Regardless of the magnitude or frequency of his struggles, Cory Mac always comes back.

As one of drag racing’s few remaining graybeards, Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan has taken his share of lumps over the course of a 15-year journeyman career in the NHRA ranks.

But last year was especially hard on this fast-lane warrior. “It was the roughest year I’ve ever had so far,” McClenathan admitted. “A crash here … an incident there. I went through five cars and that pretty much is unheard of for most teams.

“It was hard physically, mentally and the all the way around for my family, and me,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

 

Regardless of the magnitude or frequency of his struggles, Cory Mac always comes back.

As one of drag racing’s few remaining graybeards, Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan has taken his share of lumps over the course of a 15-year journeyman career in the NHRA ranks.

But last year was especially hard on this fast-lane warrior. “It was the roughest year I’ve ever had so far,” McClenathan admitted. “A crash here … an incident there. I went through five cars and that pretty much is unheard of for most teams.

“It was hard physically, mentally and the all the way around for my family, and me,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

One of McClenathan’s dragsters was destroyed in a spectacular accident at Bristol, Tenn., in April. A broken header pipe triggered a qualifying accident at St. Louis in June. The part blew a tire and sent the car skidding across the track before kissing the guard wall.

 

The wreck at Gateway International Raceway bent the car’s frame and sidelined McClenathan on race day, a rare no-show for the fierce competitor. “That was the worst accident I’ve been in,” McClenathan said. “It might have been a different outcome had we not had the safety features the NHRA approved in the last few years. I was fortunate.”

Undaunted, McClenathan climbed back into the cockpit to finish the job, just as he always seems to do. He would go on to snag a much-need victory at Richmond, Va., in October, ending a two-year winless drought. He also would post a runner-up finish at Columbus and by season’s end, finish ninth in the final POWERade Drag Racing Series points standings.

    

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It was a remarkable 15th career top-10 points finish in the last 16 years for McClenathan. He didn’t compete in 2001 while shopping for a sponsored ride.

McClenathan, who just turned 44, is recharged and back for more as the series gets the green light for the Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., the start of another campaign. And the pilot from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., plans to make some noise behind the wheel of the Fram dragster for Carrier Boyz Racing and tuners Wes Cerny and Tony Shortall.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” said McClenathan, a 29-time winner in the Top Fuel ranks. “I think we’re a little more prepared this year than what we have been in quite some time. We ran some pretty good numbers at both tracks.”

Winter testing at Phoenix and Las Vegas provided Cory Mac with some satisfying elapsed times and top speeds. He turned in his quickest quarter-mile run of­ 4.473 seconds, second best during recent test sessions at Phoenix. Earlier, he posted his fastest speed, 333.16 mph, on a 4.514-second lap. “Our performance showed a lot of promise and we should only get better,” McClenathan said. “Wes wanted to try different setups, so he kept making changes. He learned a lot. I’m proud of everyone on the team.”

While there’s a competitive gap between Cory Mac’s team and the heavyweights in the category, consistency promises to reward Cerny/Shortall and company. A stronger Carrier Boyz team enters the season with great confidence. “The car shows so much potential,” McClenathan said of his Brad Hadman-built dragster. “If this car runs like it’s capable of, we should make things interesting this season.”

The NHRA also spiced things up with a playoff-like Countdown to the Championship points scramble toward the end of the season.

Cory Mac intends to be a part of the title-seeking party. He sees the good and bad with an adjusted points format that welcomes a fast crowd. “If I was in seventh or eighth place, then boom, all of sudden I’m in contention. I have a shot at the gold,” he said. “But it has its ups and downs. If you’re sitting up front and having a good season … then see that everyone else is suddenly close by, then I don’t know. It could be anybody’s game.

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“We’ll just see how it goes.”

If anything, McClenathan is Mr. Resilient, a genuine survivor of a difficult game.

“It’s an up and down road,” said Cory Mac, the first man to break the 320-mph zone. “But I just love these darn cars. I love driving them. I don’t know what I would do without them. I like all forms of racing, but Top Fuel to me is the ultimate. It’s where I want to be. It’s something I truly love.”

McClenathan has carried that passion through a whirlwind career that has witnessed many sponsorship and team changes, many gratifying highs and aggravating lows.

A title contender one season, Cory Mac was left without a ride the next, only to return to the wheel just as determined as before to succeed in a difficult game.

Nine years ago, McClenathan had a baseball-sized, non-malignant tumor removed from below his left shoulder blade. He soon climbed back in his dragster and fought Gary Scelzi to the wire for the title, only to come up short for the fourth time of his career.

Cory Mac had his share of injuries from the track. In 1993, for instance, he missed four races because of serious burns on his face and hands as the result of a crash at Rockingham (N.C.) Dragway.

But despite all the misfortune, Cory Mac refuses to slow down. He always comes back. “Maybe I just don’t feel that old,” he said of his energetic approach to his profession. “I’m very excited to get into the car. That doesn’t change for me. It’s all about leaving on time and getting the car down the track. I want to win as bad on Sunday as I did when I first started this 15 years ago.”

As for a pain-free ride in ’07?

“Brad builds a good, safe car,” Cory Mac insisted. “He’s always taken care of us.”

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