Bill Miller announced today that Bobby Lagana Jr.
will drive the Bill Miller Engineering Top Fuel Dragster when the BME team returns to
competition at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston on April 8-10.
"We're pleased to welcome Bobby to the BME family because he understands what it takes for an
independent team to be competitive in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series," said Miller. "He
comes to the team with high recommendations from people I respect, and we expect his years of
racing experience to enhance our performance.
"This driver change is entirely unrelated to the accident at the season-opening NHRA
Winternationals," Miller noted. "Our investigation has shown the accident was the result of a
broken header support that cut a rear tire."
Lagana, 27, of Scarsdale, N.Y., is a second-generation racer who has previously competed in NHRA
Top Fuel on a limited schedule with four teams. His most recent round win came at the 2004 K&N
Filters SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., where he defeated Brandon Bernstein in the first
round of eliminations. Lagana will continue to campaign his own Top Fuel dragster in match races
and selected IHRA events.
"I'm definitely excited about driving for the BME Top Fuel team," said Lagana. "It should be a
good fit with two independent racers teaming up to take on the world.
"I've known about Bill Miller as long as I've been racing, and my crew chief insists that we use
BME pistons and connecting rods in my own car," he noted. "I've had a lot of good times and a
few tough times in drag racing, and the highs always motivate me to overcome the lows. I'm
looking forward to many good times with the BME team."
The BME team plans to rejoin the NHRA tour for the fourth round of the 23-race series after
chassis master Don Long completes repairs to the race car.
