Home Sweet Home: Three Consecutive Weeks
Las Vegas, NV (February 27, 2010)—Eric McClure and the No. 24 Hefty® Racing™ team left the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a sense of accomplishment heading into the Nationwide season’s first two off-weekends. Recovering from a 36th-place qualifying effort, McClure gained 15 positions en route to a 21st-place finish on the one-and-a-half mile speedway. The finish advanced Team Rensi Motorsports (TRM) one position to 23rd in the championship standings, just 45 points outside the top- 15.
West Coast Swing: 2nd Las Vegas Motor Speedway
* After three short days at home with his family, Eric McClure
returns to the west coast to compete in his 111th career NNS
event and his fifth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).
* LVMS is the site of McClures best finish of the 2009 season
(16th) and in four starts, the driver has completed 97.3% of the
total laps and has an average finish of 23.5.
* McClure will pilot chassis # 44 during the upcoming Sams
Town 300. This chassis was used last weekend at Auto Club
Speedway where the team qualified 24th and finished in the 35th
position.
West Coast Crew Member
* Marcus Robert Craig, a 23-year-old native of Walla Walla,
Washington, will be close to his home state this weekend when
he visits LVMS for the Sams Town 300. LVMS sits
approximately 910 miles from Walla Walla and is the closest
race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series circuit. Having always
loved fast automobiles, Craig moved to North Carolina in 2005
following high school graduation and has worked for TRM since
May 2006 as a mechanic, painter, and front tire changer.
Fun Facts: A Little Poker for a Big Charity
* On Thursday, February 25 at 4:00 p.m. PT, McClure, along
with other NASCAR drivers, will participate in a poker
tournament at the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino. The proceeds
from the tournament will benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.
Eric McClure, driver of the No. 24 Hefty Odor Block Ford
Fusion Quotes:
(Expectations Coming Back to LVMS After Scoring a 16th-place Finish in 2009)
“I am really anxious to get back to Vegas. Its a great place for the fans to watch a race and the facility does a great job in providing entertainment for the fans throughout the race weekend. We had a solid run there last year finishing 16th and after the weekend I had last week at ACS, we need to have a decent finish so we can rebound in the points.”
Fontana, CA (February 20, 2010)In just the second race of the 2010 season Eric McClure posted his career best lap time at Auto Club Speedway during Saturdays time trials, placing him 24th on the starting grid for the Stater Bros. 300. As a result of the great qualifying effort, the team was anxious for the event to get underway in hopes of building on the momentum started at Daytona. Unfortunately, handling issues plagued the outcome of the 300-mile event causing the driver to bring the Hefty Odor Block Ford Fusion home in the 35th position.
West Coast Swing: 1st Stop Auto Club Speedway
After spending a week in Daytona Beach, Florida, Eric
McClure heads west to compete in his 110th career Nationwide
Series event and his eighth (8th) at the two-mile, D-shaped
speedway.
In seven starts, the driver has a best finish of 28th and two
DNFs, resulting from an engine failure and accident. He has only
logged 75.2% of the total laps, making ACS one of his most
unfavorable race tracks.
McClure will pilot chassis # 44 during the Stater Bros. 300.
This chassis was last run during the 2009 season finale at
Homestead-Miami Speedway where the Hefty Odor Block
Ford qualified 33rd and finished 28th.
Welcome Back
For the second consecutive year Team Rensi Motorsports
welcomes back Doubletree Hotel Claremont as associate sponsor
for both Nationwide Series events at ACS. The Doubletree Hotel
Claremont has been as associate sponsor of McClures since
2008.
Fun Facts: A Hollywood Tie
Scott McClure Cooper, first cousin to the 31-year-old driver,
was recently recognized for writing and directing Crazy Heart,
a motion picture featuring Academy Award-nominated and
Golden Globe winner Jeff Bridges (best actor), Maggie
Gyllenhaal (best supporting actress), Colin Farrell, and Robert
Duvall. Crazy Heart has also been nominated for Best Original
Song. The movie is currently playing nationwide.
Eric McClure, driver of the No. 24 Hefty Odor Block Ford
Fusion Quotes:
(On his expectations for ACS)
I havent had the best of luck at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) but I am truly looking forward to going back this week. This time last year, it was my second race with TRM and one of my first races driving a coil-bound car, so it was a learning experience. Actually the whole season was a learning experience, but I feel good about how much I learned last season and how far weve come. We had a good run last week in Daytona and I am hopeful to carry that over to a much-improved performance at ACS.
(On the teams relationship with hotel partners; what does it mean for the team?)
What a lot of people may not know is that the relationships our team, and other small teams, has with hotel partners are what enable us to keep our status as a full-time team. Travel is a large expense in racing and when we can cut costs in that area we are able to place more resources to the on-track part of our program. We are very thankful to have partners like this, including Double Tree Claremont.
Daytona Beach, Fla. (February 13, 2010)Eric McClure and the Team Rensi Motorsports (TRM) team headed to Daytona International Speedway for the 2010 Nationwide Series season opener with high hopes of beginning the season on a positive note. Starting the race in the 26th position McClure not only made abrasive maneuvers to avoid three multi-car accidents, but also ran strong throughout the event before bringing the No. 24 Hefty Odor Block Ford Fusion home in the 17th position. This position marks the drivers career-best finish at the 2.5-mile speedway.
Starting in the 26th position after rain had washed out qualifying McClure had advanced three positions when the events first caution flag was displayed at the conclusion of lap one. After narrowly avoiding a multi-car accident on lap nine, the call was made to bring the Hefty Odor Block Ford to pit-road to receive fuel and a small track-bar adjustment. Restarting in the 26th position the next several laps saw side-by-side racing by the pack of cars with McClure fluctuating between several positions. As green flag pit-stops began on lap 43, the 31-year-old driver was able to remain on track until lap 49 to advance as high as the third position before coming to pit-road on lap 50 to receive four tires and fuel. As the Hefty brand machine was exiting pit lane the third caution flag was displayed. McClure was scored in the 26th position when the race resumed on lap 55.
Continuing to utilize the high line around the speedway, the cars speed was consistent with those in the top five by the halfway point of the race. On lap 68, after being shuffled back to the 26th position McClure was forced down to avoid a multi-car accident on the in the tri oval. After leading a lap under caution, the Hefty brand Ford came to pit road to receive four tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment, and to remove tape from the front grille as the water temperature had climbed to 260 degrees. When the race resumed on lap 78, the TRM team was scored in the 20th position.
The team avoided disaster yet again on lap 92, just missing a multi-car accident. Following a red flag the team came to pit-road to receive tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment. After racing his way into the top-10 following the restart, McClure was forced to pit-road once again during the events final caution to remove additional tape from the grille. On the restart McClure was stuck in line as cars around him began racing each other as the lead pack pulled away. In the end McClure was able to bring his Ford Fusion home in the 17th position, earning his career best finish at Daytona International Speedway.
The Hefty Racing team currently sits 16th in NASCAR Owner Points and returns to action on Saturday, February 20 for the Stater Bros 300 at the Auto Club Speedway.
Daytona Beach, Fla. (February 13, 2010)—Eric McClure and the Team Rensi Motorsports (TRM) team headed to Daytona International Speedway for the 2010 Nationwide Series season opener with high hopes of beginning the season on a positive note. Starting the race in the 26th position McClure not only made abrasive maneuvers to avoid three multi-car accidents, but also ran strong throughout the event before bringing the No. 24 Hefty® Odor Block Ford Fusion home in the 17th position. This position marks the driver’s career-best finish at the 2.5-mile speedway.
“I am happy with how we ran today but it’s hard not to be disappointed because our finish could have been better, but we couldn’t get the help we needed when it counted. Our Ford Fusion was extremely fast today, especially in the high lane, and I really hated to see that caution come out near the end because we were coming and I wanted to see how far we could go. We lined up on the bottom for the last restart, got hung out to dry, and when people started racing in front of us that did us in. The water temperature gave us some problems and we had to pit on most cautions, but it could have been a lot worse. Today we had a chance to be really special and it just didn’t work out and that’s part of it. If we keep racing like that and it will come. I came in here saying if we finished in the top 20 I would be happy so 17th will work. The guys worked really hard this off-season and I am looking forward to what the rest of the year holds for us.”
Starting in the 26th position after rain had washed out qualifying McClure had advanced three positions when the event’s first caution flag was displayed at the conclusion of lap one. After narrowly avoiding a multi-car accident on lap nine, the call was made to bring the Hefty® Odor Block™ Ford to pit-road to receive fuel and a small track-bar adjustment. Restarting in the 26th position the next several laps saw side-by-side racing by the pack of cars with McClure fluctuating between several positions. As green flag pit-stops began on lap 43, the 31-year-old driver was able to remain on track until lap 49 to advance as high as the third position before coming to pit-road on lap 50 to receive four tires and fuel. As the Hefty® brand machine was exiting pit lane the third caution flag was displayed. McClure was scored in the 26th position when the race resumed on lap 55.
Continuing to utilize the high line around the speedway, the car’s speed was consistent with those in the top five by the halfway point of the race. On lap 68, after being shuffled back to the 26th position McClure was forced down to avoid a multi-car accident on the in the tri oval. After leading a lap under caution, the Hefty® brand Ford came to pit road to receive four tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment, and to remove tape from the front grille as the water temperature had climbed to 260 degrees. When the race resumed on lap 78, the TRM team was scored in the 20th position.
The team avoided disaster yet again on lap 92, just missing a multi-car accident. Following a red flag the team came to pit-road to receive tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment. After racing his way into the top-10 following the restart, McClure was forced to pit-road once again during the event’s final caution to remove additional tape from the grille. On the restart McClure was stuck in line as cars around him began racing each other as the lead pack pulled away. In the end McClure was able to bring his Ford Fusion home in the 17th position, earning his career best finish at Daytona International Speedway.
The Hefty® Racing™ team currently sits 16th in NASCAR Owner Points and returns to action on Saturday, February 20 for the Stater Bros 300 at the Auto Club Speedway.
Competing full-time in the Nationwide Series since 2007, Eric McClure returns to Team Rensi Motorsports for a second consecutive season. This is the first time McClure will return for a second season with an organization.
Hefty® brand, which made its first appearance as McClure’s primary sponsor in 2006, returns as primary sponsor for 34 of the scheduled 35 events in 2010.
The Daytona event marks 109 career series starts for McClure and his eighth on the 2.5 mile tri-oval surface. In seven starts at DIS, McClure has completed 89.7% of the laps and has an average finish of 32.7.
McClure and TRM Rejoin Forces with Daytona Beach’s Waverly Property GroupWaverly Property Group, Daytona’s #1 independent real-estate company, with a focus on waterfront properties, will celebrate its third consecutive year of sponsorship with an increased presence on the No. 24 entry.
Waverly Property Group will be displayed as an associate sponsor on the Hefty® Odor Block™ Ford for the season-opening event on February 13, 2010, before serving as a co-primary sponsor at the traditional summer event at the historic speedway.
Final Run for Chassis # 47 at DISThe season-opening event at DIS will mark the final time Chassis # 47 will be run as the “new car of the Nationwide Series” will debut in the season’s superspeedway finale on July 2 and will be implemented full-time in 2011.
Chassis # 47 has a best finish of 3rd (Talladega) for TRM in 2008 and helped McClure score his career best finish (26th) at the 2.5 mile tri-oval one year ago despite being involved in an accident.
Follow Eric McClure and the Hefty® Racing™ Team during 2010 NNS Season:
Websites:
Eric McClure, driver of the No. 24 Hefty® Odor Block™ Ford Fusion Quotes:
(On his expectations for the 2010 season)
“I’m excited about returning to Daytona with TRM. It’s the first time I’ve been back with a team for a second year and that is a reflection on this organization and what they’ve done not only for me as a driver, but the character of the members of the team. I feel like I have a home here and I’m excited to start the year as I feel I learned a lot last year. We had an up and down year at the track but I feel like I’ve come a long way as a driver and we closed the year pretty strong. Expectations are modest as you always look at the realities of each situation in the garage but I’m really looking forward to continuing to build on things at TRM.”
(On his relationship with Hefty® brand)
I can’t say enough about how special our relationship with the Hefty® brand is and what it means to me personally, as well as the race team, to be able to continue our involvement with them. The 2010 season will mark our fourth full-time season together, our fifth year overall, and I’m just so privileged that they continue to support our efforts in the NNS. We strive so hard to create a positive image for the brand and their customers, and obviously they’ve been pleased with the result.
(On his relationship with Waverly Property Group)“It’s a privilege to continue to have the opportunity to represent Waverly Property Group. Our partners such as Waverly Property Group play such an important role in our ability to continue to compete as a full-time race team, and for them to return for a third consecutive year is really exciting. It’s a first-class company with great people and top-notch properties and we look forward to getting down to Daytona.”
