BATON ROUGE, La. – The Amalie Oil / Wolverine Top Fuel Dragster’s day ended early at the Inaugural IHRA Mardi Gras Nationals. McMillen started hazing the tires as Bobby Lagana, Jr. drove around for the win. Lagana would go on to lose to Bruce
Litton in the finals.
“It didn’t turn out like we planned,” McMillen said after the race. “It wasn’t from lack of effort. Just about everything on this car is new and we’ve still got a couple of issues to work on.”
The weekend started off promising as McMillen drove his dragster on two consistent qualifying runs on Friday night (4.89 @ 301mph) and Saturday afternoon (4.86 @ 305mph) kept the team qualified in the top half of the field at #4.
“The fans were great,” McMillen said. “They packed the place and hung around all day asking questions and cheering us on. Plus the track put on a big Crawfish Boil and my guys appreciated that a lot.”
Hoosier Thunder Motorsports partners with high-quality and high-performance companies like: Amalie Oil, Jet Label & Tape, Auto Meter, Mahle Clevite, Perfect Circle, Flatout Gaskets, Impact Racing, NGK Spark Plugs, MSD, Permatex, ieGraphics, Holbrook Performance Parts, Global Power Systems, Paradise RV & Coach, Ringers Gloves and Wolverine Boots.
McMillen ups ante and heads to Las Vegas NHRA Nationals
Woodland Park joins Hoosier Thunder as associate sponsor
LAS VEGAS — Terry McMillen is familiar with the high risk, high stakes world of Top Fuel drag racing. As the driver of the Amalie Oil Top Fuel dragster, he knows what it’s like to roll the dice and take a chance. In his first year as owner/driver of a Top Fuel team (second as driver), McMillen has taken many chances to put his team in the position it enjoys today.
This weekend’s ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals will be McMillen’s second NHRA event of the season and third of his career. He is still seeking his first NHRA round win. “I think we picked a pretty tough race to try and make a statement at,” McMillen said. “Everybody is on top of their game right now making a chase for the championship. Plus there’s about two dozen quality cars here trying to battle it out for one of the 16 spots. We’re up for the challenge. I think we can surprise some people if things go our way.”
McMillen’s optimism is not unwarranted. His Doug Kuch tuned Top Fuel machine finished the IHRA season with five final round appearances and two wins. Four of those came in the last five races as the Amalie Oil sponsored team made a push for the championship title.
McMillen and Noakes try for #6
ROCKINGHAM, NC. — When Terry McMillen and Paul Noakes race at the IHRA World Finals at the Rockingham Dragway this weekend (October 17-19), they’ll both attempt to set new career records in their Amalie Oil sponsored machines.
The Hoosier Thunder Motorsports teammates have combined for 10 final round appearances (five each) and 3 wins (Noakes 2 – McMillen 1). The most dramatic of the wins coming when both McMillen and Noakes scored victories on the same weekend in Grand Bend.
“If the season ended yesterday, I would say it has been a great year,” McMillen said. “But there’s some unfinished business and we’re here to finish strong.”
Career best seasons for both McMillen and Noakes have only been hampered by the bumpy start of the season for the two car team that was formed over the winter.
“In any other season both Paul and I would probably being going into Rockingham contending for the championship,” McMillen said. “As it stands right now – we’re fighting for second place.”
Hoosier Thunder brings home more trophies for Amalie at North American Nationals
EPPING, NH — Terry McMillen and Paul Noakes posted another banner weekend for Hoosier Thunder Motorsports and their sponsors at the Amalie Oil North American Nationals. The team efforts brings the season total to 10 final round appearances and three wins with one race remaining.
McMillen took the new look Amalie Oil Top Fuel Dragster to its fifth final of the year, solidifying his third position in the championship point standings and keeping hope alive for a second place finish. He trails defending champion Bruce Litton by 66 points and leads Mike Strasburg by 58 points. If McMillen can maintain third it will better his fifth place standing from his rookie Top Fuel season of 2007.
“That was an awesome weekend for Amalie,” McMillen said after defeating Jones and Litton enroute to a final round appearance against first time winner Tim Boychuk. “That’s four finals in a row for us. I can’t say enough about my crew and Doug Kuch. What a turn around this team has done. I only wish we had a few more races to put some heat on Bruce and Spencer.”
McMillen brings two strong teams to Amalie Oil North American Nationals
EPPING, NH — With the IHRA Drag Racing season rounding the corner towards the home stretch, Terry McMillen, Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team owner, will bring both of his cars to the Amalie Oil North American Nationals. He hopes to continue the team’s late season rally for the September 5 – 7 event.
McMillen, who drives the Amalie Oil Top Fuel Dragster and fields the Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny car, driven by Paul Noakes, has rallied his teams to one of the most dominate performances of a two-car team in recent history. After a sluggish start to the season, both Amalie sponsored cars have gone on to compete in eight final rounds (four each) and earn two wins (one each) through eight races. Those performances have fueled both McMillen and Noakes into championship contention for the 2008 season. McMillen’s Top Fuel entry currently sits in third position just 79 points behind defending champion Bruce Litton and 152 points behind the rookie points leader Spencer Massey.
Trick My Truck Reunion features 10 trucks and cast members at IHRA Sooner Nationals
TULSA, Okla. — The largest gathering of show trucks from the popular CMT television series Trick My Truck will be on display and featured during the August 22-24 IHRA Sooner Nationals at the Tulsa Raceway Park. Cast members Kelvin Locklear, Ryan “Ryno” Templeton, Rob Richardson, Matt Moore, Steve Harrah and Allen Harrah will be in attendance and participate in special autograph sessions.
“We’re just a bunch of motor-heads,” Rob Richardson said. “If it’s loud, fast and cool we want to be a part of it. That’s why we love coming to IHRA events.”
The Trick My Truck Reunion is a celebration of the four successful seasons the show has been broadcast. It also marks the last chance for show and race fans to enter the Trick My Crew sweepstakes before ending on September 8, 2008. The sweepstakes have been a season long promotion offering fans a chance to become a member of Terry McMillen’s Amalie Oil Top Fuel team for the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham.
“Our team has had a lot of fun hanging out with these guys,” McMillen said. “I’ve just got to keep an eye on them. They’re constantly trying to trick out my dragster and Mike Baker (IHRA Director of Competition & Technical Services) keeps making them take it off the car. I’m sure they’ll keep trying to sneak something by Baker.”
Ten trucks will be on display throughout the weekend, including Lance Burk’s “Iron Man” which was produced to promote the Paramount motion picture release earlier this year. Other great trucks in attendance will be, ‘Big Game’, ‘Buzz Worthy’, ‘No Worries’, ‘Fowl Play’, ‘Open Range’, ‘Hammer Down’, ‘Free Spirit’ and two other tricked trucks.
Fourth final for Noakes overshadowed by Cannister win
MARTIN, Mich. – For the fourth time in a row Paul Noakes put the Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car in the final round. This time at the U.S. 131 Motorsports Park during the Northern Nationals. The team fell short of gaining its second win of the season when Noakes uncharacteristically lit the red bulb with an early start.
While four runner-up finishes in seven tries would mark a spectacular season for most, crew chief Les Mellows was a little disappointed. “We haven’t taken advantage of our opportunities,” he said shortly after the race. “It will take a catastrophic failure of Laurie’s team to not win the championship, which isn’t likely to happen, they’ve been that strong.”
Noakes was facing Cannister for the third time this season and the second time in the final round. “We made a decision to tighten the air gap,” Mellows said. “It was the wrong thing to do to a guy that was ‘in a zone’. We have the best driver out there and as a team we want him to compete on the starting line every time he stages. If we have prepared the car properly we will win!”
Amalie Oil Top Fuel dragster makes final round again
McMillen’s 5th final in last 12 races
MARTIN, Mich. — For the second time in a row and for the third time this season, Terry McMillen has made it to the final round of an IHRA Nitro Jam national event. The U.S. 131 Motorsports Park marked the third time this season McMillen raced points leader Spencer Massey for the win. Massey holds a 2-1 advantage over McMillen.
“Seems like Spencer and I like racing each other in the finals,” McMillen said. “We both want a good side-by-side final. We couldn’t make it happen last Sunday, but I’d love to meet him again in the final to see if we can even the score.”
The weekend started strong for the Amalie Oil team when McMillen raced to the “Last Man Standing” award on Friday night, earning an additional 5 points and the provisional #1 qualifying position. The 4.659 elapsed time at 316.01 m.p.h was McMillen’s low e.t. of the season.
Big weekend for McMillen’s Amalie Oil Top Fuel team
Trick My Truck cast members join McMillen at Martin
ELKHART, Ind. – Terry McMillen is riding a wave of emotion. Just before McMillen took his Amalie Oil Top Fuel Dragster for a winning ride in Grand Bend he watched his Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car team, driven by Paul Noakes and tuned by Les Mellows, make its way to the winners circle. The funny car win ended an eleven year drought. The top fuel win marked McMillen’s third win in the past 11 races.
“This sport is such a roller coaster,” McMillen said. “I wouldn’t trade the ride for anything, I can promise you that.”
McMillen hopes the mid-season win will be enough to put his team back in the championship hunt. “I’m sure we’ve been counted out more than once,” McMillen added. “But, if we can stay consistent over the next few races and maybe win three out of four down the stretch, who knows what can happen. I know we spent the week buying parts and getting ready to mix it up in Martin.”
Noakes and InstiGator pumped about going the distance
ELKHART, Ind. – With just four races remaining in the Nitro Jam drag racing season, the Amalie Oil InstiGator Funny Car, driven by Paul Noakes, finds itself right where it wants to be. This weekend’s Torco Race Fuels Northern Nationals (August 1-3) at the US 131 Motorsports Park will prove if the Hoosier Thunder Motorsports team car has what it takes to win its first championship.
The InstiGator has made final round appearances in the last 3 races, including the most recent win in Grand Bend. Noakes will also be defending his Northern Nationals title at this weekend’s event.
“We’re pretty excited about getting to race again,” Noakes said. “It was such an emotional lift for our team to defend our 2007 win in Grand Bend. I hope we can make a successful defense in Martin also.”
Crew Chief, Les Mellows likes his chances. “I think the stamina of any athlete determines champions,” Mellows said as he prepared for the race. “The Kalbones team has it [Laurie Cannister, points leader]. We seem to be hitting our stride right on time.”
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