Terry McMillen will make his ACDelco NHRA Gator Nationals debut this weekend in his Amalie Oil / Wolverine Boots and Apparel Top Fuel Dragster. The team affectionately calls the car the ‘Nitro Gator’ because of the large gator head, water and gator skin that adorns the 300 mile per hour dragster.
McMillen chuckled and asked, “Would it be an understatement to think there might be a few folks from the Gainesville area that would cheer for a gator car? Maybe we’ll find a couple of extra fans just based on that.”
While McMillen hopes Florida Gator fans like his car, the real reason for the reptilian look is Tampa based Amalie Oil. “Amalie has used the gator theme for a long time,” McMillen explains. “We’ve raced my Alcohol Funny Car for years as the InstiGator and last season we dressed up this dragster to look like a gator. It certainly makes it a car that’s a little easier to remember.”
McMillen hopes fans remember him this Sunday also. As a team owner and driver he has made two appearances at NHRA events, both resulted in successful elimination round appearances, but a NHRA round win still eludes the Elkhart Indiana based team.
“We’ve got some Amalie guests that will be joining us this weekend,” McMillen said. “I can’t think of a better time to get an NHRA round win under our belts. Doug Kuch (crew chief) knows how to win rounds here. Everything is in place for us to be successful this weekend. We just need to get this hot rod in the show and hang around for as long as we can on Sunday.”
Professional qualifying for the 40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gator Nationals begins Friday at 11:30AM.
