Topeka: Cory McClenathan Saturday summary

Cory Mac Fights Mechanical Problems; Qualifies 16th
FRAM Dragster Driver Races Joe Hartley Sunday

TOPEKA, Kansas, June 2, 2007 -- The good news is Cory McClenathan qualified Saturday for Sunday's O'Reilly Summer Nationals with a 4.712-second, 286.13-mph effort in his first time down a tricky Heartland Park Topeka track. Little did he know then that he wouldn't get to the finish line under power in either of Saturday's two runs. And he was able to claim the final spot in the starting line-up.

Bolts holding the bottom half of the engine's supercharger sheared off twice.

"We are really glad to just be able to race on Sunday at this point," said McClenathan, who clashes with first-time low qualifier Joe Hartley (4.518 seconds at 323.12 mph). "This isn't where we expected to be. It's rare when the bolts shear off once, but it's really odd that it happened twice. We'll fix it and get ready for Sunday."

-credit: sgm