NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Former Nostalgia Funny Car racer Alex Miladinovich hopes to make his debut at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Winternationals pending completion of his crossgrade licensing, which he hopes he will accomplish during the upcoming test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Miladinovich has already tested his “big show” combination in a November test session in Bakersfield alongside Del Worsham and Alexis DeJoria and is getting guidance from Worsham for the leap into the Pro ranks.

“We got some 300-foot runs in and found some things we needed to work on with the manifold,” he said. “I got one of my three license runs in so it’s a good start.”

Miladinovich and team also want to use the test session to work on their between-rounds maintenance routine and their starting-line procedure.

Although he’s excited to make his debut at the traditional historic season opener, Miladinovich says they won’t push it just to make the short timetable.

“My macho says I want to be there as much as the next guy but I don’t want to go out and leak on the track or hang someone out while staging. We want to make sure we have a pro-quality team.

Miladinovich is working on getting additional funding to supplement backing from countertop manufacturer Advance Surfaces and Industrial Tire for his Toyota-bodied machine. The 33-year-old father of two from Orange, Calif., has dubbed his car Hot for Teacher in honor of his wife, Marcie, who is an elementary school teacher with a masters in child development. Kevin Poynter will serve as his crew chief.