Parts Plus Top Fuel driver Clay Millican broke his own national elapsed time record to kick off the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Series, running a 3.628 at 322.04 mph at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

Powered by an innovative chassis setup developed by Parts Plus crew chief David Grubnic, the Parts Plus Top Fuel dragster flew straight down the groove in the final round of Pomona qualifying, topping Millican’s previous record of 3.631 seconds. Millican’s Q4 incremental times on his record-breaking run also were off the charts: 60 feet in 0.809 seconds; 330 feet in 2.047; and [email protected] mph.

“Grubby [Grubnic] runs this car differently than anybody else out here, and he is one of a kind,” said Millican, who piloted the Parts Plus Top Fuel dragster to the No. 1 qualifier spot and the semis in the NHRA season opener. “I was aware it was a special run at the 330-foot mark, and I even shut the car off a bit early, so I know we can improve upon these numbers at some point. Those incremental numbers [are] so far ahead of what anyone else has done before, so that bodes well for the Parts Plus Top Fuel team in 2018.”

Millican followed his record-setting run at Pomona by becoming the first NHRA driver in the 1,000-foot era to make a pass in excess of 335 mph, running a [email protected] mph in qualifying at the second event of the 2018 campaign at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chatsworth, Arizona.