Clay Millican finished third in the 2018 NHRA Top Fuel season, his best season to date in the NHRA. Always a fan favorite, Millican provided racing fans with some of the most exciting and emotional moments of 2018. Let’s take a look back at Clay Millican’s top five moments from the 2018 NHRA Top Fuel season.
5. Clay pulls out the win after his engine explodes in Charlotte
After jumping out ahead in a Carolina Nationals Qualifier in Charlotte, Clay’s engine burst into flames. Millican would maintain his cool despite his car being on fire and won the round. He thankfully walked away unscathed.
4. Clay explodes off the line to clinch his second career event in Topeka
Clay won the second national event title of his career after he gunned his car. Great Clips car to a 3.727 at 332.59 MPH pass, beating Terry McMillen in the finals.
3. Clay sets a new track record in Atlanta
Millican set a new track speed record of 331.12 mph during the second round of qualifying in the Southern Nationals. "To go 331 mph in Atlanta is pretty cool," said Millican, at the time. "The car is the quickest in the world and I'm proud of that.
2. Clay makes the quickest pass in NHRA history
It didn’t take long for Clay to put the NHRA on notice in 2018. During the Lucas Oil Winternationals, the first race of the 2018 season, Millican set a Top Fuel national time record of 3.628 seconds at 322.04 mph. “I knew it was a special run at the 330-foot mark,” said Millican. “And I even shut the car off a bit early so we know we can improve upon those numbers at some point.”
1. Clay picks up the win on the 20th anniversary of his first race
Clay Millican picked up his second win of the season and third of his career at the 21st annual JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois. But the race had more significance than just being part of back-to-back wins for Millican and the Stringer Performance racing team. The race came on the 20th anniversary of the track’s first NHRA event which, coincidentally was Clay Millican’s first racing event. Millican didn’t fare nearly as well in the 1998 event, earning a DNQ. “This place is really special,” said Millican. “I was the very first car to pull out on this facility. It’s such a crazy, crazy thing to win here 20 years later.”
