Rob Wendland wasn’t out of work for long.
Days after his run with Shawn Reed Racing came to an end, the veteran crew chief has landed at Rick Ware Racing, where he’ll take over Clay Millican’s Top Fuel dragster beginning this weekend at the NHRA Great Lakes Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan.
And RWR isn’t bringing Wendland aboard for a get-acquainted period.
“Rob brings a tremendous amount of experience to our team, and more importantly, he knows what it takes to win races,” team owner Rick Ware said. “We believe Rob’s approach can help bolster our program immediately.”
The timing gives Wendland little opportunity to ease into the job. Millican is coming off a difficult U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, where he qualified No. 16 and exited in the opening round.
Wendland arrives with plenty of history in the nitro pits and a résumé that goes well beyond sitting behind a computer and making tuning calls.
He was once the guy stepping on the throttle.
Wendland raced in NHRA’s Top Alcohol ranks and won twice during the 1999 season, taking victories at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, and World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
Eventually, the helmet went away and the tuning career took over. Wendland worked his way through Top Alcohol, Funny Car and Top Fuel, with several of his stops coming alongside some familiar names.
He led Johnny Gray’s Funny Car effort at Don Schumacher Racing from 2011 through 2013. Wendland later became a key piece of Terry McMillen’s Top Fuel operation, working with the independent team from 2015 through 2020.
His latest assignment was another independent operation.
Wendland joined Shawn Reed’s Top Fuel program in 2023 and helped Reed build the team through its early growing pains. The payoff came at the 2025 Reading Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, where Reed scored the first NHRA national event victory for his organization.
