Points leader McClenathan brings FRAM "bracket"
car to Gainesville
DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2010 NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 3 of 23
41st annual NHRA GATORNATIONALS
Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway
March 12-14, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438;
jstropus@earthlink.net
POINTS LEADER MCCLENATHAN BRINGS FRAM 'BRACKET' CAR TO GAINESVILLE
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (March 10, 2010) - Cory McClenathan has been hot in the
first two races of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, landing
first in the semifinal after qualifying No. 1 in the season-opener in
Pomona, Calif., then grabbing the victory in Phoenix. His string of solid,
consistent passes earned him and the FRAM Top Fuel dragster team their first
win of the year and a spot on top of the point standings.
They hope their streak with what everyone is calling a "bracket" car
continues at this weekend's 41st annual NHRA Gatornationals, an event ³Cory
Mac² has not conquered in his 19 years of competing in Top Fuel.
He was, however, the runner-up last year at the Gators, and was No. 1 in
qualifier in 1994 and 1993.
"We've done fairly well at the Gatornationals in the past," said
McClenathan, who is still seeking a Top Fuel championship. "Every time you
go to a track you never won at you want to walk away with that Wally (event
trophy) on those weekends. And if you have been driving as long as I have
you want to win at every single race track on the tour, and that's one that
has eluded us.
"Right now we're the points leader and we're going in there with the same
attitude of, 'Let's qualify very well, let's try to keep lane choice on race
day, and try to put this FRAM car in the winner's circle.¹ This car is
definitely the car to beat right now and I think people know that and
they're taking notice of it.
"We're kind of going with the flow," he added. "Yes, it's nice to be the
points leader. We're only there by a few points (five, to be exact, over
Doug Kalitta), and it could change every single weekend, and we know that. I
think nowadays, when we look at the Countdown to 1 playoffs (final six races
of the season), we would like to be points leader the whole season and have
those few extra points when we do go into the Countdown. But at the same
time it's about winning races, going rounds, and trying to take home as many
trophies as we can before the Countdown starts."
McClenathan credits crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler for making the
FRAM car a "bracket" car. "I think in testing the car did exactly what Todd
and Phil wanted it to do,² he said. ³And, in the off-season, we all looked
at what the car really needed and that was to shed some weight and be real
close to the minimum weight. And now we have a weight bar on the car and
we're able to control that. And a lighter car goes quicker and faster;
that's all there is to it. When you make more power that's a perfect thing
to have on top of that."
CORY MCCLENATHAN QUICK FACTS:
* No. 1 in 2010 point standings, after semifinal finish and a victory in the
first two races; five points ahead of Doug Kalitta
* Has never won the Gatornationals
* Was No. 1 qualifier twice at Gators, in 1993 and 1994
* Qualified No. 3 at 2009 Gators; was runner-up to Larry Dixon
* No. 4 in 2009 year-end standings with a victory in Concord, N.C., the
opening round of the playoffs
* Had one win in four final rounds in 2009, plus five semifinal and six
quarterfinal finishes
* Qualified No. 1 once in 2009 (Bristol); has one No. 1 so far in 2010
* No. 5 in 2009 "regular season" Top Fuel point standings
* No. 3 in 2008 Top Fuel point standings, including one win in three final
rounds, as well as eight semifinal, six quarterfinal, seven first-round
finishes and two No. 1 qualifiers
* Has 32 career Top Fuel victories in 58 final rounds
* Career-best elapsed time to 1000 feet: 3.784 seconds (Richmond '09)
* Career-best speed to 1000 feet: 320.05 mph (Pomona 1 '10)
* First driver to break the 320-mph barrier with 322.17-mph run in Dallas in
1997
* Has recorded 473 career round wins in Top Fuel
* Qualified No. 1 34 times, with a career-high seven times in 1993
* Recorded 400th round win in Top Fuel in Richmond 2007
* Has finished No. 2 in the standings four times (1992, 1995, 1997 and 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 46 (January 30, 1963); born in Wichita, Kansas, now lives in
Brownsburg, Ind.; daughter Courtney (10/25/90); engaged to Debi
* Joined Don Schumacher Racing in 2008; 2010 is fifth season with
sponsorship from FRAM
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, March 12 FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 13 FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:45 p.m.
SUNDAY, March 14 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FULL THROTTLE SERIES
eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying
highlights at midnight (ET).
Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will re-air the two-hour qualifying
highlights show at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day, a 30-minute
news magazine show, at noon (ET).
Sunday, March 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of coverage
starting at 6 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, March 12, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz,
vertical) (Analog feed)
Saturday, March 13, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz,
vertical)
Sunday, March 14, 7 - 7:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 21K (11920 MHz,
vertical)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners¹
interviews on Sunday.
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