Veteran Top Fuel driver Clay Millican has always been one to wear his heart on his firesuit, and he didn’t shy away from explaining exactly what happened after NHRA officials disqualified his final qualifying pass at the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals this past weekend in Dinwiddie, Virginia.
The issue? A small, easy-to-miss detail with big consequences.
“They did a little spot check after Q3,” Millican said in a behind-the-scenes video posted to his YouTube channel. “They were checking the rear wing – how far it hangs off the back of the car. You can’t just be all willy-nilly with this stuff. There’s a specific measurement, and we were just a little bit too far out.”
Per the NHRA rulebook, “the trailing edge of the rear wing may not extend more than 50 inches behind the centerline of the rear axle.” That’s where the plumb bob comes in — a simple but effective way for tech officials to measure overhang. In Millican’s case, the wing was just outside the limit, thanks to the flipped puck that unknowingly shifted the wing too far rearward.
As it turns out, a puck used to mount the rear wing—designed to be reversible—had been installed backward, subtly shifting the wing’s location beyond the NHRA’s allowable rear overhang spec. Millican explained that officials used a plumb bob from the wing’s trailing edge to the rear axle centerline to determine legality.
“It’s got a mark on it, and if you flip it the wrong way, it kicks the wing out just a bit too far,” Millican said. “We didn’t realize it could even be installed backwards. Nothing intentional—just one of those things you don’t catch until it costs you.”
The run in question—an impressive 3.864 at 324.90 mph—would’ve 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.
Despite the drama, Millican didn’t miss a beat.
“No biggie,” he said. “We learned something. Those pucks might look like they can go in either way—but trust me, they can’t. You’ve got to get it right. Just like anything out here, these rules matter.”
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.
“Our combo is hot, and it’s going down the racetrack. We’re good. Just got to keep the details tight and go back to work in Norwalk.”
Millican’s wing violation wasn’t the only tech-related drama in Virginia. In a stunning twist on Sunday afternoon, Shawn Langdon’s Top Fuel final-round win was disqualified after a post-run inspection revealed his bellhousing inspection cover was missing bolts—fewer 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.
Between Millican’s qualifying disqualification and Langdon’s disqualified win, the fifth annual Virginia NHRA Nationals became a weekend defined by split hairs and hard lessons—proof that in NHRA drag racing, the rulebook is never just a formality.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series resumes June 26–29 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, for the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
This story was originally published on June 24, 2025. 
