Eric McClure to Join TriStar Motorsports in 2011

TriStar Motorsports owner Mark Smith announced today the addition of Eric McClure with the guide line of the organization in 2011, further expanding its presence in the team in NASCAR Nationwide Series. Beginning with the Drive 4 COPD 300 in Daytona, McClure returned to the family Chevrolet and pilot TriStar Impalas for a full time Nationwide Series.
Heavy (r) brand, one of the longest-running partners in Nationwide Series, will continue its relationship with McClure for the sixth consecutive season by serving as the main sponsor and the 34 scheduled events.

McClure, a 31-year-old native of Chilhowie, VA will be competing in the fifth full season of competition NNS. The driver of Virginia, who finished a career best finish of 17th in the NNS driver point in 2009, has 137 NNS starts and three Sprint Cup Series starts under his belt, with a best finish of 15th and 26th, respectively.

TriStar Motorsports began as a Sprint Cup Series team in late 1980, before become a Pro Motor Engines, a thriving independent company building the engine providing power to groups of each of the first three series of NASCAR. The team returned to competition in 2010 Nationwide Series with drivers Tony Raines, Jason Keller and Jeff Green, scoring one of the Top 5, and 3 Top 10 finishes.

Number of vehicles in the group, and other details of the program will be announced at a later date.

Excerpts Eric McClure:

(What are your expectations for the 2011 season and a new team?)

“I look forward to joining TriStar Motorsports in 2011. They have a great nucleus in place as a multi-car team last year was able to achieve quite a bit of success and develop their racing team. I think it is a testament to their quality drivers and staff who had, and certainly Mark Smith, who is a runner in every sense of the word. He reminds me very much my father and brothers when their team was built over the years.

Our responsibilities to TMI is to first find the best home for our sponsorship partners, and secondly, the best place for me to grow as a driver, and I think this presents a great opportunity for our program to maximize all fronts. I feel like the last two games Car New this season were my best events in the last half of the year in overall performance, so I think we all hope to have a solid, competitive season as the series uses the new car with a full year. We have some other things working for it, hopefully we can announce soon that I think are pretty cool and would be beneficial for me and the organization of the TriStar.

(In Hefty (r) brand returns for the sixth consecutive season)

“I like all the TMI, I’m just so appreciative of our relationship with heavy (r) brand. This will be our fifth full season together, our sixth year as a whole, and I’m just so privileged to continue supporting our efforts in the NNS. When we started our cooperation never dreamed that it tends to be one of the largest collaborations in our series. “

“We owe a special thanks to race fans, regardless of whether or not I’m your favorite driver, to continue to support the heavy (r) brand and the quality of their products to their nearest dealer. We try hard to create a positive image for the brand and their customers, and it is obvious that we have been pleased with the outcome. We have developed a great promotion off the track, will announce soon that will reward some of those teams and we look forward to the opportunity to give something back to the racing community. “

Mark Smith, owner of TriStar quotes Motorsports:

“I am thrilled to have Eric McClure and heavy (r) brand TriStar join our organization. I think we were able to assemble a dynamic team that will lead to a more competitive next year’s race. Eric has proven to be a solid competitor and focus on the same goals we have here at TriStar. So a company such as Hefty (r) behind Eric and TriStar, can not wait to see what we can achieve the 2011 Nationwide
Series season now that we have joined forces. “