Terry McMillen Racing

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McMillen plans to finish season strong in Pomona

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IMG_20120706_181037Pomona, Calif.  – He’s staring down the 24th and final race of the NHRA season. For Terry McMillen, driver and team owner of the AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil Top Fuel Dragster, it’s been one of the hardest seasons of his career.

“We started the season behind the eight ball and never seemed to get where we wanted to be,” McMillen said. “We made a lot of changes and improved in a lot of areas, it’s just still not where we want or need to be to compete for the Countdown or win races.”

McMillen’s team made improvements during the 2015 campaign in qualifying position, qualifying times and doubled the number of round wins over the previous season, but he knows it’s going to take more.

“No one is sitting around waiting for us to catch up to them,” McMillen added. “Everyone is constantly improving, constantly getting better and faster. We have to be able to not only match what they are doing but do even better to be able to catch up. That’s why this race is so important to us. We need to do well here to kick start our offseason. Get the momentum we need so that we can hit the ground running for the 2016 season.”

The first plan that McMillen’s team has is to relocate the team to Brownsburg, Indiana to be closer to the epicenter of the drag racing community.

“We’ve already started moving into our new facility in Brownsburg,” McMillen said. “We’re going to leave here with some successful runs and send the car and haulers straight to Brownsburg. Our 2016 season starts now.”

McMillen will be making an appearance at an NHRA Fanfest on Thursday November 12th and the Lordsburg Taphouse and Grill located at 2335 D Street, La Verne from 7PM – 8PM.

McMillen’s team will also be staying at the Double Tree by Hilton located at 555 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, California. Fans are invited to stay where McMillen stays.

McMillen has plans for St. Louis

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brainerd2St. Louis, Mo. (September 23, 2015) – A catastrophic intake explosion at the Charlotte race this past Sunday had NHRA Top Fuel driver Terry McMillen contemplating his future due to the escalating cost of the oil down penalty. Now, just a few days later, McMillen has a new plan that starts in St. Louis this weekend at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Inspired by fans, sponsors, crew chiefs, fellow team owners and NHRA executives, McMillen feels focused and ready to finish the season on a high note.

“I can’t thank everyone enough for the words of encouragement this week,” McMillen said. “It really shows how much we all love this sport and how much we want to see things improve for teams and fans.”

“I also think we should all thank NHRA executives for their interest in exploring alternatives and willingness to address the oil down penalties. The new policy, which includes an open line of communication between all crew chiefs and the Safety Safari should prove to further reduce oil downs and more importantly for us, reduce the kind of explosions that stress team budgets. The NHRA is proving that we all have the same goals, make a better show for the fans and keep drag racing competitive and safe for everyone. I also want to specifically thank Peter Clifford and Graham Light for their efforts to work with all race teams. I believe their efforts exemplify NHRA’s commitment to taking our sport to the next level. I’m excited about our future.”

Crew Chief Rob Wendland and Assistant Crew Chief Bob Peck for the AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil INSTIGATOR Top Fuel team continued their quest to make the team a contender. Wendland had a conversation with Jim Head, John Boyce and Tom Shelar about a two-piece intake manifold that Chad Head had been testing on his Funny Car.

“This manifold is designed to be one large burst panel instead of trying to contain the explosion within the manifold,” Wendland said. “We’ll be the first dragster to use it. We want to do whatever we can to contain oil in these types of events. But, we also need to keep the intake manifold from flying off the car and potentially cutting a tire or hitting a fellow racer or flying into the grandstands. We hope this new two-piece manifold addresses these issues.”

McMillen will be in St. Louis on Thursday for the Fan Festival from 4PM-7PM at ‘The Outfield’ Mike Shannon’s on 7th and Market Street in downtown St. Louis.

McMillen and his ‘INSTAGATOR’ Top Fuel Dragster roar into dowtown Gainesville for a display of power and precision

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McMillen in action © NHRA Media
McMillen in action © NHRA Media

GLENDORA, Calif.  – Terry McMillen, driver of the 10,000 horsepower AMALIE® Motor Oil INSTIGATOR dragster, will put on a display of power and precision in Gainesville on March 11 at noon in front of Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza restaurant at the Holiday Inn University Center.

McMillen and his team will light the wick on his Top Fuel dragster and let it thunder to life in front of area fans of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. When the car shuts off, the team will display the rebuilding process that teams take part in between rounds of racing at NHRA events across the country.

The highly-trained crew will begin a precise ballet where they remove major components of the car such as the blower, headers, pistons and change the oil in the engine. In less than 30 minutes, the team will fully reassemble the motor and restart the machine. This will all be done in the amount of time it takes to get an oil change at a quick service auto repair shop.

This event will also serve to kick off the start of the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 12-15 at Auto Plus Raceway at Gainesville. This historic event is the East Coast opener for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and is one of the premier events on the circuit. Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Warren Johnson and Kenny Bernstein cemented their legendary status at the track through the years and drivers will again look to win the ‘Gators’ in sunny Florida.

The 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season is in full swing and has the potential to become one of the most exciting years in drag racing history. The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will once again battle for the coveted race victory at one of drag racing’s most tradition-rich events. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the race, which will once again be televised on ESPN2.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, March 13, with sessions at noon and 3 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, March 14, at noon and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 15.

McMillen encouraged going into Phoenix

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pomona_sunday_rrPhoenix, Ariz. — Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park just outside of Phoenix is where Terry McMillen, driver of the AMALIE® Motor Oil INSTIGATOR Top Fuel Dragster, wants to do a little building next weekend.

After resetting their career best elapsed time at the season opening NHRA race in Southern California, the UNOH, All Star Performance, Genesis Tools team wants to build on that momentum in the Valley of the Sun.

“We were able to pick up the pace a little bit in Pomona,” McMillen said. “I think everything is in place for us to get into the thick of things with these other teams. We’ve got a pretty good hot rod right now.”

Before heading to Arizona, McMillen will make a quick pitstop at Speedweeks in Daytona Beach, Fla. for the UNOH Battle on the Beach charity golf outing with NASCAR and NHRA drivers who will play to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities, Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, The University of Northwestern Ohio Scholarship Fund and B.R.A.K.E.S.

“I play golf about twice a year,” McMillen said. “I’ll knock the dust off of these old clubs and hope I can drive a few balls as straight as my dragster.”

Qualifying for the 30th Annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals begins Friday, February 21 in Phoenix.

photo copyright Roger Richards and Competition Plus

McMillen hopes hard winter and hard work pay off in season opening NHRA event

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photo by Rhonda McCole and CompetitionPlus.com

Elkhart, Ind.  — When you grow up in the Midwest, winter can be the ultimate change of season. Staying warm and managing snow drifts can be a full-time effort for the unaccustomed newcomer. But, for Chicago native and Elkhart, Ind. resident, Terry McMillen, winter is just a small inconvenience as he and his team set their sites on this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calf.

McMillen enters his fifth NHRA season behind the wheel of the AMALIE® Motor Oil INSTIGATOR Top Fuel Dragster and as he boards a plane for Southern California, warm weather isn’t the only thing he expects to find different before professional qualifying starts on Friday.

“In some ways it’s just another short off-season,” McMillen said. “Then again, it’s been as busy as ever. AMALIE has stepped up our program by renewing our contract for 2 more seasons, added Contingency Sponsorship and a midway presences at all events. Every one of our marketing partners are back with us for another run at this. The University of Northwestern Ohio, Ross Pistons, Flatout Gaskets, Penray, Allstar Performance Genesis Tools – they’re all back.”

“My crew has had their heads down working hard,” McMillen added. “We’ve been putting the finishing touches on our new MLR chassis, we did some testing in Palm Beach, we’ve changed our clutch set up and mixed up our crew a little. We’ve checked, double checked and made sure we’ve got the best pieces and parts a Top Fuel car could have. I guess you could say that our level of expectation has raised dramatically. We’re not the new guys anymore.”

The 2013 season could have been the ultimate roller coaster ride for Terry McMillen Racing. The team set new career bests for elapsed time and mile per hour and made four semi-final appearances – another career best for Terry McMillen Racing. However, seven DNQs hampered the team from improving to their ultimate goal. After falling short of the NHRA playoffs twice by less than one round, the 2013 season saw McMillen take a step back, finishing the season 14th in the points standings.

McMillen sees The Countdown as his teams next goal. “It starts by qualifying well,” McMillen said. “Then we have to go rounds on Sunday. Sounds like a simple formula right? Except that target keeps moving. The level of competition keeps getting stronger and stronger each season. When we started in the NHRA an .86 (3.86 elapsed time) would have been a decent number to make the field. Heck, last season we ran better than that on several occasions and barely made the field. So, now we’ve got to run something in the real low .80s or .70s to have a chance. That’s what it’s going to take to stay competitive out here this year.”

Still McMillen keeps his hopes high as the 2014 season approaches. He hopes that hard work and expectations come together in his fifth season. “We want to be an overnight success – I just hope it only takes five years to do it,” he said.

Join Terry McMillen Racing and other NHRA teams at the Holiday Inn Ontario Airport – the official hotel of Terry McMillen Racing when they race in Pomona.

McMillen keeps in pink in Vegas with She4Life and Tahiti Village

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photo "c" RHonda McCole
McMillen sports a pink dragster for She4Life for the rest of the NHRA season

Las Vegas, Nev. – Terry McMillen is keeping it pink in Vegas. The Amalie Oil / UNOH / All Star Performance NHRA Top Fuel driver will not only race the pink gator-themed dragster again, but showed it off at Tahiti Village for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

On Wednesday, October 23, Terry and his dragster will make a special appearance from 11am-1pm at the Tahiti Village Resort and Spa located at 7200 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Fans and resort  guests will have an opportunity to meet Terry and enter to win tickets to the upcoming NHRA Toyota Nationals. With a donation to She4Life fans will also have the opportunity to have a name put on the car to honor or remember a friend or loved one who has fought or is fighting cancer.

“This is always a special time of year for our team,” McMillen said. “Tahiti Village is helping make it even better by allowing us to use their beautiful venue as a backdrop to help She4Life.”

Fans and resort guests are also invited to a “Chillin’ with McMillen” meet and greet from 6PM-7PM on Wednesday, October 23 at Tahiti Village. Tickets are free, but limited and should be picked up at the afternoon display.

McMillen will also make an appearance at the NHRA Fanfest at the Freemont Street Experience on Thursday, October 24, from 5PM-7PM.

Professional qualifying for the NHRA Toyota Nationals begins Friday October, 25.

photo copyright Rhonda McCole and Competition Plus

McMillen debuts pink car again to benefit She4Life

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mcmillen-diecastREADING, Penn. (October 2, 2013) – Terry McMillen’s Amalie Oil / UNOH / All Star Performance green, gator themed NHRA Top Fuel Dragster will turn pink again this October. McMillen’s hope is to raise awareness for breast cancer and money for She4Life, a charity that McMillen’s team holds dear to their hearts.

According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer prevalence in the United States is a little more that 12.5 million people.

“Cancer is something that touches all of us,” McMillen said. “If not directly, it’s indirectly through friends and loved ones. Racing with this pink car is something that everyone seems to relate to well.”

Three seasons ago McMillen debuted an all pink dragster in what some called the first since Shirley Muldowney raced her pink dragster in 1980. That first year McMillen’s pink team jerseys were auctioned off to benefit She4Life and raised a little over $3,000. Fast forward to 2013 and McMillen and She4Life have a number of opportunities for fans to participate.

With donation packages that range in names from “Warm Up” to “Wally” and prices from $40-$230, fans can get anything from a name on McMillen’s dragster to a package that includes a pink replica dragster, team pink jersey and more.

Other McMillen marketing partners have stepped in to support She4Life, inlcuding UNOH’s Steve Farmer who is helping to faciitate NHRA and NASCAR packages and airfare to Mark Adelizzi at Flatout Gaskets producing custom jewlery under his Marcus Creatus brand. Fans can also purchase McMillen’s pink diecast dragster at Plan B Sales (http://planbsales.com) where a portion of each sale goes to She4Life.

“She4Life is an organization that we’re proud to be associated with and it’s excting to see our marketing partners support them also,” McMillen said. “Mechanix Wear Gloves even produces pink gloves for our team to wear – Ray Murphy from T&R Graphics works tireless hours to get that pink car wrapped – everyone on our team really gets behind this it’s something we look forward to every year.”

McMillen will race the pink car for the remaining three races and packages will be available until the week October 31 or while supplies last. Visit She4Life.com for more details.

McMillen ready for season opener in Pomona

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POMONA, Calif. — It’s his fourth full season in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and Terry McMillen, driver and team owner of the Amalie Oil / UNOH Top Fuel dragster is as excited about this season as his first.

“It might be hard to believe, but our team is more prepared and more ready than we ever have been,” McMillen said as his team arrived in Pomona after a short and cold testing session in Las Vegas. “We’re a long way from being the veterans of the sport like some of these other teams, but we’re as excited as our first season – just more aware of what it really takes to compete with the best of the best in NHRA.”

Along with high expectations for the new season on the performance side of the sport, McMillen’s Elkhart, Ind. based team was able to extend his Amalie support and add several associate sponsors in the off-season. “The out-pouring of support has been great this past off-season,” McMillen added. “The continued support from our marketing partners like UNOH, Flatout Gaskets, Carillo Rods, Wolverine Boots and Apparel, Clean Seal, Genius Tools, Allstar Performance and Ross Racing Pistons along with additional support from companies like Aeroquip Eaton, SWECO, Rivet Eyelet and Penray have given us the added support we hope will make the difference in our racing program.”

“Plus with Amalie stepping up their support and sponsoring the Amalie Oil Gatornationls in Gainesville it’s added a lot of excitement around our Amalie camp. If there’s only one race I could pick to win – that would be it,” McMIllen said.

McMillen made several changes to his team he hopes will be the difference in his 2013 quest to make the NHRA Countdown. “We’ve made some changes that should help,”McMillen said, “We added a few new crew members, moved our clutch guy Ray Murphy to assistant crew-chief and we’re keeping the car at Richard Hartman’s (crew-chief) shop in South Carolina. We think this will give us the extra attention needed to get our hot rod more consistent over the 24 race season.”

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series kicks off today at the Auto Club Raceway with four rounds of qualifying through Saturday and eliminations on Sunday.

McMillen is ‘pretty in pink’ again for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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READING, Penn. (October 2, 2012) – Don’t adjust your glasses or television sets, Terry McMIllen’s Amalie Oil / UNOH Top Fuel Dragster will take on a familiar look again this October – pink. McMillen hopes his dragster and pink outfitted crew will help draw attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and She4Life, a charity that supports everyday necessities to help families fight the fight in the battle to become cancer survivors.

“Our whole team is excited about wearing pink again this October,” McMillen said. “In fact we’re real excited about seeing  many other teams going pink this season. No other form of motorsports has this much support for Breast Cancer Awareness from multiple teams and we’re proud and honored to be a part of it. I know my guys are glad they’re not the only ones wearing pink in the pits this year.”

Last season McMillen’s team helped raise nearly $40,000 for their favorite charities in October. They’re hoping this season will be as successful. For a $50 donation to She4Life friends and fans can place names on McMillen’s dragster to either honor or in memory, of those that are fighting cancer or who have lost their fight.

“Seeing those names on the dragster last season was touching,” McMillen said. “Not only for us, but for all the people that saw their name or the name of a loved one on the car. So, this year we wanted to open it up to everyone by giving them an opportunity to help with a small donation and to see the name of a loved one on the car. We call them cancer survivors. I like to call them cancer warriors. They didn’t just survive this life challenge, they beat it everyday like the enemy it is.”

It’s not to late to get a name on McMillen’s dragster for Vegas. Make your donation and add your name here.

McMillen’s pink jerseys will also be auctioned off in November. Visit TerryMcMillen.com later this month for details.

McMillen goes Pink again in October for favorite charities

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Dallas, Tex.  –  Last October Terry McMillen saw a lot of pink and all of it for a couple of good causes. This season he hopes friends and fans will show as much support as last season in an effort to benefit both D.R.A.W. and She4Life.

This season McMillen adds a twist that will allow friends and fans to pay tribute to cancer survivors. For a $50 donation to She4Life, Terry McMillen Racing will add the name of your choice to the all pink, Top Fuel Dragster that will race in the upcoming Reading, Penn. and Las Vegas, Nev. NHRA races. Every person that donates will also recieved a signed Terry McMillen card and be entered into a drawaing for a pink jersey. Please visit She4Life.com for more details.  The limited edition pink crew jerseys will also be auctioned off after the Vegas race with all proceeds going to She4Life.

McMIllen will also donate a Jim Ledbetter designed, Amalie Oil/UNOH replica diecast pink dragster to the Dallas D.R.A.W. auction. Last year a special tribute helmet for Rosealee Nobile raised $35,000. The special edition dragster will be auctioned off in Dallas. Call in bids are encouraged. Call 217-345-6537 for more details.

“D.R.A.W and She4Life are two very special causes to me.” McMillen said. “Anything that we can do to help – no matter how big or small – it makes a difference. Last year the helmet that was auctioned off was donated and designed by Dale Vickery of Vickery Speed Shops. Right now Dale is fighting a tough uphill fight against cancer and he needs our thoughts and prayers.”

Check in with TerryMcMillen.com in mid-October for more information about the jersey auction.