Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Clay Millican Returns to IHRA at Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway


IHRA's all-time winningest driver Clay Millican returns at Summit World Finals at Memphis International Raceway
Top Fuel rivals Millican, Bruce Litton to battle at MIR in October

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (August 20, 2013) – His numbers speak for themselves – six IHRA Top Fuel world championships, 52 national event wins and two world records.

And now the most decorated man in the history of the International Hot Rod Association will be making his triumphant return at his home track at Memphis International Raceway for the IHRA Summit Racing Equipment World Finals October 11-12 in Tennessee.

Six-time IHRA Top Fuel World Champion Clay Millican will return to IHRA in October

Millican will be making his very first start in IHRA Top Fuel competition in more than five years and fans will be in for a treat as one of the greatest Top Fuel rivalries in drag racing history will be reborn as Millican takes on Bruce Litton in a battle of the World Champions during the IHRA Nitro Jam season finale October 11-12 at MIR.

"Clay is a legend in the International Hot Rod Association. What he did during his time here is hard to put into words, but the easiest way to put it is that he flat out dominated the sport like few have done before," said Aaron Polburn, President of IHRA Motorsports. "Having him back in Memphis will make an amazing event even bigger. Seeing him running alongside Bruce will be like old times all over again and that alone will be worth the price of admission."

Millican won six consecutive IHRA Top Fuel championships from 2001-2006, winning 52 races and visiting more than 60 finals during that span. He won 68 percent of the races during his six-year reign atop the IHRA Top Fuel world including recording an amazing 21 wins in 24 races in a two year span. He also set both ends of the IHRA Top Fuel world record and was the very first IHRA driver to dip into the 4.40s on the quarter-mile.

Millican's home track of Memphis International Raceway will be the site of this year's World Finals

And the man that was runner-up during nearly all of those Millican wins was Bruce Litton. Litton is IHRA's second most decorated Top Fuel competitor with one championship coming in 2007 and the fifth most wins in IHRA history under the previous IHRA format. Under the new Nitro Jam system Litton has added even more wins to his resume.

From 2002 to 2004 Millican and Litton met in the finals of Top Fuel 17 times, including nine meetings in 12 races in 2002 alone.

Millican, who calls Memphis, Tennessee home, is very much looking forward to his return to IHRA competition and reliving the glory days alongside Litton.

"This is a big deal for me and my whole family. Not only am I racing at my home track, the same track that I grew up racing at every weekend as a kid, but I am also getting to once again go head-to-head with my longtime rival Bruce Litton driving one of his cars," Millican said. "Even to this day I don't think I have raced anyone more than Bruce. We have had some serious battles over the years, but we always remained pretty good friends.

"Memphis is going to be a huge, huge weekend. I am going to have a lot of friends and family there and it is going to be a blast being back with IHRA and racing against Bruce. It is absolutely going to be a fun weekend and we can't wait to see all of our fans out in October."

Millican and Bruce Litton will battle in IHRA for the first time in several years

The 2013 IHRA Summit World Finals will feature nitro-burning Top Fuel Dragster, AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car, Nitro Harley and Fuel Altered, joining a thrilling show starring jet Funny Cars, fireworks and a "monster" finale as the 30,000 horsepower Super Shockwave jet-powered 1957 Chevy takes on the world famous Grave Digger monster truck. The event will also include the world championship races in 10 IHRA sportsman classes.

Tickets to the IHRA Summit World Finals are available online at www.nitrojam.com or you can call MIR at (901) 969-7223. Don't miss the return of Clay Millican and the crowning of IHRA's 2013 World Champions October 11-12 at Memphis International Raceway.