Millican To Debut RATT Tribute Dragster In Bristol
May 9, 2007, 17 years ago
According to Nhra.com, RATT will be emblazoned on the sides of the Clay Millican-driven, Evan Knoll Top Fuel dragster for the remainder of the 2007 NHRA POWERade tour promoting the band's June tour with another popular ‘80s band, Poison. The Ratt-Back for More dragster will make its debut at the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Q in Bristol, Tenn., May 18–20.
Knoll, an admitted heavy metal and rock and roll aficionado, has been champing at the bit to get the tour under way.
“I can remember rocking in the ‘80s to Ratt,” Knoll said. “When I cranked up my stereo, everyone in the neighborhood knew I was listening to Ratt. Come to think of it … nothing has changed. I still like it loud. The neighbors still complain about the noise. Top Fuel and Ratt makes the perfect combination.”Plans include various appearances at NHRA POWERade events for Pearcy including Bristol. Ratt's last foray into drag racing was during the 1986 season on the side of Dale Pulde's Buick Somerset Regal Funny Car.
“NHRA Drag Racing is like Ratt 'n' roll … colorful, fast, dangerous, and exciting,” said Pearcy. “To be partnered with such an A-level program with Evan Knoll, Latrell Preston, Clay Millican, and Dan Pikarsky just blows our mind. The band is more than ready to 'Lay It Down' with Clay, that 'River-Ratt' from Memphis. We're all extremely excited to support Skull Gear, Knoll Gas Motorsports, and Torco. The boys and I can't wait for that first Ratt race at Thunder Valley!”Millican, like Knoll, considers himself a rock and roll junkie.
“This is going to be fun,” Millican said. “This is an honor to represent a band that I grew up listening to in high school. This is going to be fun. Can this job get any better? You get to drive 300 mph and hang out with really cool people.”Ratt will be promoting its forthcoming Best of CD and DVD through Rhino Records. A full itinerary is still being finalized, but Poison and Ratt will join forces for a summer trek that is scheduled to begin June 13 at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C., and wind around the country through Sept. 1.
The tour, which brings the two bands onstage together for the first time since 1999, will visit major U.S. cities such as Boston, Detroit, New York, Oklahoma City, and Los Angeles.
