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IHRA Hooters Top Fuel

RICHMOND - Final

Millican Wins 3rd Race of Season at IHRA ACDelco Nationals Sets New Virginia Motorsports Park Track Records

Petersburg, Va. - May 28, 2005 Clay Millican of Team Werner/Lehman Racing, the four-time IHRA Top Fuel Champion, defended his IHRA ACDelco Nationals title, winning the event for the fourth year in a row. Additionally, Millican notched his third victory of the season in as many events, and his 40th career win in less than five and a half full seasons in the league.

"This was a great weekend, and to get win number 40 on the seven-year anniversary of our first Top Fuel run in a national event is really special," said Millican. "I am so proud of this Peter Lehman Racing team and the success we have had over the years."

Millican qualified in the number one position, setting a new Virginia Motorsports Park elapsed time track record with a pass in 4.579 seconds at 312.50 mph. Millican also held the previous track record of 4.590 seconds.
In the first round of eliminations, Millican faced number eight qualifier C.J. Nelson. Millican won the round easily, as Nelson could not get his car off the starting line. Millican and Team Werner/Lehman Racing made the pass with an E.T. of 4.681 at 300.33 mph.

Millican went on to face number four qualifier Bruce Litton in the semi-finals. Both drivers got off the line quickly, and the race was close until Millican pulled away at the finish, advancing to his fourth consecutive IHRA final round of the season with an E.T. of 4.644 at 320.58 mph, setting a new track record for speed. Millican held the previous track record of 316.52 mph. Litton finished the pass with an E.T. of 4.845 at 289.45 mph.

The final round pitted Millican against number three qualifier Doug Foley. Millican got off the line first with a reaction time of 0.066 seconds to Foley's 0.113, and the two were close until about half-track, when Millican pulled away with the win, re-setting his E.T. track record with his best run of the weekend, 4.568 at 320.36 mph. Foley finished with an E.T. of 5.821 at 152.73 mph.

With their victory at the ACDelco Nationals, Millican and Team Werner/Lehman Racing widened their lead in the 2005 IHRA Top Fuel points standings. The team's next race is the IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada, on June 10- 12.

Litton pulls within three points of third place with semi-final shot

PETERSBURG, Va. – Entering the IHRA ACDelco Nationals, Lucas Oil/Torco Race Fuels-sponsored driver Bruce Litton was ranked fourth in the Top Fuel points. Knowing he needed a good showing to pull into third place, Litton took out the third ranked driver and finished as a semi-finalist.

The driver Litton got the best of in the first stanza of eliminations also happened to be his teammate Rick Cooper in the huge Torco Race Fuels effort. The performance pulled him within three points of the next rung on the championship ladder. Defending World Champion Clay Millican dashed the championship hopes of Litton.

Litton had plenty to be cheerful for.

“Anytime you can get past the first round in this program, you’ve certainly achieved something,” Litton said. “The real winners today are the fans and the sponsors. The fans saw a barnburner of an event and the sponsors had a lot of eyeballs on their signage. In that scenario, everyone wins.”

Litton scored an international publicity coup during the weekend as the crew of Radio Television Luxemburg made their way to VMP to feature Litton as part of a show to be aired on German television. The crew had visited the U.S. last year on assignment in Indianapolis covering the Formula 1 Series. That’s when they caught wind of Litton’s creative shop that resembles his old hometown of Oneida, Tennessee.

So impressed was the crew that they convinced their producer to allow them another trip to the States to cover Litton at the drags. They chose to tag along at VMP this weekend.

“We have had a great time,” Litton said. “This provides a great opportunity to gain some excellent exposure for IHRA Drag Racing and my sponsors Lucas Oil and Torco Race Fuels. I think it’s great that we can introduce our style of racing to them.”

RICHMOND - Saturday

CJ Nelson Secures Torco Bucks Top Fuel Prize during IHRA ACDelco Nationals

C.J. Nelson of San Diego, Calif., held off Chris Karamesines to take the last remaining spot in the Top Fuel field. Qualifying eighth, Nelson will receive a $1,000 bonus check from Torco Race Fuels.

The Torco Race Fuels Nitro Bucks program is designed to provide the last qualifier in the field with a little bit of extra cash.

RICHMOND - Pre-Race

Millican Returns to Site of Historic 33rd Win; Will Go For Third Win of the Season at IHRA ACDelco Nationals

Four-time IHRA Top Fuel Champion Clay Millican of Team Werner/Lehman Racing will attempt to continue his 2005 IHRA winning streak by getting his third consecutive event victory of the season at the IHRA ACDelco Nationals at the Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va., on May 26-28.

"I am so ready to race in Virginia," said Millican. "We haven't raced in about a month and I am getting antsy to get back out on the track and go for our 40th win!"

Millican, who has won a total of 39 IHRA Top Fuel races in just over five full seasons in the league, will look to get his 40th career win and his fourth consecutive ACDelco Nationals victory. He has won the race every year since 2001.

In last year's race, Millican made history by getting the 33rd victory of his career, becoming the winningest professional driver in IHRA history. Pro Stock and Pro Mod driver Rickie Smith previously held that title with 32 wins. Additionally, Millican set a new track record for elapsed time in 2004 with a pass of 4.590 seconds in the first round of eliminations.

Millican has had a strong 2005 season thus far, winning the season-opener Texas Nationals in San Antonio, and then notching his eighth consecutive win at Rockingham Dragway at the IHRA Spring Nationals on April 22-24. Millican and Team Werner/Lehman Racing currently hold the number one spot in the 2005 IHRA Top Fuel points standings, 69 points ahead of their nearest competitor, Rick Cooper.

Along with his quest for a fifth consecutive IHRA Top Fuel Championship, Millican has also raced in three NHRA national events this season, with his best finish coming at the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., where he advanced to the semi-finals. He plans to race in at least two more NHRA national events this season.

ROCKINGHAM - Post Race

Millican and Team Werner Notch Eighth Straight Victory at "The Rock"

Rockingham, N.C. - Clay Millican of Team Werner/Lehman Racing, the 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 IHRA Top Fuel Champion, won his eighth consecutive race at the Rockingham Dragway at the IHRA Spring Nationals, defeating Rick Cooper in the final round of eliminations.

"It feels great to get our second victory of the season," said Millican.
"This race track is obviously a special one for the Werner team, and I'm glad we were able to keep our winning streak at 'The Rock' alive this weekend."

Millican qualified in the number two position with an elapsed time of
4.701 seconds at 304.12 mph, which he achieved in his first qualifying pass of the weekend. In the first round of eliminations he faced number seven qualifier Paul Athey, and got off to a great start with a reaction time of 0.034 seconds to Athey's 0.164. Millican held on to the lead the entire way down the quarter mile track, finishing in 4.758 seconds at
250.41 mph to Athey's 5.927 at 175.71 mph.

Millican went on to face number three qualifier Bobby Lagana, Jr. in the semi-finals and both drivers got off the line quickly. Lagana, Jr. had troubles early in the run, however, and Millican got the win light with an E.T. of 5.250 at 186.38 mph, while Lagana, Jr. finished in 13.695 seconds at 79.40 mph.

Millican advanced to the final round with hopes of winning his eighth consecutive race at Rockingham Dragway, a streak unmatched by any other driver, and one that dates back to the IHRA Autumn Nationals in 2001, where Millican defeated Louie Allison for his ninth career victory. This year Millican faced number four qualifier Rick Cooper. Millican won with his best pass of the weekend, an E.T. of 4.667 at 307.02 mph.

Millican is the winningest professional driver in IHRA history with a total of 39 career victories, and currently holds the number one spot in the 2005 IHRA Top Fuel points standings.

Millican and Team Werner/Lehman Racing will race next at the IHRA ACDelco Nationals in Richmond, Va., on May 26-28, where they will look for their 40th career IHRA victory and third of the season.

Litton’s IHRA Spring Nationals weekend ends with first round red-light

ROCKINGHAM, NC. – Bruce Litton was at a loss for words after an uncharacteristic first round loss during the IHRA Spring Nationals. The Lucas Oil/Torco Race Fuels –sponsored driver usually finds his way to the final round whenever he’s at Rockingham. However, in a first round match opposite of Bobby Lagana, Litton left the red bulb aglow.

“I really don’t know what to say,” admitted a puzzled Litton. “I thought I saw yellow and I must have been too early. This is really disappointing to say the least. I accept the blame here and we’ll regroup and get back after it in Virginia.”

Litton entered this weekend ranked high in the point standings for IHRA Hooters Top Fuel. He entered eliminations as the sixth qualifier.

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