Cory McClenathan doesn’t mind being the odd man out in the 2010 Top Fuel hype.

The driver of the FRAM Top Fuel driver barely got a mention in the banter following January’s gathering of nitro cars at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla.

He’s exactly in the same position headed into 2010 as he finished 2009, within striking distance of the leaders Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon, the one-two finishers in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 championship. Only a last-race victory by teammate Antron Brown kept him from finishing third in the championship battle.

Cory McClenathan doesn’t mind being the odd man out in the 2010 Top Fuel hype.

The driver of the FRAM Top Fuel driver barely got a mention in the banter following January’s gathering of nitro cars at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla.

He’s exactly in the same position headed into 2010 as he finished 2009, within striking distance of the leaders Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon, the one-two finishers in the 2009 NHRA Countdown to 1 championship. Only a last-race victory by teammate Antron Brown kept him from finishing third in the championship battle.

While Schumacher and Dixon took turns eclipsing the current 3.771 world elapsed time record, McClenathan pushed his new-look dragster to a 3.771 elapsed time and came within .08 of tying the 321.58 speed mark.

With the memories of 2009’s shortcoming fresh in his mind, McClenathan went to work immediately after the season concluded to ratchet up his 2010 bid. He’s committed to the point that he’s even slimmed down his person.

“A lot of things went into planning right after Pomona (2009 season finale) last fall,” said McClenathan, who ended 2009 fourth in the standings with two victories in four final rounds. “With (crew chiefs) Todd (Okuhara) and Phil (Shuler) and the guys on the FRAM team, we knew we needed to shed some weight both with the driver and the race car. We needed to be 35 pounds lighter and have more power with our package. The guys went to work on that and I went to work on myself, and it’s been a win-win situation for everybody.”

Last season at the Pomona season finale, McClenathan told Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com that he was very “dangerous” and if Schumacher and Dixon stumbled, he was prepared to pass them both. They both lost in the second round and his inability to capitalize is something that has McClenathan working hard to put himself in a better position for 2010.

“At the end of last season I thought we had the car to beat. (Larry) Dixon and I had a great race in the second round at Pomona,” he admitted. “To see the car run that good at the end of the season makes me want to get to racing again, because I see us running even better in 2010. I think if we push it, it should run even better than it did during testing.

“We want a more consistent package. All the things we changed over the off-season and then tested in West Palm were all just perfect. The engine looks great and we didn’t hurt parts and that’s important. Nobody likes to test and have it not work and testing for us was a definite plus. The car didn’t miss a lick and, if anything, it picked up its performance. We’re ready for Pomona.”

And if the opportunity presents itself, McClenathan’s ready to pull out into the passing lane, prepared to drive by Schumacher, Dixon and anyone else in his path to a championship.