CLERMONT – Cory McClenathan took the Top Fuel qualifying lead Friday with a record-setting run in the NHRA’s playoff-opening U.S. Nationals.
McClenathan, a two-time Indy winner who entered the six-event Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship second in the standings, had a run of 3.789 seconds at 319.98 mph, breaking the O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis record for time.
Robert Hight, Mike Edwards and Andrew Hines also topped their divisions in the prestigious event that will end Monday.
Two-time Indy winner Hight set a Funny Car track record for time at 4.055 and 310.98 mph in a Ford Mustang. John Force, Hight’s team owner and the points leader, was second at 4.058 and a track-record 312.86 mph. Force is a four-time U.S. Nationals winner.
Edwards, the defending Pro Stock champion and season leader, paced the division at 6.596 and 208.46 in a Pontiac GXP. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, the top-seeded Hines was quickest at 6.974 and 185.69 on his Harley-Davidson.
INDYCAR: Will Power, the series points leader, bounced back from a late-race pit gaffe at Chicago last week to qualify second for today’s Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway at Sparta, hoping to put some distance between himself and defending series champion Dario Franchitti.
Veteran racer Ed Carpenter captured the first pole of his career by posting an average speed of 217.933 mph at the 1.5-mile oval.
Power’s seemingly comfortable lead took a major hit at Chicagoland when he didn’t receive enough fuel during a late pit stop, forcing him to head back in with a few laps remaining.
The miscue dropped Power to 16th and when Franchitti took the checkered flag, the Australian’s advantage had been trimmed to just 23 points with three races remaining.
TRUCKS: Todd Bodine overcame a midrace spin to win at Sparta, Ky., ending Kyle Busch’s four-race winning streak.
The series points leader nearly wrecked trying to pass Busch just past the race’s halfway point. Bodine collected his car, then managed to stretch the fuel in the No. 30 Toyota to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Busch, looking to become the first driver in 37 years to win five consecutive NASCAR national series races, finished seventh after pitting with 23 laps remaining. Johnny Sauter was second, followed by Aric Almirola, Jason White and Ricky Carmichael.
