After spending just 48 hours at home celebrating his oldest daughter Mabreigh’s fifth birthday, Eric McClure headed west again for the first 1.5-mile track on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Unfortunately, the team fought a myriad of issues, one of which was a persistent vibration, and had to settle on a 25th-place finish in the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Taking the green flag from the 27th position, McClure quickly communicated with crew chief Wes Ward that the car was exhibiting an extremely loose-handling condition throughout the turns. When the first of seven caution flags waved on lap 10, McClure, who was running in the 34th position, brought his orange and blue Toyota Camry down pit road for a chassis adjustment and fuel. After a quick stop by his Hefty® Reynolds Wrap® Racing™ team, the Virginia driver restarted the event in the 25th position. When the second caution flag waved on lap 25, McClure again visited pit road for four tires with an air-pressure adjustment, fuel, and an additional chassis adjustment. When the race resumed on lap 30, the TriStar Motorsports team was scored in the 26th position.
As the race progressed, McClure continued to battle a sensitive car as its temperament changed drastically after each adjustment. When the event’s fourth caution flag waved, McClure, who was running in the 27th position, received the lucky dog award placing him back on the lead lap. At this point, the car was comfortable in turns one and two but still “too loose” in turns three and four. Following a routine pit stop with a track-bar adjustment, McClure was able to restart the event in the 24th position, where he remained through the halfway point of the event.
During the second half of the event, McClure not only reported a vibration that remained throughout the remainder of the event, but also continued to battle a car that was loose on exit of the turns. When the event’s final caution period waved on lap 156, McClure reported that the car was a little better but something in the engine or drivetrain had developed a serious vibration and was “laboring.” When the race resumed, McClure was scored in the 23rd position but lost two positions in the closing laps to finish the Sam’s Town 300 in the 25th position. As a result, the team now stands 26th in the NASCAR Owner standings with two races remaining before the 2012 Owner Points take effect.
Eric McClure Quotes:
“We really didn’t get the finish we wanted today. We couldn’t get a handle on the car’s attitude this weekend as the car would be loose on one run and then tight on another. We also developed a vibration around the halfway point of the race and the engine just seemed to labor the rest of the event. We found a few things that was hurting the speed of the car, making it seem like it wouldn’t go. We will learn from this weekend and use it at the next 1.5-mile track.”
Tri-Star PR
