Madison: Cory McClenathan Friday summary

McClenathan  Qualifies Third in First Day of Midwest Nationals;
Prefers 440-yard Straight  Line to Dirt Oval Competition

MADISON, Ill., June 23, 2006 -- Cory McClenathan was happy to be at the controls of the Carrier Boyz FRAM Boost Top Fuel dragster Friday night following his first experience driving modifieds on a half-mile dirt oval in Sedalia, Mo., on Wednesday.

And, to prove  it, McClenathan went from 17th to third on the qualifying
ladder in the second  session of the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway
International Raceway near  St. Louis.

He barely got down the track in the opening run on a  hot, slippery track,
coasting through in 13.816 seconds at a "brisk" 68.13  mph.  But he more than
made up for that after nightfall on a racing surface  more conducive to
yielding quick elapsed times.  He was timed in 4.614  seconds at 320.43 mph.

"That was a good run," he said. "We had to be careful because we wanted to make sure we got down the track and everything went well. Once again, Wes Cerny, our crew chief, and Tony Shortall, his assistant, did a good job tuning the car. We'll see what we can do on our last two runs Saturday."

McClenathan, in his first auto racing action on a dirt oval, did finish fourth in the IAMC Modified Celebrity Race at State Fair Speedway. He was one of five NHRA drivers who agreed to drive in the event on the half-mile dirt track.

"It was a  lot of fun," McClenathan said. "Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps, Doug
Kalitta and David  Grubnic were the other drivers competing.  We hung out at
sprint car driver  Danny Lasoski's house and had a great time, but I'm definitely
going to keep my  day job.  I do have a newfound appreciation for what he and
all the midget  and sprint car drivers do on dirt, but I prefer 440 yards of
straight  asphalt."

-js