You’re going to have a real hard time finding anybody who has more fun drag racing than Clay Millican. His million-watt smile never leaves his face the second he rolls through the gates at the track, and it shines even brighter when he’s winning. Millican’s victory at the JEGS Route 66 Nationals gives him back to back victories, but more importantly, it gives his team a huge boost of confidence rolling into this four-race stretch of the NHRA season.“It’s really crazy. It took me 19 years to get that first win and then less than a year to get the second and less than two weeks to get the third. I like that trend. This place is really special. I got my first Top Fuel experience in competition on this race track in 1998. I was the very first car to pull out on this facility. Shortly after that, I did a reverse burnout and got to meet [late NHRA Chief Starter] Buster Couch live in person. That was not my most favorite conversation. He said. ‘I don’t know when you did before you got your Top Fuel license, but you might think about going back to it.’ He did not like me doing a reverse burnout,” Millican says.
Matt Smith is a successful Pro Stock Motorcycle veteran for a reason, he will find a way to win even when things are tough. Earlier this year he had a partner back out of his racing program and put his season in jeopardy, but in true Matt Smith fashion he pulled out an old bike and has turned it into an event winner at Route 66 Raceway. Smith fought all weekend and the final was no exception. When most riders might have aborted the run, Smith went hammer down to earn his Wally.
“We had to ride the bike in the final. It went left and kept going and going. I almost gave up on it. I glanced over and didn’t see LE over there. I said screw it. Richard Freeman is buying me a new body so if we tear it up, we’ll just tear it up. I’ve hit the wall before in Englishtown. The only time I’ve ever had an accident the foot peg went through my foot and I was out for the rest of the year but I’m just out here trying to win a race so I was willing to do whatever to make it happen, ” Smith says.