NHRA
Sonoma: Cory McClenathan Saturday summary
Cory Mac in top half at No. 8 as qualifying ends at Sonoma SONOMA, Calif. (July 31, 2004) -- Another NHRA imposed rule change hit the Top Fuel class just as qualifying began for the 17th annual NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in ...
Published: Aug 1, 2004, 3:18 PM
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Cory Mac in top half at No. 8 as qualifying ends at Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. (July 31, 2004) -- Another NHRA imposed rule change hit the Top Fuel class just as qualifying began for the 17th annual NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in the heart of wine country, Sonoma, Calif.
NHRA officials notified Top Fuel Dragster teams of a maximum wing angle for the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway.
"Not unlike other forms of motorsports, NHRA is making these modifications for Sonoma in an attempt to keep the vehicles within a certain performance range," said Ray Alley, NHRA Director of Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock Racing. "We saw excellent, side-by-side racing in Denver and Seattle and want to continue to provide this form of exciting racing for our fans."
By the second qualifying pass on Friday, crew chief Todd Smith and his crew had the handle on the rule change and Cory McClenathan drove the Carrier Boyz Racing Berryman Products Top Fuel dragster to a 4.684-second pass at 308.07 mph, good for the No. 4 position on the qualifying ladder as the first day of qualifying ended.
That 4.684-second run held throughout Saturday as the Top Fuel teams had trouble getting a handle on the track. McClenathan finished in the No. 8 spot for tomorrow's eliminations. He will face off against Doug Herbert in the opening round. Herbert qualified ninth with a run of 4.707 seconds at 313.66 mph.
"We have lane choice and that good because with the rule changes it's a very tricky track," said McClenathan. "Tomorrow we have to be at the top of our game and go to the later rounds. If we can do that we can put the Berryman Products Dragster in a position to go to the winner's circle."
Final eliminations for all classes start at 11 a.m. tomorrow. Time is subject to change and reflects Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
Same-day television coverage of eliminations for the FRAM Autolite Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 from 8 until 11 p.m. on Sunday (August 1). Television time is Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings.
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