POMONA, Calif. – If the Chinese Proverb that says ‘A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step’ is correct, then Terry McMillen and his Amalie Oil Top Fuel dragster took two giant steps forward at the 50th running of the NHRA Winternationals this weekend.
“We didn’t get a chance to test over the winter,” McMillen explained. “So, just getting our car in the show was a big first step.” McMillen qualified his ride in the 13th spot, keeping his perfect qualifying record as team owner/driver intact.
The Indiana based team made many changes in the off season, including the addition of new crew chief, Richard Hartman. “Richard did a great job,” McMillan said. “He basically came in here with a new car and a new team and after two passes had us running career best 60ft times and in the 3.90s. Once we get a couple of more laps under our belts, we’ll have a car that can run with anyone on Sunday.”
McMillen’s first round of the season ended in a loss to Doug Kalitta when he smoked the tires just a few feet from the starting line. “We obviously got a little too aggressive for what the track wanted,” McMillen said. “I think we had a set up that would have worked a little earlier in the session.”
Overall, McMillen was happy with his team’s first outing of the season. “My phone rang off the hook and my in box was full Saturday night,” he said. “A lot of people noticed the on-board camera and the great coverage that ESPN2 gave us. They’re as excited as we are about the season ahead of us. We’re going to work our butts of to get the Amalie Oil dragster into the Top 10.”
