Veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan was scheduled to make his debut in the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Series Feb. 14 at Glen Helen, Calif., but that was pushed back.

Cory Mac, as he is known, is slated to drive a truck for Dave Winner. Winner, a longtime friend of McClenathan’s, owns Fabtech in Chino, Calif.

Veteran Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan was scheduled to make his debut in the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Racing Series Feb. 14 at Glen Helen, Calif., but that was pushed back.

Cory Mac, as he is known, is slated to drive a truck for Dave Winner. Winner, a longtime friend of McClenathan’s, owns Fabtech in Chino, Calif.

“My truck, the suspension wasn’t finished, so I went out and watched Cory (Winner, Dave’s son) race in the Pro Lite Series, which I will be racing in,” McClenathan said. “I did a lot of watching and it was certainly different than I expected. The next race is at Lake Elsinore (Calif.) (March 7-8) and I will not be able to make that, but after the Elsinore race there’s several weeks before the next race at Lake Elsinore (May 16) so we can rent the tracks at Elsinore and Glen Helen and that way Cory and I can go test together. That will be a lot easier for me. I don’t want to be thrown to the wolves out here so to speak. I’m not complaining, I’m just waiting my turn patiently.”

McClenathan is competing in a limited NHRA Mello Yello Series schedule in 2015.

Cory Mac will drive two dragsters for owners Mike Dakin and Dexter Tuttle. McClenathan will run nine races with Dakin and then a handful of other races with Dexter Tuttle, starting at Charlotte Sept. 18-20.

McClenathan will not be at the Carquest Auto Parts Nationals in Phoenix Feb. 20-22, as he is slated to make his season debut with Dakin at the Gatornationals March 12-15 in Gainesville, Fla.

“We are going to roll it off the trailer (in Gainesville),” McClenathan said when asked if Dakin’s team was going to do any testing prior to the Gatornationals. “We switched everything over to the 6-disc (clutch) and made some blower changes, that type of deal, and switched over to a taller windscreen and just tried to shave some weight off the car. We are just trying to get a good starting point. Dakin has spent some money on the car the last few weeks trying to get it to the point where we can not only just be there, but qualify, and I would love to go a few rounds. This will be my first A to B type thing with the 6-disc clutch. It seems like everybody is having good luck with it. If we don’t run well in Gainesville, I know we are going to stay on Monday (March 16) and test there.”

McClenathan said he did watch qualifying at the season-opening Winternationals Feb. 6, but didn’t stay for the rest of the event.

“I got sick that night and spent the next week in bed,” McClenathan said. “I don’t know if I got the flu bug or what, but now I’m scrambling to do some hiking and walking, trying to get my energy level back.”

According to McClenathan, he has been working out more than ever and eating right, and he’s seen the results.

“When I get to Gainesville, I will probably be 15 pounds lighter than I was at right after Christmas,” McClenathan said. “At 52 years old, I have to watch what I’m doing and I want to be able to do everything I can to help the guys out. Me losing some weight is going to help them because it cost a lot more to do it to the race car than it does for me to do it (lose weight). I’m 172 pounds right now and I want be in the 160s before I go (to Gainesville). I haven’t been in the 160s for six years.”

Cory Mac has won 34 career Top Fuel national events, the last coming in Seattle in 2010 when he was behind the wheel for Don Schumacher Racing. McClenathan has finished second in NHRA’s Top Fuel world standings four times in his career – 1992, ’95, ’97-98.

McClenathan said he also has signed a personal service contract with Nordic Boats.

“It will be like a helmet and driver suit type of thing,” McClenathan said. “Nordic Boats backed me during the Fram days, and Randy Davis, who owns Nordic Boats, we hammered something together, and I’m glad to have them back with me. Randy has always been great to me and I’m excited to have them onboard.”

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