ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – As Terry McMillen pulled into the heart of racing country and made the journey across the sandhills of North Carolina, he had one thing on his mind. Winning rounds.
McMillen drives that Amalie Oil/Wolverine Boots and Apparel Top Fuel Dragster and knows that if he’s going to have to start winning rounds sooner rather than later. The Indiana based team, tuned by Doug Kuch, ripped off 5 final rounds with one win in IHRA competition only to finish third in championship points last season.
McMillen explains, “Someone might try to look at Rockingham and say ‘it’s early in the season’. I look down the list of racers that are going to be here and our team can’t afford to give up one round of racing to any of them.”
“Top Fuel was tough enough last season,” McMillen continued. “You can’t let your guard down for a minute around here or someone will take your lunch before you know it.”
The highly competitive field will have McMillen squaring off against several top teams, including 2007 World Champion Bruce Litton, mutli-race winners Bobby Lagana, Jr. and Tim Boychuk and a host of new contenders.
While some teams might be considered new, McMillen doesn’t take any of them lightly. “I’m not sure you can really call some of these teams ‘new’,” McMillen said. “Terry Haddock knows his way around a nitro motor, he’s the defending IHRA Funny Car World Champion,” McMillen said. “I think if you consider that team a ‘new’ team your setting yourself up to get beat. Haddock knows what he’s doing.”
McMillen also likes to keep an eye on the Mitch King entries. “Mitch has got Paul Smith tuning things over there and a car driven by Del Cox, Jr. that won the championship last season when Spencer Massey drove it. It’s like I said before. If you let your guard down for just a second anyone of these guys will put you on the trailer and send you home.”
Terry McMillen is in Rockingham early to promote the upcoming event which begins this Friday April 24 and runs through Sunday April 26. His appearance schedule includes:
- Tuesday – WTVD ABC 11 in Durham and WGHP Fox 8 in High Point.
- Wednesday – Radio at John Boy and Billy, TV at WCNC NBC in Charlotte, WSOC ABC in Charlotte, News 14 in Charlotte and WCCB Fox Charlotte.
- Thursday – WFMY CBS in Greensboro
“I have a lot of fun doing these media tours,” McMillen said.
