Denver: Cory McClenathan Friday notes

MCCLENATHAN GRABS PROVISIONAL POLE AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NATIONALS

MORRISON, Colo. (July 11, 2008) -- FRAM Top Fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan grabbed the provisional pole position at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway today. Racing to the 1000-ft. mark (instead of 1320 ft.) for the first time in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series history, McClenathan was the last car down the track, recording a 3.929-second elapsed time at 308.07 mph. If he holds on to No. 1 through two more qualifying rounds, he will collect the 32nd pole position of his career and second of the season.

"We all kind of had some numbers in our mind coming in here," said McClenathan. "We wanted to run in the high 3.80-second range at 310 mph. So to go out and run what did earlier (4.023/298.27) put us in a position to kind of get after it knowing that we were going to be the last pair, that the track was going to get better and our teammate Tony Schumacher was in front of us.

"When Tony ran his 3.493/307.16, I'm sure Alan Johnson (crew chief on the U.S. Army dragster) came back and told Mike Green (FRAM crew chief) and he turned the nozzles a little bit and the FRAM car did exactly what it was supposed to do. Team cars follow each other. We just kind of went out there and followed their lead.

"You start getting these new situations like racing to a 1000 feet and in my eyes right now it's the right thing to do. It might not be later - they may do something different - but, for right now, it's the right thing to do."

-credit: dsr