12/13/2024
Bunker Hill Dragstrip
Something BIG Coming to Coan Engineering Winner's Circle
The Coan Engineering Winner’s Circle is arguably the best place to hang out at the end of a race at the historic Bunker Hill Dragstrip. Everyone is happy and excited to be there. Friends, family, and sometimes even strangers show up to celebrate and get in on winner’s circle pictures with the race winners and runner ups.
If there is anyone who knows that making it to the winner’s circle doesn’t come easy, it’s Bunker Hill Dragstrip owner, retired NHRA Top Fuel racer, Terry McMillen, who made it to the winner’s circle two times in his lengthy career.
“Whether you are bracket racing at a local track, or racing on a professional level, getting a race win is a very big deal. Drag racers on every level work hard at what they do, and the ultimate reward for that hard work comes as a race win. Because of this, it was important for my wife Cori and I as track owners, to do something special at our track for Summit Super Series race winners.”
Fortunately for the McMillens, Coan Engineering’s Jason Coan, a drag racer himself, also appreciates the hard work it takes to get a race win, and together they came up with a program to reward race winners with something that will make their win at Bunker Hill Dragstrip, a little extra special.
In 2023 and 2024 Summit Super Series race winners received the exclusive Coan Engineering Winner’s Circle Hat. That program was extremely successful, but both Jason Coan and the McMillens thought it would be fun to change things up for the 2025 season.
When brainstorming ideas of what they could give to race winners that would be exciting and appreciated, the one thing that kept popping up was the idea of big checks. The only problem was that they didn’t want the big checks to lose their value. If racers were winning big checks every weekend, it wouldn't be as exciting to win one. Together they came up with a solution to hand out a mini version of the big checks at regular bracket races and the traditional sized big checks at specialty races, like the Ironman Classic. The 12 x 24 inch checks made by Olson Paint and Body, given out at regular bracket races, will be big enough to make a cool memento for race winners and small enough not to take clout away from winning a big check, which will be handed out to winners at “bigger” events. Winners at all Summit Super Series bracket races along with additional events will receive either the mini big check or the traditional big check (depending on the type of event), in 2025.
Submitted By: Cori McMillen