Auto Club 500 - Eric McClure Notes

Eric McClure Notes, Quotes: Auto Club 500
One of NASCAR’s ‘hottest drivers’ heads to California

Rookie Eric McClure has some testing experience as he and his #73 ARC Dehooker/RFA Chevrolet team heads to the two-mile California Speedway and Sunday’s Auto Club 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race.

McClure, son of Morgan-McClure motorsports co-owner Jerry McClure, is running for the only full-time NASCAR Nextel Cup team based in the hometown of the sanctioning body, Daytona Beach, Fla. Businessman Ed Raabe and his wife Ann own Raabe Racing Enterprises, which fields the car for the Abingdon, Va., native. Legendary Tim Brewer, who has winning Daytona 500 hardware to his credit, will be the team’s crew chief.

ARC Dehooker has teamed with the Recreational Fishing Alliance – a national, grassroots political action organization representing recreational fishermen and the recreational fishing industry on marine fisheries issues - for sponsorship throughout the season. The agreement is part of a cooperative fisheries partnership between NOAA Fisheries, Recreational Fishing Alliance, Florida Sea Grant and Aquatic Release Conservation (ARC). The partnership will establish effective and innovative education and outreach programs directed at recreational anglers in an effort to reduce catch-and-release mortality in recreational fisheries.

The thoughts of ARC Dehooker/RFA Chevrolet driver Eric McClure heading into California:

(McClure was voted by NASCAR fans at Daytona as one of the “hottest drivers” in the Nextel Cup Series) “Yeah, that was kind of a surprise. I guess it’s a compliment but it’s a little embarrassing at the same time. (laughing) I haven’t gotten my courage up enough to ask Miranda (McClure, his wife) who she voted for but I feel pretty sure it was me. As long as I’ve got her vote, the others are just kind of a compliment.

“This is a big week for us. You have to keep in mind this is a pretty new race team. We worked out our deal for me to drive just over a month ago. They have been working hard over the off-season, building a really nice and really big shop there near the (Daytona International) speedway. They have some good equipment and some great people working there.

“But we’re still in the ‘new’ stage. The guys are getting used to me and I’m getting used to them, and we’re all getting used to each other. Then you take the fact I’m a rookie and racing at places for the first time, well, we obviously have our work cut out for us. But I’m confident we can run well at most places and be competitive.

“Having the opportunity to test at California was certainly a help. We had a pretty good car there too. We put down some pretty good times and I think we learned a lot about what we need to do at that race track.

“The monkey in the works, though, is the new qualifying procedure. Essentially, there are seven spots open for me, and we have to get one of those. Thirty-five teams are locked in, and the champion’s spot is obviously going to be filled. So that leaves us with the seven spots that are left.

“Because of that, I think the demands on the rookie drivers and rookie teams are probably greater than they have ever been before. Where you used to practice for qualifying and then do your best to lay down the best possible speed before you threw all of that out of the window and went with your race setup, now it’s your race setup all the way. So we have to set up for qualifying – because we know we have to have a good qualifying lap and we know there is no safety net for us – but we also have to set up for the race. If nothing else, it sure makes it interesting.

“I’m excited. This is what I’ve wanted to do and this is the place I’ve wanted to be – NASCAR Nextel Cup racing. Everybody on this ARCA Dehooker/RFA Chevrolet team is set and ready to go.”