Terry McMillen’s IHRA Top
Fuel victory Sunday in Edmonton produced the kind of happy ending that often
appears in Hollywood scripts but rarely in life. McMillen, who cut his teeth
driving Nitro Funny Car before taking a hiatus from the sport, has now officially
fought his way back into the fuel ranks.
The journey back has often
been painful and the road strewn with obstacles. McMillen and wife Rhonda
suffered the loss of a son as well as Terry’s blindness from a contact lens
solution defect. That’s why he smiled wider than ever on Sunday. McMillen’s
victory was payback.
“It has been a tough road
to get to here – a horrible road,” McMillen said. “The greatest thing about
that victory is that I was able to drive in the daylight because it gets dark
for only a short time in Edmonton. That helped me to see well enough to make it
through just fine.
“This makes up for the
setbacks because we should have been racing a year ago. I underwent another
surgery a week ago and the doctors gave me medical clearance. They keep trying
to make the eye better. My eye isn’t to the level it needs to be to be
considered fully back, but it is well enough that we can do this safely.