Clay
Millican
we got on a roll like that during my IHRA days
and we held that advantage for a long time. We
were off by ourselves on our own little island.
That’s how I know about racing. I’ve never really
been a part of one of those big teams. It’s what I
know and it’s what I love. I love having our own
little family.
Last year, Ron Capps would always have to
answer questions about being the winningest
Funny Car driver who hadn’t won a world
championship yet. Do you find yourself in
similar situations when you’re referred to as
a hugely successful IHRA racer who hasn’t won
an NHRA race yet?
I think it’s certainly something that everyone
talks about, but I don’t look at it as “I’m not a win-
ner”. I’ve won way more than my fair share of Top
Fuel races. People say, “Well, that was IHRA.” I’m
very proud of what our group did in the IHRA. We
won over 50 races and six straight world cham-
pionships. Had our sponsors wanted us racing in
the NHRA, there’s no doubt in my mind we would
have won some races during that timeframe when
we had that magic little combination that was
pretty dominant in the IHRA days.
Feel-Good Feeling
From taking every opportunity to make a
fan’s day to answering phone calls from his
parents during No. 1 qualifier interviews
in the media center, the trademark smile
plastered across Millican’s face projects the
genuine enjoyment he gets out of living his
dream as a Top Fuel driver.
But when I win that race, if and when that
ever happens, is it going to change my life? No,
it’s not. When I get back home, my wife’s still
going to love me and the dog’s going to love me
and my family’s going to love me and everyone
in Drummonds will be glad that I’m home. It
won’t be a life-changing moment to win that first
NHRA race. Is it something that I strive for every
day and work my tail off to have that opportunity?
You better believe it is. That’s why I go out there
every weekend. Winning a race is something we
plan on doing every time we pull in the gate at
a racetrack, but it’s not the biggest thing in the
world to me. With the things that Donna and I
have been through, (not winning a race) is not
that big of a deal. But I do want to win one. It’s a
crazy answer, but it’s not the end of the world if
I never win an NHRA Top Fuel race.
A couple of the feel-good moments from your
weekend at Charlotte came when you were do-
ing your number-one qualifier interviews in
the media center. Your mother called during
your Friday-night interview and your father
called during your Saturday-night interview
to congratulate you. You picked up the phone
and talked to your folks during those inter-
views. Everyone in the media center loved it.
When you finally win that first race, who will
be the first person you call? Or who will be the
first person to call you?
I suspect it will be someone calling me. Donna
will be with me so she’ll know immediately when
I’ve won. The first phone call that I make will be
to Daddy and Momma, without a doubt. They’re
not always on top of social media – Daddy espe-
cially – but Momma does Facebook a little bit.
That will be the first phone call for sure – Daddy
and Momma’s house.
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May 2017
DragIllustrated.com
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