Intense knowledge, rapid-fire delivery, and an unmistakable voice are all tools of the trade for the veteran sportscaster. Chick Hearn, Keith Jackson and Vin Scully own the airwaves for their respective fields of basketball, college football and baseball. To fans, their voices are instantly recognizable and their word is gospel.

Motor sports has its star commentator too. But when it comes to drag racing none is more familiar than Dave McClelland. Dave's name is identified with the quarter-mile like Wally Parks' is with NHRA and John Force's is with Funny Cars. His 40-year career has paralleled the evolution of the sport. He is the voice (and Face) of the nitro-burning projectiles.

Dave was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and became interested in cars and racing while in high school in Liberty. There were a number of oval tracks around the area, including Lakeside, Riverside Raceway and Olympic Stadium, and Dave frequented all of them. Right around the time he was graduating from high school in 1954, a dragstrip was finished in Kansas City.

The Safety Safari (organized by Hot Rod magazine to promote sanctioned drag racing around the country) came to town in 1955 and Dave went to race with a friend who had a roadster. Unfortunately, the roadster didn't pass tech inspection so it wasn't allowed to run. But the event left a lasting impression on Dave just the same. He returned the following year to attend the first NHRA Nationals while going to college at Iowa State and was, as he put it, "Really hooked at that point." But he was getting anxious to face the real world and left school at the end of 1956.

Dave then moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, to work at a TV station, but still managed to sniff out the local dragstrips to satisfy his growing interest in racing. In 1957, he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, to work at a radio station, and shortly after met his wife-to-be, Louise. The McClellands stayed in Shreveport for another 12 years after Dave secured a position at a local TV station.

Being a motorhead, Dave hung around a local speed shop, which led him to turn his '39 Chevy coupe into a race car. Power came from an injected Buick engine, and he campaigned the Coupe with help from a few friends at the speed shop.

In 1959, during a race at an old airport track in Carlisle, Arkansas, Dave's life was permanently altered. It was a big event - a match race between Don Garlits (with Art Malone driving) and Eddie Hill. "As the first run came up between Malone and Hill, the announcer froze at the microphone," Dave said. "He didn't say a word! The track owner, who I knew pretty well, was just standing looking at the guy. He knew I worked in radio, so I asked him if I could give it a try. His response was, 'You couldn't do any worse.' So with that overwhelming vote of confidence, I began my race announcing career on the back of a flatbed trailer."

Soon Dave began soliciting work and one job led to another. By 1963, he was announcing a race somewhere in the country almost every weekend from the first of April to the end of October. Despite the full schedule, Dave still considered it a hobby. It didn't pay much - he did it because he enjoyed it. During that time he maintained as full-time position as news director for the TV station. By that point, the McClelland family had grown to include two children, with another on the way. Yes, this was the making of a workaholic. Throughout Dave's working life he's continually juggled several careers at once.

The first national event Dave announced was the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961. The year 2000 marked the 40th consecutive year he has announced that historic event - truly a milestone that would be frontpage news in most sports. At that occasion, Wally Parks, NHRA founder and former president, recognized Dave's efforts for the 40 years he has announced this great racing event.

By 1969, Dave had worked his way up to program director of the TV station, but left to begin a new career. "I was offered a job running a racetrack in Houma, Louisiana. I'd be making the same amount of money I'd made at the station, plus a new car. They also paid for the move and gave me $400 when I walked through the door. I thought I'd died at went to heaven." Dave went on to recall, "I even got to pick my own car - I chose a 1970 Dodge Challenger SE."

But Dave stayed with that position fro only two years when what seemed like an even better opportunity arose. "I was then offered the position of vice president and general manager of what I describe as the first super-track ever built; the old Dallas International Motor Speedway." But almost as soon as Dave had moved his family to Dallas, he found himself out of work. "The fellow that owned the track lease it to another party - another sanctioning body. Because of my close ties with the NHRA, I did not stay with the track."

This was a stressful time for the McClelland family (Dave was unemployed for several months), but his life was about to take another major turn. NHRA's Wally Parks recognized Dave's abilities and accomplishments, so in 1971 Dave was hired as a full-time employee. The family moved once again, this time to California.

Dave's first assignment with NHRA dealt with race promotions, and by 1973 he headed the press/public relations department. When NHRA stepped into television later that year, Dave's experience in television landed him in front of the camera. In addition to announcing the races, he was soon making the commercials, and eventually moved to the syndication and production end of the business. All the while he continued to announce the NHRA drag racing events around the country.

In the mid-70s, there were two major radio stations in Los Angeles that were aggressive in covering auto racing; KLAC (known as the Racing Station) and KFWB (an all-news station). Dave says, "The program director of KLAC began hiring me for the live broadcasts. For the last Formula 1 Grand Prix of Long Beach, I was the anchor for the English language broadcast that went all over the world. That's when I met Jim Burson, who worked at KFWB. He told me they were always hiring freelance and part-time guys and suggested I fill out an application. So I did. Soon after, they called me and I began working weekends there. Bear in mind, I was working a full-time at NHRA, announcing all their races, doing the TV show, plus doing work for other clients. When I think about it, it's hard to believe I actually did all those things."

Several years later, Argus publishing (which published Popular Hot Rodding) made Dave an enticing offer. He became an advertising representative for the magazine in 1978. Of course, he still continued announcing the NHRA television shows and the drag races. Part of the agreement was that Dave had Fridays off to do his programming at KLAC radio. "I've had several things going at once all my life, but it's always been something I've enjoyed. If it isn't fun, then I do something else."

Throughout much of this period, Dave kept up with street rodding as a member of the legendary LA Roadster Club. Not surprisingly, however, his work schedule eventually forced him to drop out. For many years, Dave's hot rods sat collecting dust in his garage. But while Dave was too busy to enjoy his cars, he was about to create a new type of event.

One of Argus' other publications, Super Chevy, benefited greatly from an idea of Dave's - an all-Chevrolet event which would feature a car show, a drag race, a manufacturer's midway and a swap meet all for the price of one ticket. He convinced management to produce the idea and the first event was held in 1981 at Orange County Raceway. It was a rousing success with a big crowd and a good financial return. Before long, Argus wanted more Chevy shows, so Dave left the sales position and took to running the events. Eventually nine shows were held around the country.

Despite the successful ventures with which Dave was involved at Argus, after seven years he was ready for a change. In 1985, Dave became a freelance agent. "My kids were grown and gone, so it was time." He's been an independent ever since.