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Dave McClelland- The Legend (1 Viewer)

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This just saddens me....much like Joe Nuxhall & the Cincinnati Reds....the voice of our youth and part of our adulthood.....a piece of everyone who ever met him, knew him, or listended to him is missing today. The drag racing world has lost another icon....but his impact will be forever felt.

Mac, Evans, Taugher....I will never forget those voices at National Events, the insight they provided into the sport so the most basic person could understand and relate, and especially on TV with the likes of American Sports Cavalcade and NHRA Today (old version). The man's passion was so deep - his commentating.... you could tell just came naturally.

And sadly....there will be others.....we just need to enjoy them while they are here.

Damn this sucks....

RIP Mr. McClelland.....😭
 
Dave was a very kind and giving man (and my all time favorite voice of the NHRA!) Many years ago I emailed him out of the blue and asked if he could give my son a quick tour of of the tower at Indy. He graciously agreed, gave me his cell # and we met him at the tower. We spent about 20 minutes with him. It was an experience we will never forget. RIP Dave.
 
TSK said:
Terrible news. He, along with Steve Evans, were great drag racing announcers.
He got his start announcing at Carlisle Drag-O-Way along I-40 in east central Arkansas. It was an old air strip in the middle of Arkansas’ rice country.
RIP Mr. McClelland.

Edit: I spent many Sundays at the Carlisle drag strip from 1970 until 1976. I don't believe Big Mac was still at Carlisle in 1970 but he did talk about calling races there from the back of a truck. I'd like to think he might have previously been in the truck in the picture that I shot in 1970 or 1971.
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Dave McClelland was the coolest of the cool! This is the truck that he announced from in Opelousas, Louisiana in the late '60s. In the last part of 1969 he moved to Houma, Louisiana to manage the new Southland Dragways there. In the latter part of 1970 he moved to Dallas to manage the Dallas Motor Speedway.
 

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A little story about Mac. I moved to Kern River Valley full time in 1983. There was a small radio station there and the guy that ran it was kind of a drag racing fan that hung around the shop. One day He said “there is a guy that is buying the station that has something to do with Drag Racing and his name is Dave Mac-Something. I said “ Dave McClelland” and he said that was it. I asked if he was moving up here and he said “No” he just bought the station. I told him to tell Dave to stop by when he was up. A couple of weeks later the phone rings and the “Voice” says “Hey Roger this is Dave McClelland - how’s it going. He tells me about buying the station (2 employes and a girl in the office). He then told me that their weather station was terminal and it was going to be 3 or 4 weeks before they could get a new one. I said “ No Problem you can use the one out of my trailer”. Anyway we got to be pretty good friends and when we started having the “Isky Birthday Parties” he came and MC’d them for several years until his health got bad. Great guy - we even built a Dave Mclelland timing tower that has a board with the names of the past legends and friends on a Billboard underneath. Now we will have to put (In Memory of) on top of his name and he will have the Top Place on the top of the Tower.
 
aww man, this is sad. The golden voice of the sport. It really lent a higher level of professionalism, didn't it?
I took this pic at one of the museum's monthly cruise nights many years ago:


BigMac.jpg


Thank you Big Mac for all the contributions you made to the sport, we were the better for it. May you be in peace and be with us in spirit at all the races.
 
When Steve Evans announced at Lions, I always picked a set near the loudspeaker so I could hear him. He would tell stories (the ones he could tell over the air) & I gained so much just from listening to him. Dave was the same way, except I heard him mostly on TV. I do remember that Dave once got his license in Pro Stock. Think he just did it for the experience.
 
David was; and always will be - an American sport icon. In my opinion he is no different than the likes of Howard Cosell, John Madden, Al Michaels or Dick Vitale. He simply defined professional straight-line Motorsports. There is no other. There will be no other. His friendship and working relationship with the late Steve Evans will never be repeated. Ever. We the fans were blessed to see it unfold. Mac - you are the definition of NHRA drag racing. Your voice defined my love for this form of Motorsport. Thank you, Sir. GodSpeed and Rest In Peace. You will not be forgotten - ever. May God Bless the MacLelland family.
 
BaldyLochs said:
David was; and always will be - an American sport icon. In my opinion he is no different than the likes of Howard Cosell, John Madden, Al Michaels or Dick Vitale. He simply defined professional straight-line Motorsports. There is no other. There will be no other. His friendship and working relationship with the late Steve Evans will never be repeated. Ever. We the fans were blessed to see it unfold. Mac - you are the definition of NHRA drag racing. Your voice defined my love for this form of Motorsport. Thank you, Sir. GodSpeed and Rest In Peace. You will not be forgotten - ever. May God Bless the MacLelland family.
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He sure was to me also. He and Steve Evans were the best team to ever announce drag racing events. You said everything (and more) that I was thinking.
 
Rajunz said:
Dave McClelland was the coolest of the cool! This is the truck that he announced from in Opelousas, Louisiana in the late '60s. In the last part of 1969 he moved to Houma, Louisiana to manage the new Southland Dragways there. In the latter part of 1970 he moved to Dallas to manage the Dallas Motor Speedway.
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That was a really cool announcing tower! Thanks for sharing the pic, Lance!
 
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