{"id":101410,"date":"2025-06-25T04:18:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T04:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/clay-millican-talks-disqualification-rear-wing-mishap-shakes-up-qualifying-at-virginia-nationals\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T04:18:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T04:18:26","slug":"clay-millican-talks-disqualification-rear-wing-mishap-shakes-up-qualifying-at-virginia-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/clay-millican-talks-disqualification-rear-wing-mishap-shakes-up-qualifying-at-virginia-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Clay Millican Talks Disqualification; Rear Wing Mishap Shakes Up Qualifying at Virginia Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Veteran Top Fuel driver Clay Millican has always been one to wear his heart on his firesuit, and he didn\u2019t shy away from explaining exactly what happened after NHRA officials disqualified his final qualifying pass at the\u00a0American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals\u00a0this past weekend in Dinwiddie, Virginia.<\/p>\n

The issue? A small, easy-to-miss detail with big consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did a little spot check after Q3,\u201d Millican said in a behind-the-scenes video posted to his YouTube channel. \u201cThey were checking the rear wing \u2013 how far it hangs off the back of the car. You can\u2019t just be all willy-nilly with this stuff. There\u2019s a specific measurement, and we were just a little bit too far out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Per the NHRA rulebook,\u00a0\u201cthe trailing edge of the rear wing may not extend more than 50 inches behind the centerline of the rear axle.\u201d\u00a0That\u2019s where the plumb bob comes in \u2014 a simple but effective way for tech officials to measure overhang. In Millican\u2019s case, the wing was just outside the limit, thanks to the flipped puck that unknowingly shifted the wing too far rearward.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, a puck used to mount the rear wing\u2014designed to be reversible\u2014had been installed backward, subtly shifting the wing\u2019s location beyond the NHRA\u2019s allowable rear overhang spec. Millican explained that officials used a plumb bob from the wing\u2019s trailing edge to the rear axle centerline to determine legality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got a mark on it, and if you flip it the wrong way, it kicks the wing out just a bit too far,\u201d Millican said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t realize it could even be installed backwards. Nothing intentional\u2014just one of those things you don\u2019t catch until it costs you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Steve Torrence, left, shares a moment with Top Fuel rival and friend Clay Millican. One or the other has hoisted the winner\u2019s trophy four of the last five times the Route 66 Nationals has been contested in Chicago. Mark Rebilas photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The run in question\u2014an impressive 3.864 at 324.90 mph\u2014would\u2019ve locked Millican in solidly as the No. 2 qualifier. Instead, he had to rely on his earlier Q1 pass, which, fortunately, held strong enough to still earn him the second position heading into Sunday eliminations.<\/p>\n

Despite the drama, Millican didn\u2019t miss a beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo biggie,\u201d he said. \u201cWe learned something. Those pucks might look like they can go in either way\u2014but trust me, they can\u2019t. You\u2019ve got to get it right. Just like anything out here, these rules matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Millican went on to defeat Smax Smith in round one of eliminations before falling to Doug Kalitta in round two with a 4.014-second effort. Still, he took away plenty of positives from the weekend, including a strong baseline for upcoming events.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur combo is hot, and it\u2019s going down the racetrack. We\u2019re good. Just got to keep the details tight and go back to work in Norwalk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Millican\u2019s wing violation wasn\u2019t the only tech-related drama in Virginia. In a stunning twist on Sunday afternoon,\u00a0Shawn Langdon\u2019s Top Fuel final-round win was disqualified<\/a>\u00a0after a post-run inspection revealed his bellhousing inspection cover was missing bolts\u2014fewer than the 12 required by NHRA rules. The infraction handed the win to runner-up Justin Ashley, who picked up his first victory of the season and 16th of his career.<\/p>\n

Between Millican\u2019s qualifying disqualification and Langdon\u2019s disqualified win, the fifth annual\u00a0Virginia NHRA Nationals became a weekend defined by split hairs and hard lessons\u2014proof that in NHRA drag racing, the rulebook is never just a formality.<\/p>\n

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes June 26\u201329 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for the\u00a019th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on June 24, 2025. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post Clay Millican Talks Disqualification; Rear Wing Mishap Shakes Up Qualifying at Virginia Nationals<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Veteran Top Fuel driver Clay Millican has always been one to wear his heart on his firesuit, and he didn\u2019t shy away from explaining exactly what happened after NHRA officials disqualified his final qualifying pass at the\u00a0American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals\u00a0this past weekend in Dinwiddie, Virginia. The issue? A small, easy-to-miss detail with big […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}