event begins early. McMillen, known for his quick wit and comical explanations on what it takes to get a funny car down the track, will make the media rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, beginning in-studio, Wednesday at 3:30PM, with Jeremy Sampson on WLIX NBC 10 in Lansing. Later that evening, McMillen will appear on a cable show in Grand Rapids. McMillen will also showcase the No Limit Custom Coach 2-seat dragster for media day, where local media get a chance to experience drag racing from the front seat of a dragster.
“Half the fun of racing is getting an opportunity to do these appearances and give people the opportunity to ride along in that dragster. It gives them a small taste of the acceleration and G-force that we experience,” said McMillen. “Of course the other half of fun when racing is going rounds and winning the event.”
Performing well on race day is a trait that is quickly becoming part of the Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team’s arsenal. McMillen has taken out points leader and five time World Champion, Mark Thomas in the last two races. “We’ve worked really hard,” McMillen added. “They say the harder you work the luckier you get, so maybe our luck has changed just the little bit that we needed.” To see McMillen in head to head competition, tune in to SPEED TV this Saturday, August 5th at 4PM ET or Monday, August 7th at 5PM ET for the Castrol Raceway event held in Edmonton, where McMillen made a semi-final appearance.
McMillen also had an opportunity to sit down with Top Fuel Champion, Clay Millican, during the rain delayed Canadian Nationals. In the 1320 TV interview known as “Quarter-Mile Confessions”, McMillen and Millican shared stories of being on the road, how the Amalie Oil InstiGator came about, McMillen’s future in the top fuel class and many other confessions. The entire interview can be viewed by visiting: http://snipurl.com/Terry1320TV.
The InstiGator team partners with high quality and high performance companies like; Amalie Oil, eRaceFuels, Flatout Gaskets, NGK Spark Plugs, MSD, Fatheadz.com, GO Graphics, Powershield Coatings, Crane Cams, eMax and No Limit Custom Coach.
