When Terry McMillen made his NHRA Top Fuel debut this season, there wasn’t much fanfare. After all, McMillen wasn’t a top-name driver joining a powerhouse multi-car team.

McMillen, however, having flown under the radar this year, now has a legitimate chance of making into the Countdown to 1 playoffs. McMillen is in 11th place in the point standings, 19 points behind David Grubnic, who competes out of the Kalitta Motorsports stable.

The Countdown to 10 regular season concludes at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 12-15 at Brainerd, Minn. The Countdown to 1 playoffs begin at the U.S. Nationals Sept. 1-6 in Indianapolis.

When Terry McMillen made his NHRA Top Fuel debut this season, there wasn’t much fanfare. After all, McMillen wasn’t a top-name driver joining a powerhouse multi-car team.

McMillen, however, having flown under the radar this year, now has a legitimate chance of making into the Countdown to 1 playoffs. McMillen is in 11th place in the point standings, 19 points behind David Grubnic, who competes out of the Kalitta Motorsports stable.

The Countdown to 10 regular season concludes at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 12-15 at Brainerd, Minn. The Countdown to 1 playoffs begin at the U.S. Nationals Sept. 1-6 in Indianapolis.

“Overall as a team, you kind of feel disappointed because we have not done better, but that is just the competitive side in all of us,” said McMillen, who pilots the Amalie Motor Oil-sponsored dragster. “When you look at the big picture overall, we have had a very successful year. To be in the position to compete for the top 10 definitely was our long-term goal this year and our short-term we’ve accomplished, and that was going out there and not oiling the track and embarrassing ourselves and our sponsors.”

McMillen admits it is the long-term goal which is fueling him these days.

“There’s no doubt about it, we’re going to do everything we can to finish in the top 10 because we have nothing to lose,” McMillen said. “Honestly, if someone would have told me I would have a chance to finish in the top 10 going into the final Countdown race, I would have thought they were crazy. I would have never bet on it. When you look at the competition in the NHRA in Top Fuel, it is the best of the best. I thought we would have a chance to make the top 10 in a year or so. To be in the position we are today is a compliment to my team and all of our partners who have been standing behind us and given us the tools to do it. I’ve enjoyed my week off, but it has probably been the most agonizing week off because all you do is think about making the Countdown and what we have to do. You play every scenario out in your head and I guess that’s because I have never been in this position.”

McMillen has a simple strategy in place for Brainerd.

“Whatever he (David Grubnic) does, we have to do one round better,” said McMillen, whose team is based in Elkhart, Ind. “The deciding factor is probably going to be qualifying position because obviously there are points (to be gained from) qualifying positions. So, our goal is just to be one position ahead of him to pick up that extra point. The one advantage we have is that we do not make the power some of these killer teams do, so I hope it is 150 degrees and I hope the humidity is 99 percent because if that is the case, I have a really good chance of getting our car down the track. The other guys (from those teams) will go up there and blow the tires off, even though they have a lot of data.”

Although McMillen is aware of what he has to do this weekend, he knows overtaking Grubnic for the final Countdown spot isn’t going to be easy.

“David (Grubnic) is driving for Connie Kalitta who is a legend in the sport, and David is a great driver who has been doing this for a long time,” McMillen said. “The odds are against us, but you know what, they were against us in the beginning of the year and look where we are at. We’re knocking on the door and maybe we can pull this off (and make the Countdown). I know it would be an honor if we made the Countdown and it would be a compliment to my guys and all of our marketing partners.”

McMillen made a case to be in the top 10 by advancing to the second round at consecutive races in Topeka, Kan., Chicago and Englishtown. He also made it to round two at Sonoma, Calif. McMillen’s best qualifying position is eighth, which he scored at both Houston and Bristol (Tenn.).

Richard Hartman, McMillen’s crew chief, will be busy at Brainerd International Raceway since this is McMillen’s inaugural trip to the facility.

“I have never been there before and we do not have any information about the track,” McMillen said. “It is just going to be Richard (Hartman) making gut calls and knowing that we’re going to have to lean on it. We’re going to have to try and be really be aggressive and hopefully at some point just make sure that we are in the field. We have to be in the field so we can compete on race day. We have not done any testing this year because it is tough to do testing with the budget we have. What has been really unique  though, is all the support I’ve been getting from people everywhere and all our marketing partners. This is just one big team effort to try and pull this off. If we do make the Countdown, I will probably cry like a baby at the end of the track because it is a big deal for us.”

McMillen is hesitant to share his plans beyond 2010, but he’s very upbeat about the future.

“If all goes well, I hope to maybe announce something at Indy,” McMillen said. “Next year is looking good for us and we’ve had overwhelming support this year. I can’t thank everybody enough for believing in us and giving us this opportunity. We wear our heart on our sleeves and I do not think anybody is going to beat us on heart and desire.”