McClenathan has experienced great success at Bristol Dragway, where the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals are set for May 16-18. It is, after all, the scene of what he considers his biggest victory ever. But he also has found misfortune, as he did in 2006 when he walked away from a crash that occurred during qualifying.
"Bristol has been feast or famine for me," he said. "It's where I won my biggest race ever. I won the Showdown (1999) there against Funny Cars, beat Ron Capps in the final and won $200,000, probably my biggest race ever.
"It's also the track I had my worst accident at ever (2006). I guess I have something to prove now. I look forward to going there. We're just hitting our stride. We have a very good race car. It goes A to B everywhere it goes. Bristol is going to be one of those races where I think the weather will be fairly warm and I think the FRAM car will run good so I'm looking forward to it."
McClenathan is off to a great start in 2008, having won earlier this season at Las Vegas. The 45-year-old driver currently stands fifth in the Top Fuel point standings with 418, 190 behind leader Tony Schumacher.
While he is anxious to see what he can do at Thunder Valley, McClenathan also looks forward to seeing what he can accomplish at Bristol Motor Speedway where he will take part in the NHRA Circle Track Challenenge on May 17. He has never taken any laps at the World's Fastest Half-Mile but feels he can compete with his NHRA counterparts.
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun," McClenathan said. "All of the guys that are in the race, I'm either teammates with or friends with and they've got a pretty good list of drivers that we'll be running with.
"It's so much different than drag racing and I think it'll be fun. It's a short track and there is a lot of competitiveness with all the guys who are going to be there. Hopefully we'll be right in the thick of things, but some of these guys like Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Doug Kalitta, they have a lot more experience than some of the rest of us. But I expect to hopefully run right there with them."
The starting lineup for the NHRA Circle Track Challenge will be determined by fan votes. Fans can go to www.bristoldragway.com to vote for their favorite drivers.
The NHRA Circle Track Challenge starts at 7 p.m. and is part of a five-race card at BMS Saturday evening, which concludes with a fireworks show after the Thompson Metal 150 UARA feature race. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m.
General admission tickets are $15 with children 12 and under admitted free with a ticketed adult. Anyone attending the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Saturday can show their ticket stub at the BMS gate and receive $5 off the ticket price.
Grandstand tickets are available for the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Grandstand ticket pricing is as follows: Friday -- Sections A - D $30 Adult / $10 Junior; Sections E - U $35 Adult / $15 Junior; Thunder Terrace $35 Adult / $15 Junior, Saturday -- Sections A - D $45 Adult / $15 Junior; Sections E - U $55 Adult / $25 Junior; Thunder Terrace $55 Adult / $25 Junior, Sunday -- Sections A - D $45 Adult / $15 Junior, Sections E - U $55 Adult / $25 Junior, Thunder Terrace $55 Adult / $25 Junior. Weekend combos are: Sections A - D $95 Adult / $30 Junior, Sections E - U $120 Adult / $50 Junior, and Thunder Terrace $120 Adult / $50 Junior.
Pricing for the Thunder Valley Club is $300 for the weekend for adults and $100 per child. Seating in Bruton's Suite is $450 per seat for the weekend.
Gates open at 8 a.m. Friday, May 16 at the Dragway with the first professional session slated to begin at 4 p.m. The second round begins later that evening at 6:30. Gates open Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 a.m. with the first round of pro qualifying set for 12:30 p.m., followed by the next round at 3 p.m.
Gates open Sunday, May 18 at 9 a.m. with final eliminations starting at noon.
To purchase Thunder Valley Club seating, call the Bristol Motor Speedway ticket office at (423) 989-6900. To purchase Bruton's Suite seats, please call Kathy Artrip 989-6973. To purchase reserved grandstand seats, please call the ticket office at 989-6900 or visit www.bristoltix.com