Starting from the 26th position in Saturday night’s Labor Day weekend event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Eric McClure and the Hefty Racing® team were relegated to a 28th-place finish following a series of issues, one of which ultimately forced the driver from his No. 14 Chevrolet with 32 laps remaining in the 300-lap event. As a result, one position was lost (19th) in NASCAR Driver standings.
“I would just really like to forget tonight if that is possible. We had a decent car in practice this morning and our best qualifying effort in a month. Unfortunately, nothing went our way in the race. The right rear tire equalized early and caused me to hit the wall, and we cut a left rear tire during the second half of the race and hit the wall again. After the first wreck, exhaust fumes got inside of the car and in my helmet which made me feel pretty sick. I tried to stay in the car, but ultimately had to get out and let Chase Miller finish the race, and I appreciate him doing that for us. It’s very disappointing for our team that we can’t get the monkey off our back and get the finishes we deserve.”
At the start of the event, McClure slipped two positions in the running order as he reported not only that the car was exhibiting loose handling characteristics but he also felt a significant vibration in the rear of the car. Unfortunately, an equalized right rear tire was the culprit of the vibration as it eventually gave way and sent the Hefty® BlackOut™/Reynolds™ Chevrolet into the turn two wall, bringing out the event’s first caution on lap 42. After visiting pit road on laps 43 and 44 for tires with an air-pressure adjustment, a wedge adjustment, fuel, and to repair the right side damage, the TriStar Motorsports team was scored in the 30th position when the race resumed on lap 46.
By lap 60, McClure had advanced to the 25th position despite continuing to battle a loose handling racecar. When the event’s second caution flag was displayed on lap 68, McClure informed the team that not only were fumes getting inside of the car and making him extremely nauseous, but they needed to find another driver to be on standby just in case he couldn’t finish the event. While team owner Mark Smith scrambled to find another driver, crew chief Gary Cogswell called the No. 14 machine to pit road for tires with another air-pressure adjustment, a chassis adjustment and fuel. Once the service was complete, McClure returned to the track in the 27th position.
As the race progressed, not only did the car still exhibit loose handling characteristics but the fumes became more prevalent. Green flag pit stops began on lap 121 with the orange and black machine visiting pit road for tires and fuel on lap 129. Four laps later (133), however, the event’s fourth caution flag was displayed when McClure cut a left rear tire and tagged the wall once again. Spotter Stevie Reeves complimented the driver on a great save as the outcome could have been much worse. Receiving tires and fuel during the caution period, the 32-year-old driver decided to remain on track as long as possible despite continuing to feel sick and having Chase Miller on standby. When the race resumed on lap 138, the TriStar Motorsports team was scored in the 30th position.
With 32 laps remaining in the 300-lap event, the event’s fifth caution flag was displayed. McClure, who was now light headed, turned over the cockpit of his Hefty® BlackOut™/Reynolds™ Chevrolet to Miller, who had driven for Key Motorsports earlier in the night. By completing the event, Miller was able to salvage a 28th-place finish for the Hefty Racing® team in the Great Clips 300.
TriStar Motorsports PR
