SZ: Pat Welsh with Speedzone Magazine.com talking with Terry McMillen driver of the Amalie Top Fuel dragster. Terry you've been pretty busy in the off season I've heard?

TM: We have been. You know it's been a great off season. We haven't been home much at all since actually Pomona but it's paid off. We were fortunate enough to have signed Genius Tools. They're a great tool manufacturing company out of California. They do a great job of making hand tools for the automotive and truck industries. They have a huge variety of tools. I certainly encourage everyone to look at their site and pick up some tools.

Then we're fortunate to pick up Biomet--the company that made my replacement knees. They're a very large company and very aggressive in what they do. And so it's really kind of great to be part of that especially since I can speak firsthand about it having had both my knees replaced. It's certainly opened up some doors and opportunities there.

We just got done shooting a TV commercial with Elkhart General Hospital replacing Gale Sayers for the next two years in the Northern Indiana regions all the way to the Illinois, Ohio, Michigan lines.
It's been busy--it's extremely busy. We have a lot of good things working. Actually I'm flying out tomorrow morning headed to the Pentagon. Have a meeting there on Sunday talking with some folks.

SZ: The Pentagon? What's that all about?

TM: I'll let you know soon. But it's all good stuff. It's just been extremely busy. And it's paying off for us and it's allowing us to try to grow this team and make it a little bit stronger for all my marketing partners.

Amalie Oil has been with me and they've re- signed. They gave me another year and gave me an increase in a year they didn't have to. But they believe in what we're doing and the strength and business that we've given them. So it's all about marketing. And certainly I've been really blessed with a lot of great companies that have come onboard to support us.

SZ: How's testing going this week at Palm Beach International Raceway?

TM: Testing is going really well. We've changed a lot of stuff on the car in the off season and we're just trying to figure out some things-trying to get the fuel flow right. We've made four passes: two 330's, two halftracks, and now we're going to go to 800 feet. And then tonight we'll make two full passes.
We're looking to be in the really low 80, 81 range. If not even a 78, 79--something like that.

We really feel that the numbers are dictating that we're there to do it. But you know it's a lot of work on that fuel curve. I had enough fires and hurt a lot of parts last year. So we're just taking every precaution this year to not let that happen.

SZ: Richard Hartman, your crew chief is a pretty smart guy. Is he going to push it a little bit harder this year?

TM: Absolutely. We've learned a lot. We also have a little support from Lee Beard--he's coming down consulting. That's certainly adding some direction to us as well. But you know Richard's been around racing since he's been able to walk. He makes so many of the parts for these Top Fuel teams anyway in his machine shop business so it's just certainly a natural to have him on board and we get along together well and we communicate well and it's just a matter of getting all the pieces and parts in place.

I told him when we started this thing, "Don't worry about ever getting fired. Let's figure out how to make this car run. We're going to work together at it. We'll accomplish this together." And that's our goal and that's what we're doing.

SZ: How's the track here at PBIR.

TM: It's just an awesome track. I love coming down here. It's too bad we can't have a track like this on the national event series, but it's just a great facility. The fans here are awesome. There's nothing like being in Florida. I mean it's 75-80 degrees here and when I'm talking to people back at home we have ten inches of snow and it's maybe breaking 20 degrees today. It's just good to be down here. It's a great track and it gives us a lot of insight into what we have ahead of us. Because I'll tell you what the NHRA season this year is going to be full: full of events, full of cars that are just quality cars this year. It's probably the richest NHRA drag racing has been in Top Fuel and even Funny Car for that matter as far as car counts and quality of cars.

It's been a long time. The economy has hurt us a lot. But I think this year it's rebounding. A lot of good things are going to happen and we have a lot of work ahead of us.

SZ: As a small team you seem to be really popular and you have a really large fan base. Why do you think people are so attracted to your team?

TM: I don't know I just feel really blessed about that. I think sometimes people say, "Well you know I'm always tired of seeing the same guy winning the race or this or that."

But the things we do here that are different from most is I never rope off my pits, everyone is welcome into my pits. People are smart enough to know that when the guys are working on the motor to stay out of the way.

But I don't' have a problem with them getting up there to get their picture taken next to the car or anything like that. Or in the evenings after we're done running the car I put people in the car. So I think those things, those dynamics is what has led to people liking us a lot. I mean we put a hundred people in the car a weekend. And I don't know how many pictures get taken in front of the car.

I'm always there to talk to anybody and so is my crew. I think that's the thing that people--you know--they spend a lot of money for the ticket and they really want to come to the racetrack and they want to be entertained. That's what we are we are--entertainers. But at the same point in time it's pretty beautiful to watch a bunch of guys tear a motor apart and have it back together in forty five minutes. Most people can't change spark plugs that quick. It's just poetry in motion and certainly great for the fans and certainly I like to come out here and entertain and have a lot of fun with the kids and adults. So it's just good and I think for whatever reason they've gravitated this way.

SZ: Anything else you'd like to add?

TM: I tell you what I just appreciate you taking time to come down to interview us. And certainly I want to give a shout out to Amalie Oil and Flat Out Gaskets and University of Northwestern Ohio who have re-upped again with us and that's huge. We have a full-time student here now. And so there's just a lot of good things.

SZ: Yes who is that? I met her last night while she was working in the trailer.

TM: That's Sam and she graduated in December 2011. She actually took all the extra classes she could and instead of graduating in three years she did it in a year and a half just so that she could come out here and race. Her dynamic and her work ethics are a great example of what our team is all about and she's a huge asset. The University of Northwestern Ohio they provide a tremendous foundation for youth. There are 23 of them out here working out here on the NHRA side and now she makes 24. People just want them because they have the fundamental skills of what it takes. They may not understand a Top Fuel car but they have the foundation of everything else around them. It doesn't take long for them to catch on. You can fast track their learning--instead of being a year it can be six months. So it's a beautiful thing.

SZ: Terry thanks so much for your time and good luck this season.

TM: Thank you so much Pat. I appreciate it.