Eric McClure/Hefty® Odor Block™ Notes of Interest
Newton, IA (August 1, 2009)-Coming off consecutive 23rd-place finishes, Eric McClure and the Rensi-Hamilton Racing (RHR) team headed to Iowa for the inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series event hoping to show continual improvement in their performances. Despite having difficulty adjusting to the new facility early in the race weekend, and stating the 250-lap event in the 39th position, McClure quickly found the lane around the track that worked best for his No. 24 Hefty® Odor Block™ Ford. Through patience, determination, and a little luck, the team was able to finish the US Cellular 250 in the 20th position. This marks the third top-20 finish for RHR this season.
"That was fun. If you had told me Thursday that I would finish 20th, I would have been thrilled. I struggled adjusting to the track but was able to get the hang of it about a third of the way through the race. Mark Green helped us a great deal during the test on Thursday; he drove my car for a couple of runs to help the team make adjustments to the car. I didn't have a good qualifying lap, but we ran decent in the race, real consistent on long runs and older tires. We kept making adjustments to the car and they paid off and I was able to run my fastest lap near the end of the race. I need to get better on restarts; they seem to be my Achilles heel. As a result we finished behind a couple of cars we were faster than most of the race. Nevertheless, I again can't say enough about my guys. They give me good racecars and continue to support me as we go through this learning curve together and I appreciate them very much. We're getting back to where we were in the spring."
Starting the race from the 39th position, McClure advanced to the 33rd position by the time the second caution occurred on lap 10. Fighting a loose-handling car, McClure came to pit-road to receive fuel and a track-bar adjustment and was able to restart the event in the 37th position. Over the next seven laps, the Hefty® brand Ford worked its way up to the 33rd position, although it had become tight in the center of the turn and under braking. Crew Chief Chris Wright informed the driver to add rear brake, which seemed to help the car's handling. When the third caution occurred on lap 38, the RHR team took advantage of the opportunity and brought the car to pit-road once again to receive fuel and a wedge adjustment. When the race resumed, McClure was shown in the 31st position.
Over the next several laps McClure continued to adjust to the new speedway by determining which groove not only helped the car's handling, but also allowed him to use less brake. While maintaining the 31st position, the RHR team lost a lap to the race leader on lap 70. With only one lap down car separating the No. 24 Ford and the race leader, McClure was able to make a quick pass shortly before the fourth caution occurred on lap 73, putting him in position to be the Lucky Dog recipient. After coming to pit-road to receive tires, fuel, and track bar and wedge adjustments the team restarted the event in the 29th position.
As the race progressed, the driver continued to utilize the highest lane around the track, passing one car at a time, as the handling on the No. 24 Hefty® Odor Block™ Ford continued to improve. By the halfway point of the race, the RHR team had advanced to the 19th position.
During the second half of the event, the team slid as far back as the 25th position but was able to climb back to the 20th position by the conclusion of the US Cellular 250. With this finish, the RHR team remained in the 28th position in NASCAR owner standings.
