Coming In Hot: Clay Millican Flying High, Looking Forward To Houston NHRA National Event This Weekend


Coming In Hot: Clay Millican Flying High, Looking Forward To Houston NHRA National Event This Weekend

One of the biggest story lines coming into the 2019 NHRA top fuel season was the fact that Mike Kloeber and Clay Millican would be racing together again. The tandem had racked up a half-dozen IHRA top fuel championships during their heyday and the only thing they had not done was won an NHRA national event together.

After what seemed like it was going to be a rocky start in testing and very early races, the crew caught their stride at Gainesville and made the finals at the 50th NHRA Gatornationals. Proving that their success was no fluke, they did it again and went to the finals at the next race, the 4-Wide contest at Las Vegas. With Houston looming large this weekend, expectations are high for another strong performance.

Personally, we think it is just a matter of time before the seasoned driver and crew chief take their new crew to the ultimate glory in the winner’s circle. The full story on Las Vegas and Houston is below. Clay’s a likable guy and his association with Kloeber runs deep. These boys have some great history together and they are looking forward to creating more.

Here’s the full story from the Straightline Strategy Group –

Clay Millican will campaign a Parts Plus, Valvoline Oil Top Fuel Dragster this weekend at the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston, TX. After two consecutive final round appearances, Millican and crew chief Mike Kloeber are eager to continue the hunt for an event win.

Valvoline Oil has been a great supporter of the Straightline Strategy Group for many years and the SpringNationals is a perfect time to have some added exposure of the relationship.

“With their high quality products, we are able to fight our way to a Wally for the last several years,” said SSG partner, Scott Gardner. “With the recent success of a new team, we expect Valvoline Oil to keep our dragster going fast and coming back with clean parts.”

Last weekend at the Denso 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, the Part Plus team continued their consistent, clean runs to the final round.

“We had a good race car in Las Vegas and just missed the mark in the final round,” says Millican. “I know Crew Chief Mike (Kloeber) is really starting to iron out the details as we have unfinished work heading into Houston having previously lost in a final round against Brandon Bernstein.”

With two final round appearances in the last 4 races, Millican moved up to a tie for the 6th position in the NHRA Mello Yello series.

“We aren’t overly concerned about our points position at this early stage of the season as we know going rounds will continue to propel us into a great position in the countdown for the championship,” mentioned Millican.

About SSG:

The Straightline Strategy Group is a marketing and management company specializing in the operations of professional drag racing entities. The company is committed to practicing corporate social responsibility for its actions, and through its activities, with the goal to positively affect society, consumers, employees, and other stakeholders. The professional drivers include Clay Millican (NHRA Top Fuel), Paul Lee (NHRA Fuel Funny Car), Matt Hartford (NHRA Pro Stock Car), Janette Thornley (NHRA/AMRA Nitro Harley), and Jeff Lutz (Street Outlaws/No Prep).  For more information visit: www.straightlinestrategygroup.com


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