RICHMOND, Va. – Terry McMillen, driver of the Foley & Lewis, Torco Nitro Top Fuel Dragster narrowly missed making the field at the 2nd annual Torco Race Fuels NHRA Nationals. After the final qualifying session, McMillen was disappointed but optimistic about his team.
“We learned a lot this weekend,” McMillen said as they loaded the dragster into the transporter. “We know that we’re close to running the number we need to make the show anywhere we go.”
McMillen entered Saturday’s qualifying rounds in the 10th provisional position, knowing that he’d have to step up performance to make the field. Saturday’s first pass put McMillen next to defending NHRA World Champion Tony Schumacher. McMillen would run side by side with Schumacher falling slightly off pace at the top end of the track as the car pitched the blower belt.
“The car was on a decent run,” McMillen said. “I guess we just didn’t wind that rubber band tight enough to make it the whole quarter mile.” The 4.732 second pass would keep McMillen in the field in the 15th position.
“Our teammate Doug Foley ran a sixty on that pass and we layed our run over his on the computer. If we could have kept that belt together that run would have been a low sixty. But you can’t cry about it now. We’ve just got to pick up and do better next time.”
McMillen’s final qualifying attempt would be aborted just after the burnout when a small fuel leak was detected. The aborted run would end McMillen’s hopes at qualifying.
The next stop for McMillen and the Torco Nitro Top Fuel team is the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, North Carolina October 19-21.
