MCLENATHAN SEEKS LAS VEGAS SEASON SWEEP
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BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 27, 2008) – Although FRAM Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan is no longer in the running to capture his first NHRA championship this season in his 17 years of trying, he hopes to ease some of the pain by winning the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals this weekend. A victory would give him and the FRAM team a clean sweep of both 2008 events held at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two national events remain in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series: Las Vegas this weekend and Pomona, Calif., Nov. 13-16.
McClenathan’s early-season triumph over Antron Brown at The Strip in April moved the popular driver into legitimate contention for the Top Fuel crown. He entered the six-race Countdown to 1 playoffs following the U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in No. 4 and moved as high as No. 2 before a first-round defeat coupled with points leader (and Don Schumacher Racing teammate) Tony Schumacher’s victory at the last event in Richmond, Va., ended his dream of a Top Fuel title after falling back to fourth place.
“This Countdown has been an up-and-down battle this year,” said McClenathan, who has 30 career Top Fuel victories. “One weekend we have a good race and move up a spot and I think we have a shot at Tony and then the next weekend we lose that shot and walk away in fourth place. One minute it's mounting up to something that might be spectacular and the next minute you feel like you need to crawl out of a mine hole and get yourself back and pray.
“Our biggest goal is to find our way back into second place,” added McClenathan, who is just 37 points short of that position. “We’re only a couple of round wins out (20 points per round) and it’s still attainable and I think we have the second-best race car out there. We just have to make those rounds up. But the problem is that there are a lot of very good cars around us. A good qualifying position will be important. Even though it’s only a matter of a few points, those are very precious right now. I also think luck is going to play into it a little bit.
“If we can repeat our performance from earlier in the season, that would be the ultimate. To walk out of Vegas with another win and to be sitting in second place going into the last race in Pomona would be great. We reached the final at both races earlier in the season (Pomona and Vegas), so I feel pretty good confidence-wise, but anything can happen in drag racing. I’d sure like to finish right behind my DSR teammate this year.
“You don’t want to show your hand too much and if I could just cruise in under the radar, so to speak, and qualify well and walk our way into the semifinals or final in Vegas, I think we'd be doing our job.”
CORY MCCLENATHAN’S LAS VEGAS APPEARANCES THIS WEEK:
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29:
* At Children's Speedway Charities poker tournament at The Cannery Hotel & Casino, 2121 East Craig Rd., North Las Vegas, at 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, Oct. 30:
* At DRAW Charity Softball Game practice, from 2-4 p.m., at Rainbow Family Park, 7100 O'Bannon.
* At NHRA Fan Fest on Third Street section of Fremont Street Experience, 6-8 p.m.
* At Pole Position Raceway at 4175 S. Arville, for Matco Tools autograph session, 7-9 p.m.
SATURDAY, Nov. 1:
* Signing autographs at Orleans Hotel, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 7-8 p.m., at south end of the Race and Sportsbook, next to Big Al's Oyster Bar.
TUESDAY, Nov. 4:
* Signing Autographs at APPEX Show at Sands Expo Center (adjacent to Venetian Hotel) at Honeywell Consumer Products Group and Friction Materials Booth No. 5700, 2-4 p.m.
CORY MCCLENATHAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 4 in Countdown to 1 playoffs, after five of six events, 249 points out of No. 1 (Tony Schumacher), 37 points behind second-place Hillary Will
* Entered Countdown No. 4 in "regular season" Top Fuel point standings
* Won the NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas April 13 this year, his 30th career Top Fuel victory in 53 final rounds
* Has one win in three final rounds, seven semifinal, five quarterfinal, seven first-round finishes in 22 of 24 season events, and two No. 1 qualifiers
* Runner-up in Las Vegas in 2002 (Larry Dixon)
* Runner-up in 2008 season-opening race in Pomona and again in Brainerd
* First driver to break the 320-mph barrier with 322.17-mph run in Dallas in 1997
* Finished 2007 season 12th in Top Fuel points, the first time out of the top 10 since 2001
* Has recorded 427 career round wins in Top Fuel
* Qualified No. 1 32 times, including twice this season (Atlanta and Denver) and a career-high seven times in 1993.
* Runner-up in St. Louis in only final-round appearance in 2007
* Recorded 400th round win in Top Fuel in Richmond 2007
* Has 30 Top Fuel victories in 53 final round appearances, tied for third among active Top Fuel drivers on all-time wins list
* Has finished No. 2 in the standings four times (1992, 1995, 1997 & 1998)
* Finished No. 10 in rookie season in 1991. Made first 4-second run
* Made NHRA history with first run in the 4.70s (4.799) at Reading in 1992
* Swept the three-race Western Swing in 1997 en route to four consecutive wins and career-high six victories in eight final rounds
* Won four of the first six races in 1998. Equaled career-best with six wins in eight finals
* Won the U.S. Nationals twice (1996, 1999)
* Missed four races in 1993 after crash in Rockingham and still finished sixth in the Top Fuel points
* Age 45 (January 30, 1963); born in Wichita, Kansas, now lives in Brownsburg, Ind.; has 17-year-old daughter Courtney
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2008; third season with sponsorship from FRAM
<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/c_mcclenathan_9771.jpg" alt="c_mcclenathan_9771"align="left"borders="0" />
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 27, 2008) – Although FRAM Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan is no longer in the running to capture his first NHRA championship this season in his 17 years of trying, he hopes to ease some of the pain by winning the Las Vegas NHRA Nationals this weekend. A victory would give him and the FRAM team a clean sweep of both 2008 events held at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two national events remain in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series: Las Vegas this weekend and Pomona, Calif., Nov. 13-16.
McClenathan’s early-season triumph over Antron Brown at The Strip in April moved the popular driver into legitimate contention for the Top Fuel crown. He entered the six-race Countdown to 1 playoffs following the U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in No. 4 and moved as high as No. 2 before a first-round defeat coupled with points leader (and Don Schumacher Racing teammate) Tony Schumacher’s victory at the last event in Richmond, Va., ended his dream of a Top Fuel title after falling back to fourth place.
“This Countdown has been an up-and-down battle this year,” said McClenathan, who has 30 career Top Fuel victories. “One weekend we have a good race and move up a spot and I think we have a shot at Tony and then the next weekend we lose that shot and walk away in fourth place. One minute it's mounting up to something that might be spectacular and the next minute you feel like you need to crawl out of a mine hole and get yourself back and pray.
“Our biggest goal is to find our way back into second place,” added McClenathan, who is just 37 points short of that position. “We’re only a couple of round wins out (20 points per round) and it’s still attainable and I think we have the second-best race car out there. We just have to make those rounds up. But the problem is that there are a lot of very good cars around us. A good qualifying position will be important. Even though it’s only a matter of a few points, those are very precious right now. I also think luck is going to play into it a little bit.
“If we can repeat our performance from earlier in the season, that would be the ultimate. To walk out of Vegas with another win and to be sitting in second place going into the last race in Pomona would be great. We reached the final at both races earlier in the season (Pomona and Vegas), so I feel pretty good confidence-wise, but anything can happen in drag racing. I’d sure like to finish right behind my DSR teammate this year.
“You don’t want to show your hand too much and if I could just cruise in under the radar, so to speak, and qualify well and walk our way into the semifinals or final in Vegas, I think we'd be doing our job.”
CORY MCCLENATHAN’S LAS VEGAS APPEARANCES THIS WEEK:
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29:
* At Children's Speedway Charities poker tournament at The Cannery Hotel & Casino, 2121 East Craig Rd., North Las Vegas, at 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, Oct. 30:
* At DRAW Charity Softball Game practice, from 2-4 p.m., at Rainbow Family Park, 7100 O'Bannon.
* At NHRA Fan Fest on Third Street section of Fremont Street Experience, 6-8 p.m.
* At Pole Position Raceway at 4175 S. Arville, for Matco Tools autograph session, 7-9 p.m.
SATURDAY, Nov. 1:
* Signing autographs at Orleans Hotel, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 7-8 p.m., at south end of the Race and Sportsbook, next to Big Al's Oyster Bar.
TUESDAY, Nov. 4:
* Signing Autographs at APPEX Show at Sands Expo Center (adjacent to Venetian Hotel) at Honeywell Consumer Products Group and Friction Materials Booth No. 5700, 2-4 p.m.
CORY MCCLENATHAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 4 in Countdown to 1 playoffs, after five of six events, 249 points out of No. 1 (Tony Schumacher), 37 points behind second-place Hillary Will
* Entered Countdown No. 4 in "regular season" Top Fuel point standings
* Won the NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas April 13 this year, his 30th career Top Fuel victory in 53 final rounds
* Has one win in three final rounds, seven semifinal, five quarterfinal, seven first-round finishes in 22 of 24 season events, and two No. 1 qualifiers
* Runner-up in Las Vegas in 2002 (Larry Dixon)
* Runner-up in 2008 season-opening race in Pomona and again in Brainerd
* First driver to break the 320-mph barrier with 322.17-mph run in Dallas in 1997
* Finished 2007 season 12th in Top Fuel points, the first time out of the top 10 since 2001
* Has recorded 427 career round wins in Top Fuel
* Qualified No. 1 32 times, including twice this season (Atlanta and Denver) and a career-high seven times in 1993.
* Runner-up in St. Louis in only final-round appearance in 2007
* Recorded 400th round win in Top Fuel in Richmond 2007
* Has 30 Top Fuel victories in 53 final round appearances, tied for third among active Top Fuel drivers on all-time wins list
* Has finished No. 2 in the standings four times (1992, 1995, 1997 & 1998)
* Finished No. 10 in rookie season in 1991. Made first 4-second run
* Made NHRA history with first run in the 4.70s (4.799) at Reading in 1992
* Swept the three-race Western Swing in 1997 en route to four consecutive wins and career-high six victories in eight final rounds
* Won four of the first six races in 1998. Equaled career-best with six wins in eight finals
* Won the U.S. Nationals twice (1996, 1999)
* Missed four races in 1993 after crash in Rockingham and still finished sixth in the Top Fuel points
* Age 45 (January 30, 1963); born in Wichita, Kansas, now lives in Brownsburg, Ind.; has 17-year-old daughter Courtney
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2008; third season with sponsorship from FRAM
