NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel driver Clay Millican, veteran driver turned crew chief David Grubnic, and co-crew chief and general manager Lance Larsen will join forces under the new Stringer Performance team founded by Doug Stringer, CEO and President of Stringer Holdings. The team will feature sponsorship from Parts Plus along with associate partnering programs with WELD and Great Clips, Inc. The announcement was made Friday at the PRI Show in Indianapolis.
Stringer, whose company currently manages sponsorship and related marketing platforms for various companies including Great Clips, was the general manager for Jim Epler’s Rug Doctor Funny Car in 1996 and later moved into NASCAR, where he worked as general manager at Akins Motorsports for its NASCAR Xfinity Series program and secured Minneapolis-based Great Clips as primary sponsor for the team and hired up-and-coming talent Kasey Kahne as the driver. Stringer Holdings later partnered with Great Clips to leverage their motorsports marketing platform and aligned Great Clips with Hendrick Motorsports, JR Motorsports and Kasey Kahne Racing to give the company a multi-tiered motorsports program with which they could further capitalize on brand exposure.
“Returning to drag racing is something I have always wanted to do so this is really a special time for me,” said Stringer. “I am very proud of the team we have put together. Clay and I go back many years and he is someone I have a huge respect for. I also have all the confidence in the world in David and Lance to not only lead this team but to build Stringer Performance into a championship-caliber organization. I want to thank Parts Plus and WELD for their continued support of Clay over the years and now, as he transitions to Stringer Performance.”
Stringer and Millican are longtime friends and both couldn’t be more pleased to begin this new venture.
“Doug and I have talked for many years about going racing together so to finally see that dream come true is just awesome,” said Millican. “We have assembled a great team with everyone putting their heart and soul into making sure that we are competitive from the moment we show up for the first race in Pomona. None of us will be happy with mediocre performance – we plan on showing up to win and by end of the season be in contention for a championship. I’m extremely excited to have the continued support of Parts Plus who has stood with me for the last four years.”
Grubnic joins Stringer Performance in his first outing as a crew chief and is ready for the challenge of building a team from the ground up.
“Building a team from scratch is obviously quite a challenge but Doug is ensuring that we have all the resources necessary to do it and do it right,” says Grubnic. “Doug, Lance, Clay and I are all fierce competitors so turning Stringer Performance into a championship-caliber team is the end goal. We’re all putting our blood, sweat and tears into this. We want to win races and championships and I don’t think any of us will be satisfied with anything less.”
Memphis-based Parts Plus has had a long-standing partnership with Millican, which is now entering its fifth season.
“Doug Stringer’s record of racing accomplishments is certainly what attracted us to him,” said Mike Lambert, President of Parts Plus. “When you combine that with the team that he has assembled, which includes Clay Millican, we are ready to go racing.”
WELD also has a long-standing partnership with Millican and looks forward to a successful 2015 season.
“WELD is excited to be part of this great new team,” said Chris Bovis, WELD Vice President of Marketing. “WELD was with Clay Millican for all of his six [IHRA] championships and we are looking forward to a strong 2015 with Stringer Performance.”
Great Clips, which has served as a sponsor on the NASCAR side since 2001, has grown their program exponentially over the years and is heavily involved in multiple forms of motorsports.
“We are excited for Doug (Stringer) and Stringer Performance and are thankful for his offer to include our brand in his endeavor,” said Terri Miller, Vice President of Marketing, Great Clips, Inc. “He continually brings new ways to leverage our brand in the motorsports arena and target our customer base.”
Stringer Performance is based in McLeansboro, Ill., where Stringer currently resides and is highly active in the community.
