So how to you create a video that encapsulates the truly great nature of a legend in just two minutes? You hand the project to someone who gets it. Les Mayhew is a guy who gets it and gets it to a level that most do not. He was tasked with creating the video introduction for Dave McClelland and his Motorsports Hall of Fame induction. Bob Frey delivered the presenting remarks but this video set the tone.
Dave McClelland’s history in the sport of drag racing extends far deeper than announcing. He was a track operator, and executive, and someone who had influence in places like SEMA and other areas of the high performance industry as well. He was a racer and a hot rodder, a guy who genuinely loved the subject matter he was addressing at the races. For many of us, Dave McClelland will stand as the preeminent voice of the NHRA’s formative generation. From standing on the back of a trailer with a puny PA to leading television broadcasts during the sport’s exploding popularity, McClelland’s timbre was the soundtrack of NHRA professional drag racing.
The man has a voice that could make a dictation of the phone book tolerable and he knew how to use it. From the soft delivery of concerning or somber news to the driving intensity of calling a record run or an important final round, it took about three tenths of a second to figure out what the situation as just by the pitch and ferocity of those booming pipes.
He was not a man of catch phrases. He was not someone known for crazy antics or zingers. He was known for his class, for his dignity, and for the gravitas that he lent to the sport by the way he broadcast it both to the track audience and the larger television audience.
He set a high standard for all that follow him to uphold. We’ll all likely fail shooting for it.
Truly the voice of drag racing! In my life his voice (along with the late Steve Evans) make you feel at home for some reason. I was lucky enough to meet them both at the first California Hot Rod Reunion, and was treated to some great stories. I don’t frequent the “Big Shows” anymore but I hit as many traditional races as possible, and I have found the voice of Mike English to have the same affect…. You know you are in Bakersfield if you hear his voice. Thank you Les Mayhew for another great job. Thank you Bangshift for bringing it to our attention!!!
Awesome, miss Dave!