CAYUGA, Ont. – Terry McMillen, driver of the Foley & Lewis, Torco Nitro Top Fuel dragster doubled his career win total with his second win this season. McMillen also scored his first Last Man Standing award when he captured low E.T. and the number one provisional qualifying position on Friday night. McMillen would end qualifying in the fourth position.
“That Toronto Ironman is going to look pretty nice next to the Edmonton Ironman,” McMillen commented as he drove back to his race shop in Elkhart, Indiana. “We had a good car all through qualifying,” he added. “We needed a couple of lucky breaks to get to the finals, but when the chips where on the line my guys came through in a big way.”
McMillen would face current IHRA points leader TJ Zizzo in the final round. “TJ just came off of a killer pass in the semi-finals. It was almost identical to his Saturday night run where he reset the track E.T. record and had a mid-fifties (4.50 second quarter mile) run. When we ran Saturday night our half track numbers were as good as his, so I knew the car was capable of matching his numbers.”
McMillen and Zizzo faced each other for the first time this season, McMillen taking a slight whole shot advantage with him at the start. “When I hit the pedal and that Torco Nitro went to work in those cylinders I knew the car was one a pass,” McMillen said. “That front end was hiked in the air for over a second in the run. Sometimes I think Glen Camp (crew chief) sets it up that way so I can’t do anything but go along for the ride.”
And a ride it was. McMillen rode the Torco Nitro dragster for an eighth mile pass and clocked a 3.106 elapsed time at 270.16 mph. The pass had an identical half track elapsed time numbers as Zizzo’s record setting pass on Saturday night. “We skipped Indy (U.S. Nationals) because at the time we only had a sixty’s car,” McMillen added. It’s starting to look and feel like a fifty’s car now. Let’s hope there’s enough season to run down the rest of these guys.”
McMillen is currently fifth in IHRA Top Fuel points. He trails Zizzo by 224 points and fourth place Bobby Lagana, Jr. by just 74 points.
The next stop for McMillen is the rain delayed Suzuki Motor City Nationals, September 21-23. The race will be contested at the Milan Dragway near Detroit Michigan.
