Baytown: Cory McClenathan Friday summary

On Day 1 of qualifying Cory Mac misses top spot by one thousandth of a second

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 8, 2005) -- The first day of qualify for the 18th running of the NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals found Cory McClenathan, driver of the Carrier Boyz Racing FRAM AirHog Top Fuel dragster, missing the No. 1 position by one thousandth of a second..

McClenathan blazed the Houston Raceway Park quarter-mile in 4.496 seconds at 329.10 mph, good for the No. 2 position with two qualifying sessions left tomorrow. Tony Schumacher was the only driver who stood in Cory Mac's way and prevented the Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Driver from claiming the provisional top spot. Schumacher ran a pass of 4.495 seconds at 327.90 mph.

"Todd Smith (crew chief) and the guys gave me an awesome car tonight," said McClenathan. "The FRAM AirHog dragster has been running consistent, quick and fast and that a tough combination to beat."

Saturday's Schedule: With crew chief Todd Smith calling the tuning shots, qualifying for Cory Mac and the Carrier Boyz Racing FRAM AirHog dragster concludes with two additional sessions on Saturday at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. McClenathan begins his quest for the Top Fuel title on Sunday with eliminations for all classes beginning at 11 a.m. All times are local Houston time (CT) and subject to change at anytime

TV: Qualifying highlights for the NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 this evening (Apr. 9) from 7-9 p.m. (repeats: early Sunday morning, Apr. 10 from 3-5 a.m.). ESPN2 will also air same-day television coverage of tomorrow's eliminations from 7 until 10 p.m. The elimination show repeats on ESPN2 on Wed., Apr. 13 from 3-5 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings.

-cbr-