McClenathan and FRAM AirHog Dragster qualifies No. 9
FIFTH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS BRISTOL DRAGWAY APRIL 29 - MAY 1, 2005 Qualifying: Session 1 Friday: Canceled due to rain Session 2 Friday: Canceled due to rain Session 1 Saturday: 4.813 seconds at 298.54 mph (# 9) Session 2 Saturday: Canceled due to rain Rain wins at Bristol Dragway McClenathan and FRAM AirHog Dragster qualifies No. 9 BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 30, 2005) - Mother Nature interrupted qualifying at Bristol Dragway for the fifth annual O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals when both Friday qualifying sessions were canceled and Saturday's start was delayed. "Having only two sessions to qualifying puts stress on both the team and the driver," said McClenathan, driver of the Carrier Boyz Racing FRAM AirHog Dragster, prior to the start of Saturday's qualifying. "One or two miscues during qualifying and you find that you're on the way home. "Not qualifying is definitely the one thing that we don't want to happen at this track. One, Bristol Dragway is the home track of Carrier Boyz Racing, based just a few miles from the track entrance. Two, we are carrying the 40th anniversary decal honoring the Bristol Dragway, built by Larry Carrier and Carl Moore in 1965. And three, as close as the parity is in Top Fuel, we can't afford to lose the points." When action finally got underway on Saturday, Carrier's sons, Mark and Andy, owners of Carrier Boyz Racing, watched McClenathan cover the "Thunder Valley" quarter-mile in 4.460 seconds. The elapsed time was good for the No. 1 qualifying position entering tomorrow's eliminations. "I had to pedal (get on and off the throttle) it in the right lane," reflected McClenathan after the first run. "We're in the field and still have the opportunity to improve. Todd (Smith, crew chief) and the guys will have us ready." Enter Mother Nature again. The rains returned and the final qualifying session was canceled. The team never had a chance to make that second run. Now that qualifying is over and eliminations are still scheduled for tomorrow, Cory Mac would like to nothing better than to put special edition 40th anniversary Bristol Dragway FRAM AirHog in the winner's circle again and claim his 29th national event victory since turning pro in 1991. Even though it didn't count in his official win total, McClenathan's biggest win and a $200,000 payday came at Bristol Dragway in 2000 when he won the Winston Showdown, a special race-within-a-race. The Lake Havasu City, Ariz., driver ranks fifth on the all-time Top Fuel win list and second only to Larry Dixon in wins among full-time active Top Fuel drivers. He enters this event fifth in POWERade points. McClenathan begins his quest for the Top Fuel title tomorrow with eliminations for all classes getting underway at 12 noon (ET). He will face Scott Weis in the opening round for the fourth consecutive race.. TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday evening (Apr. 30) from 7-9 p.m. ESPN2 will also air same-day television coverage of eliminations from 7 until 10 p.m. on Sunday evening (May 1). The elimination show repeats on ESPN2 early Monday morning, May 2, from 2:30 until 4:30 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings. Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., FRAM®, the official filter of the NHRA®, is a unit of Honeywell Consumer Products Group, which manufactures and markets the FRAM AirHog^(TM) air filter and other quality FRAM automotive filters. The Honeywell Consumer Products Group also includes Prestone® antifreeze/coolant and car care products, Autolite® spark plugs and ignition wire sets and Holts® car care products. For additional information visit the following websites: FRAM at www.fram.com and FRAM AirHog at www.framairhog.com or call 1-800-862-7737. Carrier Boyz Racing is based in Bristol, Tenn. For 2005, Carrier Boyz Racing and primary marketing partners FRAM and Honeywell welcome the support of our associate marketing partners: American Racing Wheels, Autolite Spark Plugs, Bendix, Fabtech, GMC, Mac Tools, Prestone and PurePower Oil. Visit our website at www.carrierboyzracing.com for the most current team news, race results and team merchandise.