ELKHART, Ind. – In an announcement today, Terry McMillen, team owner and driver of the Amalie Oil InstiGator Top Fuel dragster, named Richard Hartman crew chief for the team’s 2010 NHRA Full Throttle campaign. Hartman joins McMillen after leading Bruce Litton as crew chief or co-crew chief to 14 IHRA victories, including Litton’s 2007 IHRA Championship.
“We’re excited about having Richard on our team,” McMillen said. “He’s proven himself to be a consistent tuner over the years. Drag racing is all about consistency and getting a car from point A to point B. I’m confident he’ll give us the best opportunity to make an impact early in our quest to make the Countdown.”
Hartman’s drag racing career began in 1975 at the age of eight working with his father Virgil and continued when he took the wheel of his family’s Nitro Funny Car in 1988. As a driver he finished in the NHRA Top 10 two seasons in a row (’90-’91). He was also the sixth Funny Car driver to join the 4-Second Club in 1996.
While Hartman began tuning in 1998, this will be his first opportunity to tune for a full NHRA season. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of running against the best tuners in the business,” said Hartman. “I want to run a very consistent car first, then tune it to quicker laps. I’d like to help Terry and the team qualify for the Countdown to One.”
