Famed Drag Racing Announcer Dave McClelland Passes

Dave McClelland, whose unmistakable voice was heard throughout the world and became forever synonymous with the sport of drag racing, died on Sunday at the age of 85.

McClelland spent more than 60 years in the broadcasting, public address, and emcee business. He had attended his first drag race in his hometown of Kansas City in 1955, and began announcing races in 1959. He called his first NHRA event, the NHRA Nationals, in 1961. In the early 1970s, he joined the NHRA in a full-time role in its public relations department, and in 1973, became its on-camera host for televised events and also announced the NHRA national events.

He left the NHRA to work for Popular Hot Rodding Magazine in 1978, but continued to be the voice of drag racing throughout the 1970s, ‘80s, and early ‘90s. He worked for the NHRA in various capacities for 44 years, and during both that time and following his retirement from active drag-race announcing, was a popular choice for emcee and voice-over work for scores of businesses, organizations and events.

A television news director out of college, McClelland says he never intended to make a career of drag racing, but the stars aligned, and history will show he ended up right where he was meant to be. Following his retirement from the NHRA in 2003, McClelland was honored with the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame’s Founders Award in 2005, was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2016, and earned a long list of other accolades for his lifelong contributions to the sport.

McClelland is survived by his wife of 64 years, Louise; sons Kevin and Mike; daughter Melissa Knight, their spouses, five grandchildren, and two great granddaughters.

The McClelland family announced their patriarchs passing Sunday via social media, through the following statement:

This is Dave’s son Mike again, and along with my mother Louise, my brother Kevin, my sister Melissa and the…