This season Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan intends to be as loud in the championship battle as his bright orange firesuit is to the eye.

Last year, McClenathan was the odd-man out in a three way battle with teammate Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon. In the final race of the 2009 season, new teammate Antron Brown’s Pomona victory pushed him down to fourth in points.

This year Cory Mac has opened the 2010 season on top, the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Ca. He is the provisional low qualifier with a 3.809 elapsed time at 320.05 miles per hour and the owner of three qualifying points.

McClenathan is ready to put his actions where his mouth is, and the first point of order waslosing 15 pounds from his person and another 15 from his new-look Fram Top Fuel dragster.

“We plan on making some noise early,” said McClenathan when asked if he planned to lurk in the shadows this season. “We are going to make our presence known. I’ve always liked to listen to the hype for others heading into the new season. I’m tired of lurking. There is no big cat getting ready to pounce. We are going to come out and go toe-to-toe with these guys.”

McClenathan, said his tuners, Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler, in their second year removed from Funny Car tuning, are thinking the same thing.

“The car is prepared right and everything looks fantastic,” McClenathan said.

Beyond that, the most important attribute McClenathan brings into the new season is continuity.

“For the past three seasons, I’ve rolled into the water box with new faces,” McClenathan said. “This year it’s great to roll in and pick up where we left off at. We just had a few small changes with the team. Todd and Phil proved themselves last year and it looks like they are doing it again.”

And that’s why McClenathan doesn’t mind serving notice that he’s about to get loud.

If his run holds, it will mark his 34th career No. 1 qualifier.