EDITOR'S NOTE - The legendary announcer Dave McClelland has passed away. In remembering the voice of drag racing, we present this encore of Legends: The Series.

In as much as actor Morgan Freeman's voice epitomizes the perceived voice of God, there's no perceiving when it comes to the voice of drag racing.

No single voice has been more closely associated with NHRA Championship Drag Racing than that of Dave McClelland. For 42 years (1961-2003), “Big Mac” announced NHRA events, served as TV host on TNN, cut TV and radio commercials, and served as emcee at countless NHRA functions from banquets to press conferences.

In this episode of Legends: The Series, Season Three, the man hailed as the forever “Voice of the NHRA” explains how he went from college in Iowa to TV cameraman in Arkansas to announcer at a dragstrip in Louisiana to General Manager of Dallas International Motor Speedway to the NHRA home office in California.

It obviously was a labor of love insomuch as his first paycheck to announce the U.S. Nationals at Indy was $25 plus a hotel room he shared with a racer from Florida. No food allowance; no travel expenses. But, as he explains, it was all part of a wonderful and unlikely journey. - Dave Densmore