Drag Illustrated Issue 127, November 2017 | Page 22
Breaking Through
‘Passion and desire’ carry Terry McMillen to memorable first Top Fuel win
W
hen trying to figure
out the magnitude of
his first career Top Fuel
win and what it meant
to his legion of fans,
Terry McMillen simply
had to look at his phone.
Or, rather, listen for the
buzz that signified a new message. By the time he
wrapped up his first Top Fuel victory by beating
Brittany Force in the final round in Las Vegas, he
had 221 text messages that night.
The next morning, he had 340 new – yes, new
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– text messages congratulating the veteran. In all,
it took him four days to get through all the text
messages, and the e-mail messages continue to
come in. McMillen estimated he still had more
than 120 to respond to more than two weeks
after the victory.
As surreal as standing in the winner’s circle was
for McMillen, seeing the immense amount of sup-
port and appreciation made it even more special.
“It’s just amazing and it’s just really, really cool
how much the fans appreciate what we do,” Mc-
Millen says. “It’s all been overwhelming and I’ve
been appreciative of all of it. Our fans rode the
same roller coaster we have and all those emo-
tions you go through, they are attached to you
feeling the same thing. It’s just been incredible.”
In becoming the 104th different Top Fuel win-
ner, McMillen also became the oldest Top Fuel
winner in NHRA history at 63 years and nearly
4 months old. That makes it a classic tale of the
win being a long time coming for McMillen, who
has always continued to battle big-budget teams
with an infectious energy, becoming a fan favorite
in the process.
McMillen chuckled when the stat about the age
was repeated, noting he doesn’t feel all that old.
Issue 127
By Josh Hachat