MILLICAN RACING 24 EVENTS IN 2009
Mon, 2008-12-15 11:29
Team Running 24 Events Without A Primary Corporate Sponsor …
Clay Millican realizes his situation is completely outside the norm.
The six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion turned NHRA runner plans a 24-race schedule minus major corporate sponsorship save for the branding from team owner Mark Pickens' Motorvation electronic fuel injection company and a score of associate sponsors.
Call him the little engine who could. Call him whatever you want, Millican adds. He just wants you to call him a championship contender.
"We are going to go after that NHRA championship, I know we have the team and we have the people in place to do it," Millican said. "We're working hard to fill in the blanks for sponsorships; Mark says we're going forward. Our cars are ready right now and we have two brand new cars sitting in the shop ready to go. We have a well rested team and it's kind of been a nice, slow off-season for us."
Team Running 24 Events Without A Primary Corporate Sponsor …
Clay Millican realizes his situation is completely outside the norm.
The six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion turned NHRA runner plans a 24-race schedule minus major corporate sponsorship save for the branding from team owner Mark Pickens' Motorvation electronic fuel injection company and a score of associate sponsors.
Call him the little engine who could. Call him whatever you want, Millican adds. He just wants you to call him a championship contender.
"We are going to go after that NHRA championship, I know we have the team and we have the people in place to do it," Millican said. "We're working hard to fill in the blanks for sponsorships; Mark says we're going forward. Our cars are ready right now and we have two brand new cars sitting in the shop ready to go. We have a well rested team and it's kind of been a nice, slow off-season for us."
A slow off-season is a welcomed addition considering the situation from last year when uncertainty permeated the mindset following the implosion of Evan Knoll's race team/sponsorship empire.
"I'm ready to hit the road; I'm ready to go steady on the gas," added an emphatic Millican.
Millican and his crew were laid off in April last year only to be rescued by the Memphis businessman Pickens, who purchased the assets of Knoll's Top Fuel team. The team debuted during the NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, Pa., and reached the semi-finals in the return event.
Millican ran a limited schedule in anticipation of 2009 and managed a 16th place finish despite running only a little over a fourth of the events. The abbreviated schedule enabled Millican's tuner Lance Larsen to get a good gauge on a baseline for 2009.
"Well, that's one thing I can say without any hesitation is Lance Larson don't break anything and his car still runs really fast," Millican bragged. "The only thing we were lacking last year was getting the car to go from the starting line to the 330-foot mark. If you look at all the sheets from half track to the finish line we're moving from mid-pack up towards the top. We ran seven races last year and I do not think we hurt one block all seven races."
Millican can't help but see how Top Fuel participation is thinning out for next season but he's quick to caution how the Mark Pickens team is going forward with tunnel vision and focused only on what transpired within their pit area and on their side of the track.
"We can't worry about what the other teams our doing; we have to worry about what we are doing and do our best at it," Millican said. "I hope there are 24 cars at each race. Obviously I read what's going on. Companies hopefully will see what a bargain it is and take their money from NASCAR and see what a bargain you can get for a first rate team. When you look at what our sport offers, it isn't really a bad deal."
That's the point Millican is trying to make when beating the bushes to acquire the elusive corporate backer.
"We have got so many fishing lines out there," Millican said. "We have a few bobbers out there bobbing up and down, I'm not a fisherman so I'm trying to use those terms. It's hard to say with the economy the way it is. We have open communications with several large companies. Everybody seems to be hanging tight right now. We continue talking and we'll see what happens because everyone is being real careful right now and you can't blame them. When the big three auto manufacturers are in trouble, that kind of tells you how tough it is out there. We'll keep our fishing lines going; hopefully we'll get a bite because we have a few nibbles."
Millican (right) with team owner Mark Pickens plan to challenge for
the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel crown. With the lack of full time Top Fuel
teams, their 24-race schedule provides an excellent opportunity.
The six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion turned NHRA runner plans a 24-race schedule minus major corporate sponsorship save for the branding from team owner Mark Pickens' Motorvation electronic fuel injection company and a score of associate sponsors.
Call him the little engine who could. Call him whatever you want, Millican adds. He just wants you to call him a championship contender.
"We are going to go after that NHRA championship, I know we have the team and we have the people in place to do it," Millican said. "We're working hard to fill in the blanks for sponsorships; Mark says we're going forward. Our cars are ready right now and we have two brand new cars sitting in the shop ready to go. We have a well rested team and it's kind of been a nice, slow off-season for us."
Team Running 24 Events Without A Primary Corporate Sponsor …
Millican (right) with team owner Mark Pickens plan to challenge for the 2009 NHRA Top Fuel crown. With the lack of full time Top Fuel teams, their 24-race schedule provides an excellent opportunity.
The six-time IHRA Top Fuel world champion turned NHRA runner plans a 24-race schedule minus major corporate sponsorship save for the branding from team owner Mark Pickens' Motorvation electronic fuel injection company and a score of associate sponsors.
Call him the little engine who could. Call him whatever you want, Millican adds. He just wants you to call him a championship contender.
"We are going to go after that NHRA championship, I know we have the team and we have the people in place to do it," Millican said. "We're working hard to fill in the blanks for sponsorships; Mark says we're going forward. Our cars are ready right now and we have two brand new cars sitting in the shop ready to go. We have a well rested team and it's kind of been a nice, slow off-season for us."
A slow off-season is a welcomed addition considering the situation from last year when uncertainty permeated the mindset following the implosion of Evan Knoll's race team/sponsorship empire.
"I'm ready to hit the road; I'm ready to go steady on the gas," added an emphatic Millican.
Millican and his crew were laid off in April last year only to be rescued by the Memphis businessman Pickens, who purchased the assets of Knoll's Top Fuel team. The team debuted during the NHRA Toyo Tires Nationals in Reading, Pa., and reached the semi-finals in the return event.
Millican ran a limited schedule in anticipation of 2009 and managed a 16th place finish despite running only a little over a fourth of the events. The abbreviated schedule enabled Millican's tuner Lance Larsen to get a good gauge on a baseline for 2009.
"Well, that's one thing I can say without any hesitation is Lance Larson don't break anything and his car still runs really fast," Millican bragged. "The only thing we were lacking last year was getting the car to go from the starting line to the 330-foot mark. If you look at all the sheets from half track to the finish line we're moving from mid-pack up towards the top. We ran seven races last year and I do not think we hurt one block all seven races."
Millican can't help but see how Top Fuel participation is thinning out for next season but he's quick to caution how the Mark Pickens team is going forward with tunnel vision and focused only on what transpired within their pit area and on their side of the track.
"We can't worry about what the other teams our doing; we have to worry about what we are doing and do our best at it," Millican said. "I hope there are 24 cars at each race. Obviously I read what's going on. Companies hopefully will see what a bargain it is and take their money from NASCAR and see what a bargain you can get for a first rate team. When you look at what our sport offers, it isn't really a bad deal."
That's the point Millican is trying to make when beating the bushes to acquire the elusive corporate backer.
"We have got so many fishing lines out there," Millican said. "We have a few bobbers out there bobbing up and down, I'm not a fisherman so I'm trying to use those terms. It's hard to say with the economy the way it is. We have open communications with several large companies. Everybody seems to be hanging tight right now. We continue talking and we'll see what happens because everyone is being real careful right now and you can't blame them. When the big three auto manufacturers are in trouble, that kind of tells you how tough it is out there. We'll keep our fishing lines going; hopefully we'll get a bite because we have a few nibbles."
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