Asked to recall some of his most memorable moments at Maple Grove Raceway, Clay Millican responded
immediately.
"I know I usually don't remember what we've done at tracks over the years," he said, "but the last
time I raced there, I went to the semifinals and lost to Tony Schumacher by seven-thousandths of a
second."
When was that? In 2008, after Millican was forced to sit out most of the year before his solid,
late-season Top Fuel debut with new team owners Mark and Lauren Pickens and MPE Motorsports.
There's no question he and the Hope4Sudan/Motorvation Top Fuel crew would be thrilled with a
repeat performance on Sunday.
They are seeking valuable NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points to pad their slim lead in
the quest for the 10th and final starting position in the Countdown to the Championship. "The more
we get, the better off we'll be," said Millican. He has 24 more than Joe Hartley (651-627) going
into the regular season's penultimate event.
"We were disappointed with our first-round loss Sunday at Brainerd (Minn.), but Lance (Larsen, crew
chief) and the guys continue looking for ways for us to pick up the pace this weekend. We know one
thing for sure . . . there is no room for error. We must win more rounds than Hartley at Reading
and the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis (Sept. 4-7). We do that and we'll be in the Countdown."
The top 10 professional drivers move into the six-race Countdown and the points standings are
revised prior to the opening event at zMax Dragway at Concord, N.C., Sept. 18-20.
"I do have one more Maple Grove moment to share," Millican added. "It came in 1999, my first year
in Top Fuel, when I met John Force. It was on a Monday testing day and I went off the track and
into the sand trap. While I was waiting to get the car out of there, John came walking down the
track. I wasn't sure if he was coming down to meet me or tell me to get out of the way because I
was holding up testing."
