POMONA, Calif. – Terry McMillen, driver of the Amalie Oil/UNOH/Motor State Distributing Top Fuel dragster, will partner with Armed Forces Racing to honor Veterans during the Auto Club NHRA Finals this week. McMillen’s car will proudly display decals for each of the U.S. Military branches and the Armed Forces Racing (AFR) decal. AFR is dedicated to uniting all military branches with a “One Team…One Force” partnership within the motor sports industry.
“It’s a great privilege to carry the iconic logos of the Armed Forces on such an important day as Veteran’s Day,” McMillen said. “If it wasn’t for each and every one of the men and women that serve in the military we wouldn’t be drag racing or enjoying the freedoms that they have sacrificed to provide for us.”
McMillen is excited to pull the gator themed dragster into the staging lanes at Pomona after a month long campaign in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. “That was a great campaign,” McMillen said. “Our team raised almost $3,000 for She4Life and we were honored to participate in that. But I’m glad to see the Amalie green gator back. We want to finish strong here and do well for everyone that supported us this season. We want to thank everyone from the NHRA, the fans and our sponsors for making this season a success.”
Having time to reflect on the long season isn’t something McMillen and his Elkhart, Ind. based team will spend a lot of time thinking about. “We’re anxious to get the 2012 season started,” McMillen added. “We’ve been putting a lot of thought into what it’s going to take to get our team to the next level. We’ve been talking to our sponsors and we’ve got a lot of exciting changes that will take place over the next 60 days before winter testing in West Palm Beach.”
“It really was an honor to compete in the 60th Anniversary of NHRA Drag Racing,” McMillen continued. “When I was young I remember reading about NHRA Drag Racing. In the back of my mind I hoped I would get here some day. It was truly an honor to compete here and represent our marketing partners.”
Yesterday the NHRA announced that the official starter, Rick Stewart, would retire after the Finals in Pomona. It gave McMillen a chance to reflect. “It’s hard to believe,” McMillen said. “We’ll miss the guy wearing that straw hat on the starting line week in and week out. I wish him the best in retirement.”
