|
Tire Spin Leads to Early Loss for Millican at Memphis |
One day Clay Millican and crew chief Johnny West were satisfied when Evan
Knoll’s RATT – Back for More Tour Top Fuel dragster spun the tires on its last
qualifying run.
It was a necessary move then, but neither wanted the car to do the same
thing in Sunday’s opening round of the O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis
Motorsports Park. When the tires began spinning, Millican’s winning chances
literally went up in smoke as Whit Bazemore drove to the win in 4.560 seconds
at 321.50 mph. Millican coasted across in 5.247 seconds at 200.98 mph.
Millican, of nearby Drummonds, Tenn., and competing at his hometown track,
had a large lead off the starting line and was ahead until traction trouble
set in. His .032-second reaction was the quickest of the day in Top Fuel.
Bazemore had a .094 reaction.
“We wanted that to happen Saturday, not Sunday, but we are learning from
those runs,” Millican said. “The (computer) numbers are getting better.”
Millican will be back in action Monday in a test session at the track, one
he has been anticipating. “We get to run our new car,” he added. “I’m
looking forward to it.” He would not speculate on whether he will be in the new
or old car next week when action resumes at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, near
Dallas.
|
