Avondale, AZ (March 2, 2014)-Eric McClure and the No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® team finished 23rd in Saturday’s rain-shortened Blue Jeans Go Green 200 at Phoenix Int’l Raceway after starting the 200-lap event from the 28th position. With this finish, the team sits 26th in the 2014 point standings heading into next weekend’s event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
During the early stages of the race, McClure maintained his starting position despite battling a car that was loose on entry and tight in the center of the turns. When the first caution flag waved on lap 20, McClure brought his Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel, and a small chassis adjustment to help the car’s drivability on entry. When the race resumed on lap 29, the team was scored in the 26th position.
Slipping one position on the restart, McClure maintained this position until green flag pit stops began on lap 80. Having pitted during the first caution period, McClure was able to remain on track longer than most, allowing him to advance to the 23rd position. Ten laps prior to McClure bringing his car to the attention of the crew, the event’s second caution flag waved on lap 91. This allowed the 35-year-old driver to bring his car to pit road under yellow conditions for four tires, fuel, and track-bar and air-pressure adjustments to help the car’s now tight-handling condition. When the race resumed, the No.14 Camry was scored in the 23rd position, two laps down to the race leader.
In the final stages of the event, McClure was able to maintain the position, and on lap 161, the fourth and final caution flag waved for a single car accident. While safety crews were removing debris and preparing the track for race conditions, the rain began to fall, eventually forcing the race to end before the scheduled distance. As a result, the team was credited with a 23rd-place finish in Saturday’s Blue Jeans Go Green 200.
Eric McClure Quotes
“Overall we had a decent car today. We started the race a bit off but we made adjustments each stop that helped the car. We didn’t quite get the finish we wanted but we were able to gain spots in the owners’ points.”
