FRAM Top Fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan grabbed the provisional pole position on Friday during the opening qualifying session of the 54th annual U.S. Nationals. He recorded a run of 3.852 seconds at 312.57 mph, his quickest elapsed time since the NHRA began racing to the 1,000-foot mark.
Four more rounds of qualifying are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday before the final 16-car field is set for Sunday’s eliminations.
“It’s just one of those things where crew chiefs Mike Green and Alan Johnson (U.S. Army dragster) work so close together,” said McClenathan, who will earn his 33rd No. 1 qualifying position if the number holds up through the rest of qualifying. “With the FRAM dragster being the next-to-last car right before Tony Schumacher ran I knew we had a good shot. When we saw the car in front of us smoke the tires I think Mike made one little adjustment.”
Tony Schumacher smoked the tires on his pass in the final pairing, ending up in 20th for the day.
“When the FRAM car left the starting line it had the front end hiked way up there for a long way and that’s usually a good indicator,” added McClenathan. “And when it set the front end down it made a good charge in the middle of the track. I knew it was on a good run. It started spinning the tires a little bit at the other end and I was just hanging on to it to get through there.
“This FRAM team has just gotten better and better as we’ve gone along. This is the perfect time to make this kind of move. It’s the perfect start to the weekend.”
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