Racing the FRAM Top Fuel dragster, Cory McClenathan earned the provisional Top Fuel pole position for the 26th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway on Friday.

The elapsed time of 3.832 seconds at 316.01 mph which he established in the first qualifying session held through the second one, as the temperatures fell and humidity rose during the night round, resulting in several top cars losing traction. In his second try he experienced tire shake and shut it off, slowing to a 8.328/73.69 pass.

If it holds through two more qualifying rounds on Saturday, McClenathan will have earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 44th of his career.

Racing the FRAM Top Fuel dragster, Cory McClenathan earned the provisional Top Fuel pole position for the 26th annual NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway on Friday.

The elapsed time of 3.832 seconds at 316.01 mph which he established in the first qualifying session held through the second one, as the temperatures fell and humidity rose during the night round, resulting in several top cars losing traction. In his second try he experienced tire shake and shut it off, slowing to a 8.328/73.69 pass.

If it holds through two more qualifying rounds on Saturday, McClenathan will have earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 44th of his career.

"The biggest thing was coming in with a plan, and the plan was to try to set the [national] record," said McClenathan, who is 69 points behind leader Larry Dixon with three races to go, and could use the 20 bonus points that come with setting a national elapsed-time record.

"The first run everything went fantastic. The second one...I don't think you can make enough power out there. When you got past the starting line, past the tree, the track was really good, and if the car wasn't really up on the tire and going by then it was going to struggle.

"From what I could feel, it just shook real hard and you can only drive it through so much of that. Be smart, shut if off, and bring it back tomorrow and try again.

"If the weather is good - we know the track is going to be good - it could still happen tomorrow. Right now our biggest thing is to try to get that 20 points, if we can get them. But the small points mean a lot right now. We got three (qualifying bonus points) in the first session, but didn't get anything that round. That hurt us a little bit.”

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