Epping: Terry McMillen weekend recap

McMillen qualifies 11th, suffers early exit at the North American Nationals

EPPING, NH - IHRA Funny Car driver, Terry McMillen, entered the 6th annual North American Nationals with the event sponsor, Amalie Motor Oil, returning to support his racing effort. Unfortunately, McMillen was ousted early when he suffered a first round loss in a very close race with Jim Libby.

McMillen opened qualifying on Friday with a 6.06 at 234 mph to grab the No. 6 position on the Funny Car ladder. The Elkhart, Ind., resident stepped up his performance during Friday evening's session and improved to 6.03 at 233 mph, but slipped to the No. 10 spot. McMillen was unable to improve on his 6.03 during the final two qualifying sessions on Saturday and finished qualifying in the No. 11 position.

McMillen's '98 Dodge Avenger squared off against the '01 Camaro of Jim Libby during the first round of eliminations on Sunday. The huge crowd at New England Dragway was treated to a classic Funny Car battle. Both cars left the starting line hard with the advantage going to McMillen with a .476 to .517 reaction time. The pair stayed locked together as they approached the finish line, where Libby pulled out the victory with a 5.94 at 235 mph to McMillen's competitive 6.00 at 233 mph.

The next event for Terry McMillen will be the IHRA CARQUEST Autumn Nationals at Rockingham Dragway, September 21-23. To find out more about Terry McMillen and all the stars of the IHRA, visit the No. 1 drag racing e-zine on the Internet, CompetitionPlus.com.

-CP-