Cory McClenathan was officially eliminated Monday from joining the second round of NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship when he lost to Doug Herbert in the quarterfinals of the rain-delayed Toyo Tires Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
McClenathan had to pedal the throttle on the FRAM dragster early in the run and that enabled Herbert to pull away to the win in 4.560 seconds at 313.15 mph to a 4.867 at 301.54 mph.
“Our tune-up was real aggressive, ” said McClenathan, “and the track was off a bit, but he ran well and did what he needed to do. We would’ve had to run real well to beat him. We didn’t come here thinking about having a shot at the top eight.
“As a team, things are evolving very well. Things are getting better and we are becoming more efficient. We need to be more consistent to be ready for Indy and the Mac Tools U. S. Nationals. “
McClenathan is 11th in points with 736. He has finished in the top 10 all 15 seasons he ran the full series.
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