“Twenty years ago today, I got my NHRA License and left my real job!” – Two Decades Behind the Wheel for Clay Millican

At some point, every little boy dreams of making a living as a race car driver. While nearly all of us abandoned that dream in favor of something a little more practical – and a lot less exciting – a select few make it work. If you ever have the opportunity to spend even a few minutes with Clay Millican, that’s about all it takes to realize why he has been able to spend the past 20 years living out that dream.

 

Clay’s career began like nearly every other professional driver: as a sportsman racer. He was working at a local grocery store to finance his weekends at the track when he began the right connections that would later prove to be the key to taking his operation to the next level. As he steadily climbed the ranks, earning a reputation not only as a great driver but a positive, upbeat guy with an eternal smile on his face, all attributes that have earned him solid relationships with his sponsors and peers. On this day two decades ago, Clay made the leap of faith, earning his NHRA Top Fuel license and leaving his day job to pursue a full-time career behind the wheel of a fueler.

 

“Twenty years ago today, I got my Top Fuel license and left my real job,” quipped Millican, implying (incorrectly, trust me) that keeping a top fuel operation up and running isn’t a “real job”. As many a meme has confirmed, you have to work 24/7 to avoid working 9-5, and having worked closely with Clay and his crew over the past year, I’ve seen him work diligently for hours on end without ever shedding his trademark grin. Of course, all Millican has to do is peek inside his hauler at the Great Clips/Parts Plus dragster that currently holds the world elapsed time record to be reminded why the hard work is worth it.

Clay emailed over some photos this morning that feature some of the highlights of his two decades behind the wheel and we wanted to share those with our fans, so scroll down to check out the gallery and hit the comments on Facebook to send your congrats to Clay for hitting such a huge milestone!