Former Top Fuel superstar turned Nostalgia Funny Car has some sage advice for the rumormongers. Don’t believe everything you hear. 

The combination of his team owner Rick Akers being hospitalized to the team’s hauler breaking down in Arkansas is why they are not participating in this weekend’s Red Line Oil Legends Funny Car competition during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. 

“Everybody’s speculating a lot of stuff,” McClenathan said. “They’re speculating I got fired. None of that’s true. My biggest thing was, if you want to know the truth and know what’s going on, you got to call the owner.”

McClenathan was onsite at Bristol Dragway when he received word the team's hauler would not make it in time to compete. 

McClenathan told CompetitionPlus.com that Akers is home and resting comfortably after the brief hospital stay.

“He’s probably one of the strongest men I’ve ever met as far as fighting his health issues,” McClenathan said. “He was driving the truck up, and they had a couple of mishaps with the truck. One was a wheel that came off completely, and that was in Arkansas. That’s where the truck is right now. We were all told it’s time to go home, that we couldn’t make it to race that race.”

McClenathan said the team is working hard to keep moving forward despite the setbacks.

“[Rick] has got some infections, and it took a toll on him,” McClenathan said. “Not to mention that he’s such a hard ass. He always feels like he’s got to drive the truck, and it’s like, I’ve been trying to get him to fly in and have somebody else drive it for months now.”

This weekend’s misfortunate is par for the course when it comes to the track record the 34-time national event winner holds when racing at Bristol Dragway. It’s been a love/hate relationship with his win in 2000 at the specialty event, the Winston No Bull Showdown, and then later the 2006 crash when his dragster broke in half. Through it all, McClenathan loves the Thunder Valley. 

 “I’m heartbroken that I can’t run Bristol,” McClenathan said. “It’s been my nemesis, and it’s been the best race I’ve ever won as well, in the past, because winning the Winston Showdown and then crashing hard in 2006 makes Bristol my kind of Achilles heel type of thing. I’m at a loss for words for not being there. I feel horrible that we’re not going to be able to compete there, but we’re not down and out, and we’re working to move forward.”