Clay Millican is a dragster driver who has driven for Top Fuel Nitro and appeared in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
He has raced cars since he was 16 and has won the NHRA 3 times with 19 appearances in the final rounds. He has a net worth of approximately $35 million.
| Name | Clay Millican |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth: | February 9th, 1966 (56 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Drummonds, Tennessee |
| Height: | Unknown |
| Profession: | Dragster driver |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Children: | 2 |
| Parents: | Jimmie Millican (father), Martha Millican (mother) |
| Net Worth Estimate: | $35 million |
Net Worth
It is unclear what Millican’s exact net worth is. However, it is speculated to be around $35 million.
Most of Millican’s net worth comes from his work as a dragster driver, where he won six championships between 2001 and 2006. This success has contributed to his net worth as a dragster driver (1).
During his races, he has been sponsored by several notable companies, including Werner Enterprises. The alliance between the two is one of the most prominent in the International Hot Rod Association.
Parts Plus has also sponsored Millican. The exact figure for this sponsorship is unclear. Still, it is considered high, indicating that Millican has a significant net worth (2).
Company
Millican is the owner of Clay Millican Racing Incorporation. It is unclear how much money Millican has received from this company.
However, in April 2020, the company was given a Paycheck Protection Loan worth $21,250. By November of the same year, the company had paid the loan in full (3).
Earnings
Millican’s exact earrings are unclear. However, his first job is known as a forklift driver for the supermarket chain Kroger. On average, people in this field earn $32,175 in Tennessee, with a low of $27,858 and $38,025 at the highest (4).
It is unclear how much Millican earned as a National Hot Rod Association driver. However, on average, Top Fuel drivers receive $47,638. The lowest salary is $40,754, while the highest is $55,122 (5).
In 1998, Millican received his first title of Top Fuel for the National Hot Rod Association, so it can be assumed that he began earning this salary from this time (6).
During this time, Millican received a single sponsorship from the baseball team known as the Chicago White Sox. It is unclear how much he received from this sponsorship, although sponsors pay between $10,000 to $50,000 for similar racing events (7).
In terms of prize money, in 2009, the NHRA paid winners $1 million for the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
For winners in the Top Fuel category, champions receive a $500,000 bonus. At the same time, those who also finish in the top 10 for Top Fuel receive another $2000 (8). As such, Millican will have received approximately $502,000 for receiving the Top Fuel title in 1998.
Later, Millican began racing for the International Hot Rod Association. It is unknown how much he received as a salary from this company. In terms of prize money, in 2000, competitors who received the Top Fuel title also received $200,000 from the IHRA (9).
Between 2001 and 2006, Millican won the title six times, indicating that he received a minimum of $1 million.
During his comprehensive history with the IHRA, Millican won the Top Fuel title 52 times (10). As such, he would have earned at least $10,400,000 from this title alone.
In 2005, Millican won $106,000 in prize money from the IHRA for winning the Rocket City Nationals Top Fuel competition (11).
The trucking company Werner Inc. is also known to have sponsored Millican at the IHRA. However, Millican’s earnings from this are unknown.
Between 2008 and 2011, Millican raced again for the NHRA but part-time, so it is unclear how much he earned.
However, Millican struggled to receive sponsorship due to the financial crisis, indicating that his earnings were limited during this period (12).
In 2011, Parts Plus sponsored Millican for an unspecified amount (13). He later received sponsorship from Great Clips, which is unclear how much Millican earned from this (14).
Millican later returned to the NHRA, where he won the championship three times (15). It is unclear how much Millican received in prize money, although the 2022 prize money was more than $125,000 (16).
Real Estate
Millican’s exact address is unknown. However, he is known to have lived in Drummond, Tennessee, for most of his life, although it is unclear how many properties he has owned in this area (17).
The average listing price for homes in this area is $312,500, which is approximately $160 per square foot (18).
Early Life
Millican was born on February 9th, 1966, in Drummond, Tennessee. It is unknown what Millican’s father, Jimmie Millican, did for work.
However, Millican’s mother, Martha, worked in the family’s country store. Jimmie passed away in 2018, while Martha passed away the following year.
It is unknown what high school Millican went to or if he went to university. However, it is unlikely that he did, as he began racing cars from a young age.
Career
At 16, Millican competed in his first dragster race as part of the E.T. racecourse. Eventually, his talents on the field led to Millican progressing to Index classes. He gained a record in A/Dragster for his skills as a dragster racer.
During this time, Millican became inspired to become a Top Fuel dragster. Individuals who win this title own some of the fastest-accelerating vehicles.
He began racing for the National Hot Rod Association, winning the title of a Top Fuel dragster for the first time in 1998. His car became the first Top Fuel race car to travel along the raceway at Route 66.
Eventually, Millican decided to become part of the International Hot Rod Association. However, unlike the NHRA, the racing events for the IHRA were much less frequent and on a smaller scale.
This allowed Millican to race on a smaller budget while also getting valuable experience for his racing team.
Millican won the title of Top Fuel at 52 National Events, becoming the driver with the most Top Fuel wins at the IHRA.
In 2003, Millican became the only dragster driver to progress to each Final Round event during a single season. He also won the most consecutive Top Fuel titles and round wins in 2002 after receiving ten wins and 30 total round wins. In the same year, he also received the greatest number of wins during a single season.
By 2006, Millican decided to return to the National Hot Rod Association. However, his original sponsor, Werner Trucking, could no longer sponsor Millican due to financial issues.
Between 2008 and 2011, Millican raced part-time for the NHRA, partially due to the financial crisis.
Eventually, in 2011, Millican found sponsorship with Parts Plus.
It has remained his sponsor until the present day. During his time at the NHRA, Millican achieved three career wins and appeared in the final 19 times.
His career best for the E.T. qualification is 3.628 seconds, while the best speed he has achieved in his career is 335.23 mph. His crew chief remains Mike Kloeber, who first joined Millican’s team when he returned to the NHRA.
Career Highlights
- He began dragster racing at 16
- In 1998, he got his first Top Fuel title at the NHRA
- He later moved to the IHRA
- He became the Top Fuel dragster at 52 National Events for the IHRA
- In 2002, he won the most wins during a single IHRA season
- In 2006, he returned to the NHRA and continued to race with them
Personal Life
Millican met his wife, Donna, in high school. The pair got married on October 25th, 1985 and have two sons, named Cale and Dalton. The pair also own two bull terriers, named Iggy and Millie.
Dalton followed after his father and was interested in racing, eventually becoming a winner of the ATV National Championship. However, in 2015, Dalton was involved in a motorcycle accident that sadly killed him. He was 22 years old.
In memory of his son, Millican joined the organization Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe (BRAKES). The organization aims to educate younger drivers about how to use their cars responsibly, and Millican supports BRAKES with its events yearly.
In his own words, “it’s not what the tragedy does to you, it’s what you do with the tragedy.”
Millican has two sisters named Tracey and Leigh.
Interesting Facts
- Aside from driving, one of Millican’s hobbies is playing golf. He also enjoys riding the trails in Canada with his wife.
- Millican supports numerous charities, including “Love for Leighton”, a charity fighting against Batten’s disease (19).
- One of Millican’s cars, sponsored by Parts Plus, appears in the “Speed for All” NHRA video game (20).
- Millican has a YouTube account, where he posts about his daily life along with how he prepares for dragster racing. He has amassed over 4 million views since 2011 (21).
- Millican is an advocate for Autism Awareness Month, as one of his close family members is on the spectrum.
April is Austim Awareness Month but Every Month is Autism Awareness Month With Our Family. pic.twitter.com/6O8GPh6T3q
— Clay Millican (@ClayMillican) April 25, 2022
Summary
Clay Millican is a dragster driver who has competed in many races, including for the National and International Hot Rod Associations.
He has won the title of Top Fuel several times at both of these events, granting him prize money on numerous occasions. He has a net worth of approximately $35 million.