NHRA
Brainerd: Cory McClenathan final report
MCCLENATHAN GOES TO SEMIS IN BRAINERD BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 16,2009) - Cory McClenathan was a Top Fuel semifinal finisher for the third time in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series today at the 28th annual NHRA Nationals at ...
Published: Oct 2, 2009, 4:21 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
MCCLENATHAN GOES TO SEMIS IN BRAINERD
BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 16,2009) - Cory McClenathan was a Top Fuel semifinal finisher for the third time in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series today at the 28th annual NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Racing action was delayed for several hours because of rain showers, but once competition began, McClenathan tore through the field driving a very strong and consistent FRAM Tough Guard Top Fuel dragster until he met up with the eventual event winner Morgan Lucas in the semifinal.
McClenathan defeated Tim Cullinan in the opening round of eliminations with a stunning 3.850-second pass at 318.32 mph, which he surpassed in the second round when he defeated Shawn Langdon with the event's quickest elapsed time of 3.811/315.56. Despite having lane choice in the semifinals, he was simply outrun by Lucas, who posted a winning 3.831/302.01 to McClenathan's 3.846/316.45. Margin of victory: 11 feet.
"I can't complain," said McClenathan, who held on to fifth place in the point standings. "This FRAM Tough Guard car just keeps going rounds. Obviously, we want to go to the final, we want to win a race, and this would have been a great place to do it.
"I thought we had the car to beat today, although I might be partial to my FRAM guys. This car has been getting better and it's showing each and every race that it can run the numbers with everybody else in any conditions.
"Today it started running big speed, and we saw that first round. That 318 mph was pretty stout in the conditions, and then to run 315 mph in the second round just confirmed that (crew chiefs) Todd (Okuhara) and Phil (Shuler) are doing a great job.
"In the semis we set up the car for what we thought the track could hold and Morgan just ran a little bit better. That's all there is to it. It was a good drag race from start to finish and I'll continue to say I think I have THE team that I would want to have going into the final part of the season." The Countdown to 1 playoffs, for which McClenathan clinched a spot this weekend, begins following the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend for the final six events of the year.
"We would like to collect a win before we get to Indy," added "Cory Mac," who is still looking for this first season victory, "but it's most important from thereon. Everybody knows that and everybody knows how much I emphasize that. I still think we're going in the right direction.
"It was (team owner) Don and Sarah Schumacher's 10th anniversary this weekend, so I'm honored that they stayed here and hung out with us. They're a great couple and they do a lot for us. Their daughter Megan has been coming to a lot of races and my daughter Courtney's been coming to a lot of races. So, it's good to see the families all hanging out together and having a good time."
Next up is the 25th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Aug. 14-16.
-credit: dsr
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Brainerd: John Force Racing final report
Next article Brainerd: Jack Beckman final report
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Shawn Langdon
NASCAR, NHRA worlds collide in Charlotte prior to Four Wide Nationals
NASCAR Truck
NASCAR Truck
NASCAR, NHRA worlds collide in Charlotte prior to Four Wide Nationals
Langdon's return is main story heading into Houston
NHRA
NHRA
Langdon's return is main story heading into Houston
Testing times for NHRA’s elite
NHRA
NHRA
Testing times for NHRA’s elite
Latest news
Jesse Love barely holds off Sam Mayer for NASCAR O'Reilly win at Phoenix
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
2 h
Jesse Love barely holds off Sam Mayer for NASCAR O'Reilly win at Phoenix
Lando Norris faces anxious wait as F2 prepares to decide future of his racing team
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
4 h
Lando Norris faces anxious wait as F2 prepares to decide future of his racing team
NASCAR Cup Phoenix starting lineup: Blaney earns pole as Larson struggles
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
5 h
NASCAR Cup Phoenix starting lineup: Blaney earns pole as Larson struggles
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
6 h
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe