Preview: Eric McClure/ No. 0 Hefty® Brand Chevrolet
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway
Circuit: NASCAR Busch Series (Race 6 of 35)
Event: Sharpie Mini 300 (300 laps; 159.9 miles)
Primary Sponsor: Hefty® Brand—Lake Forrest, IL
Associate Sponsors: Racegirl®--Los Angeles, CA
McClure Returns to Home Track to Compete in Sharpie Mini 300
Eric McClure/ Hefty® Brand/Johnny Davis Motorsports Notes of Interest:
Nicorette 300 Recap
o Eric McClure competed in his 19th career NASCAR Busch Series event this past weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway where he started 42nd and finished 37th after suffering a mechanical failure.
Battle at the Bull Ring
o McClure returns to his hometown track this weekend to compete in the Sharpie Mini 300, where he will battle 42 other cars in the infamous “Bull Ring.”
o The 28-year-old must qualify his No. 0 Hefty® Brand Chevrolet on time as he is not locked in the valued top-30 spots in NASCAR owner points.
Past Experience
o The Abingdon, Virginia native has visited the “Fastest Half Mile” on two separate occasions in the NASCAR Busch Series where his best start was 36th (August 2004) and his best finish was 41st (August 2006). McClure’s day ended early at both events after being caught up in an accident.
o Johnny Davis Motorsports has competed in four (4) NASCAR Busch Series events at Bristol Motor Speedway where the team’s best start was 36th (August 2005) and best finish was 26th (March 2005).
Up to Speed
o Catch all of the action live on Saturday, March 24 beginning at 2:30pm (EST) on ABC. PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio will also broadcast the event live.
Personal Appearances
o Thursday, March 22: Morgan-McClure Motorsports Complex; Abingdon, VA; 10:00am – 11:00am
o Thursday, March 22: Wal-Mart #690; Elizabethton, TN; 1:00pm – 3:00pm
o Thursday, March 22: Food City Family Race Night; Kingsport, TN; 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Eric McClure, driver of No. 0 Hefty® Chevrolet quotes:
(On Returning to his Home Town Track):
“I really don’t like Bristol that well, at least from a driving standpoint. It’s so much more fun to watch a race there than to race in one, at least for me. But it’s a home track for my family and a lot of friends and family members are coming. We’ve always seemed to run well there in practice and, if we can get in and race hard and survive, it may be just the shot in the arm we need to get the season turned around for us and for the Hefty® brand team. And it doesn’t hurt to get to spend the week at home, either. I have three good reasons to want to do that.”
(On his Unfortunate Past Luck at Bristol):
“It’s short track racing and when things happen at Bristol, they happen fast and you can’t hide. We’ve just gotten caught up in a couple of unfortunate situations with guys spinning in front of us on the first lap and then yielding to the leader and getting planted. Not much you can do about that. We’re just going to get in and go as hard as we can and see what happens. During my few starts in the series we’ve always tried to be respectful and give plenty of room when we weren’t that fast. We’ll still give room but we’re not going to stop and get out of the way. We’re due for something to go right.”
