SIGNATURE PROFILES
©1999-2002 Dwight Drum

"I wasn't coming back to do half of what's needed."

Story by Dwight Drum
Photos © by Gary Larsen, Dwight Drum and Mickey Schultz

So Tuned, So Close

We often wonder about the personality of a neighbor down the street we often see but never engage. We often see sports, government, and media personalities and we think we know them because they are brought close to us via video. We know their image, but do we know that person?

We're often are surprised when we interview a racer because we have seen them many times, heard them also, but we find we really didn't know them until we sat down with them and asked personal questions. Have a seat beside Cory McClenathan and watch a Signature Profile develop.

McClenathan has competed in drag racing for 19 years, and logged many speedy wins. He has finished second in the NHRA championship point hunt four times. McClenathan is back a year after losing support from former coach and racing team owner Joe Gibbs, and he returns with skills and determination. We feel McClenathan remains "so tuned, so close". Follow his profile to know why.

DWIGHT CHATS WITH… CORY McCLENATHAN

DOB: Jan. 30, 1963
Birth Town: Wichita, Kan.
Home Town: Anaheim, Calif.

"Honesty."

"Definitely winning. It's what drag racing is all about. If you can make money doing this and take care of your family, that's all I worry about. That's great but I'm here to win drag racing. That's what it's all about for me, getting the wins and trying to win a championship. It's all about winning."

"Mac-Man. I hear that a lot. Also, you hear Cory Mac."

"My father comes to mind first. Also, Roger Stahl. He works for John Force now, but he has been one of those gentlemen who influenced me."

"At the present time, yeah. I'm really happy. Things are going really well with the racing and I recently married a wonderful lady Amy Anderson in Riverside, Calif. Our pastor at the races flew in to marry us."

"Finally winning the championship that has eluded me for so many years. I've been a bridesmaid four times in my NHRA championship quest and I'd like to actually win a championship one of these days."

"Oh, at all times. No matter what's going on. You never know what kind of predicament you're going to get into. Safety comes first always."

"It's my full time occupation except for being a father to my daughter, Courtney. Racing is definitely a full time job. So is being a father."

"Few and far between lately, but I'd have to say riding a Sea-Doo Jet Ski. I love the water and ride in a nearby lake. I love boats. It doesn't matter what kind as long as they're fast."

"I drive a Chevy truck."

"Yes mostly cardiovascular stuff. The better shape you are in while driving a dragster, the easier it is to not only drive the car, but when you do have an accident it's a lot easier to recover from it."

"Winston Cup. All I want is a chance to do it. I've driven a Busch car, made some laps mostly goofing around with my old boss Joe Gibbs. I found I really like it a lot. It's a lot of fun."

"Hard to say. I'm too nice sometimes, so probably the ability to say no. That would be a good point for me to be stronger."

"Three dogs. I can't live without animals. I've always had dogs all my life and I feel they make you younger. I have two cocker spaniels and one black lab."

"I try to stay away from the fatty stuff as much as possible, but the fatty stuff tastes so good sometimes it's hard to get away from it. I definitely stay away from fried foods."

"Honesty. I'd rather have somebody shoot me straight with me even if it's not what I want to hear."

"I erupt. I try to be cool, but usually I erupt. But if there is a plus side to that, I do cool down rapidly."

"I try to see the run before it happens and go through everything in my mind. Whether it's closing my eyes to do it or whatever."

"In 1993 I crashed in Rockingham, N.C. right after the quarter mile at 300 miles per hour. I crashed, turned upside down, and got burned. I ended up in a burn center. That and watching my lady give birth to my daughter."

"Put me on a lake on a Sea-Doo jet ski without anybody around. I ride by myself and that's how I unwind."

"Nothing. I enjoy the sport just the way it is."

"No. I dream a lot about the way things are going and what I can do to improve it."

"At home with my family with my daughter, wife and dogs. That's where I'm definitely most at peace anyway, and I enjoy feeling that peace."

"I think I pay more attention than most people to what's going on around me because of driving a race car. People don't pay attention and that's half the reason they get in accidents."

"I worry most about my family, my daughter Courtney and wife Amy, especially when I'm not there. Sometimes you want to be there to protect them and sometimes you're a thousand miles away. Their safety worries me at times."

"I would imagine it's like getting shot out of the cannon. It's an awesome feeling. Eddie Hill described it as sitting at a red light in a VW and getting hit by a Mack truck from behind. Five and half G's definitely gets your attention."

"My back hurts the most after run. When I lose, my feelings hurt most."

"It's an exciting acceleration point. Most cars are done at half track. We add another 50 mph on the backside from half-track to the finish line. When the dragster is really pulling at the end of the track it's quite a feeling because it's putting your head back in the seat in a big way. It's awesome to feel, but at the same time I'm hoping that the chutes work so I can get slowed down."

"Life in general. I seem to learn the hard way. I'm too trusting sometimes. It's like everything else. You learn a lot from one mistake and learn not to do it again."

"My daughter Courtney and my wife Amy. Family is important."

"The business ability of Roger Stahl. I wish I were Gary Scelzi because I could have already won championships. Keeping my cool in stressful situations from my father."

"My father owned a high performance VW shop. He built sand cars and street cars. I learned the want and need to do it from him."

"Nothing. You won't fear a lot of things as long as you respect them. I'm not afraid of anything because of respect for those things."

"Short, bald, good looking (laughs). It's so hard to talk about yourself. Perseverance. I don't quit. I have the want and need to succeed and do well."

"Most of the time I get questions about what does it take to get into drag racing. How can I succeed at this? A lot of times it's being in the right place at the right time. I tell them to focus on what you want to do with your life, whether it's being a veterinarian which I wanted to be growing up because I love animals, or whatever. Stay in school, work hard in school, and play hard away from school. It's something else I learned the hard way."

"I wasn't going to come back and do a two or three race schedule. I wasn't coming back to do half of what's needed. This opportunity came up with Henkelman & Baca Motorsports. We're working with MBNA, Chevrolet and a whole good group of companies like Mac Tools, Strange Engineering, Centennial Batteries, PurePower Lubricants, Champion Spark Plugs and Don Steves Chevrolet. After a whole year off, some wondered if I could still do it. It feels good to come back and show them I can win. I wasn't going to do it unless I could do it the right way. It would be great to land that primary sponsor, so that money wasn't an issue. Chasing money is tough out here. I wish I was better at that. I learned a lot over the last several years, but I have a long way to go."

Cory McClenathan returned from a racing hiatus to prove he has lost no skills. He remains a contender in the big speed quest for the top fuel dragster championship in the NHRA POWERade drag racing series. (Number three as of this writing) Webmaster Gary Larson described McClenathan as genuine, a great word for him, but I found another great word describing his character and history. We agreed. Cory McClenathan is: