FOUR-TIME VIRGINIA CHAMP MCCLENATHAN AIMS TO CLOSE THE COUNTDOWN GAP
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Oct. 7, 2008) - No. 2 in points Cory McClenathan is
aiming to close the gap between him and Top Fuel points leader Tony
Schumacher this weekend at the third annual Virginia NHRA Nationals at
Virginia Motorsports Park. The driver of the FRAM Top Fuel dragster
enters the third race of the six-event Countdown to 1 playoffs 166 points
behind his Don Schumacher Racing teammate.
McClenathan is the winningest Top Fuel racer at Virginia Motorsports
Park, having collected four titles at this track in five final-round
appearances (2006, 1999, 1998 and 1995), the most he's won at any one
track in his career. He was also the 1997 runner-up.
With only 12 rounds of racing remaining (20 points awarded per round win
in eliminations) in the 2008 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, he
realizes it will take a near-perfect performance for the FRAM team to
chip away at Schumacher's points lead. He also knows that Schumacher will
have to struggle in these final three events for McClenathan to have any
chance to earn his first Top Fuel championship in 17 years of trying. But
his determination remains strong, and so does the pressure.
"The pressure is the same every time you get in the car, whether it's
running for the championship or trying to qualify. I'm trying hard either
way," said McClenathan, who has one victory in three final rounds this
season. "Sometimes you try too hard and mess up and I've seen myself do
that this year. Normally, I would say the pressure hasn't seemed to
bother me, but I've made some mistakes as a driver this year that have
cost the FRAM team some rounds. It's not always the driver, this is a
team deal. But you'd better have some broad shoulders because
you're going to take the brunt of the finger pointing when you make a
mistake. I wouldn't want it any other way."
Despite the uphill challenge he's facing as the 2008 season winds down,
he is happy with the changes that the NHRA has made in the Countdown to
the Championship points system this season.
"I like the structure of the Countdown better than I did last year," said
McClenathan, who missed it in 2007. "It should definitely involve the top
10 (drivers in points). I think that it's something they should have done
last year, but we all knew they had to start from somewhere to make some
adjustments, and I think they've made the right ones so far. It's good
for everybody. It's given the No. 9 and No. 10 people a place to shoot
from and it's made it interesting. And the fans really seem to like it.
"The front-runners throughout the season have remained the cars to beat
during the Countdown. The FRAM dragster has been able to move up a couple
of spots and we feel good about that. Obviously, most of us feel like
we're just running for second place at this point. It is what it is. Tony
Schumacher and the Army team would really have to mess up. We'll have to
wait and see how things play out.
"We're just going to play the hand we've been dealt and be as good as we
can and work hard, just like we do every single weekend. We certainly
don't go out there to lose; we're out there to win every weekend for
FRAM, for DSR, and for our sponsors. Our job won't change any in
Richmond."
McClenathan is also looking over his shoulder at the other Top Fuel
racers who are fighting for the championship: Antron Brown, 13 points
behind him, followed by Larry Dixon (24), Hillary Will (25) and Brandon
Bernstein (35).
-credit: dsr
