LAS VEGAS — Coming off one of the biggest wins in his NHRA career – and certainly the earliest of any season in his NHRA Top Fuel career – Clay Millican now has the opportunity for another special victory at this weekend’s 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It’s a special milestone weekend and celebration for the annual spring race in Las Vegas and Millican is a huge fan of going four-wide racing in his 11,000-horsepower Parts Plus dragster for Rick Ware Racing.
The only thing he hasn’t done in the wild and unique four-wide setup is win the race, something the fan-favorite hopes to change this weekend in Las Vegas.
Millican and his team are riding high after a victory at the Winternationals in Pomona and that momentum could bode well in Las Vegas at one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports, one that features nearly 50,000-horsepower when four nitro machines blast down the track at the same time.
“We’re definitely in a good place,” Millican said. “It’s just cool to say you’re the Winternationals champion. It stacks right up there for us. That’s a major for us in this sport and we’re rolling right into Vegas for the 4-Wide Nationals. I enjoy the chaos of four-wide racing. I think everybody has gotten better about all that comes with four-wide racing, but I really enjoy it and the chaos of it.
“I’ve absolutely done everything there is in a four-wide except win. I feel like there’s no reason we can’t win the thing this weekend. Anytime I get to drive the car, I’m happy, but it’s pretty obvious looking at the grandstands people come to watch four-wide racing. It’s one of those things where we’re exposing our sport to people who maybe wouldn’t come otherwise, so it’s a good thing.”
Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) claimed four-wide victories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This weekend is the fourth of 20 races during the 2025 campaign and the first of two straight four-wide races.
That makes April four-wide season in the NHRA and Millican is eager to take advantage of the opportunity. The Winternationals win pushed him to sixth in points and he’ll also be taking part in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. He’s in a quad that features Brittany Force, Jasmine Salinas and Scott Palmer, while the other quad in the bonus race features Pomona runner-up Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Josh Hart.
The top two in each quad advance to the final on Saturday, bringing competitive racing, a bonus purse and bonus points to the qualifying schedule. Langdon is undefeated in Saturday racing in 2025, while Millican knows it’s a loaded field from top to bottom in the Top Fuel category.
But after a Pomona win, Millican believes the sky is the limit for his team.
“This year we’ve got the regular season championship and that’s the first thing on the agenda,” Millican said. “I let us down a little bit in Phoenix and that put us in a little bit of a hole. The win (in Pomona) dug us out a little bit and early wins, I can’t say I’ve ever had any in the NHRA. It’s certainly a momentum changer.
“To win the way we did, it was a total team effort. The team has stuck together. It’s such a cool deal when you all come together as a group and win a Wally. This team is a winner.”
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