Cory McClenathan has a five year plan for the balance of his drag racing career.

The 34-time national event winner, and driver of the Fram Top Fuel dragster, says he plans to walk away from the sport at age 50, giving him until 2013 to win at least one championship.

“I’ve got five years to win a championship before I walk away,” McClenathan admitted. “If I can do what John Elway did for the [National Football League’s Denver] Broncos, then I will be a happy guy and walk away with a smile on my face.

“I’d still like to be involved with drag racing and work with the new drivers coming up through the ranks. I’d like to do some teaching and be there for them.”

Veteran Top Fuel driver looks at life after driving …

Cory McClenathan has a five year plan for the balance of his drag racing career.

The 34-time national event winner, and driver of the Fram Top Fuel dragster, says he plans to walk away from the sport at age 50, giving him until 2013 to win at least one championship.

“I’ve got five years to win a championship before I walk away,” McClenathan admitted. “If I can do what John Elway did for the [National Football League’s Denver] Broncos, then I will be a happy guy and walk away with a smile on my face.

“I’d still like to be involved with drag racing and work with the new drivers coming up through the ranks. I’d like to do some teaching and be there for them.”

The decision to liken himself to Elway shouldn’t come as a surprise since the stick and ball sports-minded McClenathan has always admired the popular quarterback.

“I’ve been a fan of John Elway when he was nobody,” McClenathan admitted, when asked if he’d like to be drag racing’s version of Elway. “I was always a fan and really liked the way he handled himself on and off of the field. I had the pleasure of meeting him one time. He’s just a well-rounded guy and I’d like to think of myself as an honest person with a lot of integrity.

“People might not always want to hear what I have to say, but I am always honest about it. I would like to think I am somewhat liked out here and have made an impact on some young kids out here.

“If I can go out that way, I can’t think of a better role model than to be like John.”

Elway won his first NFL Super Bowl championship in the twilight of his career after falling short many times in the early portion of his career. Comparably McClenathan has finished second four times in his 17 year drag racing career.

Right now is his finest opportunity to secure that championship while racing under the Don Schumacher Racing umbrella. McClenathan has one victory to his credit this season in two finals. He’s ranked fifth in the first phase of the championship points standings.

McClenathan admits he’ll step away from the cockpit, but contends he’s desirous of remaining in drag racing well beyond that.

“I’ll stay in drag racing as long as I am needed and wanted,” McClenathan said. “I think there are places for people like me to retire, who don’t want to be a crew chief and want to stay involved in the business and help others. There’s a lot of room for that.”

One particular area that McClenathan feels an opportunity for immediate impact would be in new driver development.

“I’d like to come back in and work for Don Schumacher or another company,” admitted McClenathan. “I’d like to help their drivers whether mentally or physically or otherwise. I think that is a big step in the right direction. These kids coming up need to know how to negotiate cars. A lot of kids can go A-to-B, but when it gets in trouble, what do they do?

"I think I can be of assistance in pedaling and stating line procedures. I think I can help a driver learn how to figure a track and understand the feel of a race car. I can help them with their mental stability when they are not in the race car. There’s a lot more than just driving when you figure in press conferences. You can sometimes lose sight of getting back in an 8,000-horse race car. How do shut one off and go to the other?

“There’s a lot more there, and Frank Hawley’s proved that. Roy Hill has taught me a lot. I like to figure out what makes someone tick and what fixes them when they have a problem. I really like that part of it.”