Eric McClure

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Eric McClure
Eric McClure at Thunder Valley (cropped).jpg
McClure at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015
BornEric Wayne McClure
(1978-12-11)December 11, 1978
Chilhowie, Virginia
DiedMay 2, 2021(2021-05-02) (aged 42)
Abingdon, Virginia[1]
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 3 years
2014 position74th
Best finish67th (2006)
First race2004 Aaron's 499 (Talladega)
Last race2006 UAW-Ford 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
288 races run over 14 years
2016 position73rd
Best finish16th (2012)
First race2003 Target House 200 (Rockingham)
Last race2016 PowerShares QQQ 300 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
Statistics current as of February 20, 2016.

Eric Wayne McClure[2] (December 11, 1978 – May 2, 2021) was an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports.

Racing career[]

Sprint Cup Series[]

McClure made three career starts in NASCAR's Cup Series. His debut came at Talladega, driving the No. 04 I Can Learn Chevy in 2004. He made the field in 35th position, and went on to finish 26th. McClure then attempted to make the July race at Daytona, but did not qualify.

McClure then landed a ride with the No. 73 Raabe Racing Enterprises Chevy for 2005. McClure did not qualify for the first two races, but did make the race at Las Vegas, starting 41st. His engine blew midway through the race and relegated McClure to 32nd. McClure left the team that week and did not run until August, when he attempted three races with Front Row Motorsports. However, McClure did not make any of those races. In 2006 he attempted and made the UAW-Ford 500, where handling issues relegated him to a 32nd-place finish in the No. 04 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevy, with a sponsorship from Hefty. In 2008, McClure attempted the Daytona 500 in the No. 37 Front Row Motorsports Chevy sponsored by Hefty, but failed to qualify.

On April 11, 2009, Morgan-McClure Motorsports announced they would be attempting the Talladega race in April, after a year and a half absence from the sport. Eric McClure attempted to qualify the Hefty-sponsored No. 4 Chevrolet but did not make the field.

In January 2014, McClure announced that he would attempt to compete in the 2014 Daytona 500 driving the No. 35 Ford for Front Row Motorsports;[3] he failed to qualify for the race. In May 2014, McClure returned to the No. 35 car for Front Row Motorsports at Talladega, but failed to make the race.

Xfinity Series[]

McClure made his Busch Series debut in 2003, running at Rockingham Speedway. He qualified the No. 05 I Can Learn Chevy in 22nd and finished 26th despite an accident.

McClure made four starts in 2004, running two races for his family team (MMM) and two more for . His best run was at Memphis, where he finished 22nd. He also finished three of his four starts.

McClure added eight starts in 2005, seven for Means Racing, but only managed a best finish of 30th at Texas. McClure did attract the eye of James Finch and ran one race for that team at Daytona. However, he finished 32nd with a blown engine and did not follow that run up with any starts, returning to Means. McClure did not qualify for two races. At Bristol, McClure was sent home because of a rainout of qualifying, and at Memphis, McClure missed the field by one spot.

For the 2007 season, McClure teamed up with Davis Motorsports for a 32 race schedule. McClure brought sponsor Hefty to the team with him.

He drove for Front Row Motorsports in the Busch Series in 2008, with Hefty sponsoring the car for all the races in the No. 24 Chevrolet. He scored his best career finish of 15th in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega.

2009 Nationwide car at the Milwaukee Mile

In 2009, he and sponsor Hefty moved to Rensi/Hamilton Racing, where he drove the No. 24 Ford Fusion. This proved to be a good move; he qualified for every race and finished a career best 17th in the final points standings. McClure stuck with the team, now Team Rensi Motorsports, for 2010. However, performance slipped and the economic downturn forced McClure to be cautious with the team's equipment, with Rensi bringing a second team over for COT races that was raced by Kelly Bires. Despite this, McClure finished 24th in points but announced his departure from Rensi on November 30. According to McClure, Rensi's budget was so low to the point that they would rarely have full tire allotments for the races after Las Vegas, with most of the allotments going to the races run with Bires. McClure announced on December 1 that he and Hefty would move to TriStar Motorsports for 2011 alongside veterans Mike Bliss and Jeff Green. It was further announced in January that TriStar Motorsports will change their car numbers, with McClure piloting the No. 14.

During the 2012 Aaron's 312, McClure was involved in a 16-car pile up on lap 117, when cars spun in front of him and he slammed the inside wall head on. McClure was extracted from his car. He was airlifted to the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama for further evaluation. NASCAR stated that McClure was talking to the rescue crew while he was being extracted from his car.[4][5][6][7] After staying two nights in the hospital, TriStar Motorsports team spokesperson Emily Brandt announced on May 6, 2012 that McClure had suffered a concussion and internal bruises from the accident.[8][9] On May 9, TriStar announced that McClure would sit out the Nationwide race at Darlington due to his concussion, and that start and park driver Jeff Green would drive the No. 14 while Tony Raines and Kevin Lepage would start and park the No. 10.[10] McClure would sit out the next 4 races before being cleared by NASCAR to drive in time for the race at Road America.[11] In spite of starting only 28 races, McClure finished the 2012 season with a career best points finish of 16th.

2014 Nationwide car at Road America

On January 9, 2013, TriStar announced that McClure would return to their team for the 2013 season.[12] McClure started his season on a high note by taking his best career finish of 7th at Daytona. In August, however, he was hospitalized with what was determined to be acute renal failure; he was forced to step out of the No. 14 car for four races while he recovered, being substituted for by Jeff Green.[13] McClure returned to competition in September at Chicagoland Speedway.[14] He missed a race later in the year at Texas Motor Speedway due to medical issues, before being hospitalized again prior to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.[15]

Before the 2014 season McClure announced that he would only be running a partial schedule in the Nationwide Series.[3]

In 2015, McClure and his sponsors moved to JGL Racing, where he drove the No. 24 Toyota Camry at all 33 races.[16] After 9 races however, both he and JGL parted ways and McClure returned to TriStar Motorsports for the rest of the season, with JGL allowing him to continue to run the 24 car for that team.

2016 Xfinity car at Daytona International Speedway

In 2016, McClure joined JD Motorsports for the season opener at Daytona, driving the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro.[17]

Team ownership[]

On July 28, 2015, McClure and former Nationwide driver Hal Martin formed Martin-McClure Racing, a K&N Pro Series East team. Among the team's drivers were Chad Finchum and Austin Cindric.[18][19]

McClure stepped away from the team in 2018 after his domestic violence arrest.[20]

Personal life[]

McClure was born in Chilhowie, Virginia, and was a graduate of Emory and Henry College. He was married to Miranda from 2004 until their divorce in 2018, and had seven daughters.[21]

McClure's home in Abingdon, Virginia suffered major damage in an April 27, 2011 tornado. However, McClure and his family sat out the storm in their basement and were uninjured.[22]

On February 11, 2018, McClure was arrested for domestic violence.[23]

Death[]

McClure died at the age of 42 on May 2, 2021 after suffering from serious health issues, including diagnosis of a severe musculoskeletal disorder in the summer of 2019.[24] He was engaged to Keira Brinegar Tibbs at the time of his death.

Motorsports career results[]

NASCAR[]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Sprint Cup Series[]

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts
2004 Morgan-McClure Motorsports 04 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL
26
CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY
DNQ
CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL PHO DAR HOM 78th 90
2005 Raabe Racing Enterprises 73 Chevy DAY
DNQ
CAL
DNQ
LVS
32
ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL DAR RCH CLT DOV POC 80th 67
Front Row Motorsports 92 Chevy MCH
DNQ
SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH
DNQ
BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL
Mach 1 Motorsports 34 Chevy KAN
DNQ
CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM
2006 Morgan-McClure Motorsports 04 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL
31
CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 67th 70
2007 DAY
DNQ
CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY
DNQ
CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM NA -
2008 Front Row Motorsports 37 Chevy DAY
DNQ
CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 82nd 0
2009 Morgan-McClure Motorsports 4 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL
DNQ
RCH DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM 73rd 0
2014 Front Row Motorsports 35 Ford DAY
DNQ
PHO LVS BRI CAL MAR TEX DAR RCH TAL
DNQ
KAN CLT DOV POC MCH SON KEN DAY NHA IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH CHI NHA DOV KAN CLT TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 74th 01
Daytona 500[]
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
2005 Raabe Racing Enterprises Chevrolet DNQ
2007 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet DNQ
2008 Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet DNQ
2014 Front Row Motorsports Ford DNQ

Xfinity Series[]

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 NXSC Pts
2003 Morgan-McClure Motorsports 05 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX TAL NSH CAL RCH GTY NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT MEM ATL PHO CAR
26
HOM 130th 85
2004 04 DAY CAR LVS
30
DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL GTY RCH NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI NHA PPR IRP RCH
DNQ
DOV KAN CLT
DNQ
MEM
22
ATL PHO DAR HOM
DNQ
82nd 268
56 Chevy MCH
33
BRI
43
CAL
2005 Jimmy Means Racing 52 Ford DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL NSH
41
TEX
30
PHO
38
TAL DAR
DNQ
RCH
DNQ
CLT
DNQ
DOV NSH
31
KEN MLW
34
CHI
DNQ
NHA
DNQ
PPR
40
GTY
DNQ
IRP GLN MCH
DNQ
CAL
39
RCH DOV KAN CLT 72nd 440
Morgan-McClure Motorsports 04 Chevy BRI
DNQ
BRI
DNQ
MEM
DNQ
PHO
DNQ
HOM
Phoenix Racing 09 Dodge DAY
32
Davis Motorsports 0 Chevy TEX
DNQ
2006 Morgan-McClure Motorsports 04 Chevy DAY CAL MXC LVS ATL BRI TEX NSH PHO TAL RCH DAR CLT
DNQ
DOV NSH MLW DAY CHI NHA MAR GTY IRP GLN MCH BRI
41
CAL RCH DOV KAN CLT
DNQ
MEM TEX PHO HOM 125th 74
MacDonald Motorsports 72 Chevy KEN
43
2007 D.D.L. Motorsports 0 Chevy DAY
35
CAL
40
MXC LVS
26
ATL
37
BRI
24
NSH
26
TEX
29
PHO
30
TAL
18
RCH
DNQ
DAR
40
CLT
DNQ
DOV
28
NSH
35
KEN
32
MLW
31
NHA
37
DAY
36
CHI
41
GTY
37
IRP
29
CGV GLN MCH
DNQ
BRI
42
CAL
37
RCH
42
DOV
26
KAN
42
CLT
DNQ
MEM
28
TEX
40
PHO
DNQ
HOM
DNQ
38th 1639
2008 Front Row Motorsports 24 Chevy DAY
34
CAL
28
LVS
22
ATL
33
BRI
30
NSH
31
TEX
36
PHO
29
MXC TAL
15
RCH
32
DAR
33
CLT
29
DOV
26
NSH
28
KEN
28
MLW
29
NHA
27
DAY
38
CHI
32
GTY
21
IRP
27
CGV GLN MCH
27
BRI
31
CAL
32
RCH
29
DOV
24
KAN
33
CLT
22
MEM
27
TEX
32
PHO
32
HOM
32
21st 2429
2009 Rensi-Hamilton Racing Ford DAY
26
CAL
30
LVS
16
BRI
26
TEX
34
NSH
26
PHO
22
TAL
25
RCH
39
DAR
28
CLT
19
DOV
23
NSH
22
KEN
30
NHA
33
DAY
28
CHI
31
GTY
23
IRP
23
IOW
20
GLN
30
MCH
28
BRI
25
CGV
22
ATL
26
RCH
29
DOV
24
KAN
25
CAL
28
CLT
18
MEM
30
TEX
19
PHO
28
HOM
28
17th 2962
Chevy MLW
32
2010 Ford DAY
17
CAL
35
LVS
21
BRI
24
NSH
29
PHO
27
TEX
28
TAL
22
RCH
31
DAR
27
DOV
24
CLT
29
NSH
26
KEN
29
ROA
27
NHA
29
DAY
36
CHI
29
GTY
26
IRP
26
IOW
DNQ
GLN
31
MCH
30
BRI
DNQ
CGV ATL
30
RCH
30
DOV
29
KAN
33
CAL
DNQ
CLT
23
GTY
DNQ
TEX
26
PHO
DNQ
HOM
37
24th 2304
2011 TriStar Motorsports 14 Chevy DAY
33
PHO
25
LVS
20
BRI
25
CAL
21
TEX
31
TAL
26
NSH
32
RCH
32
DAR
36
IOW
23
CLT
28
CHI
18
MCH
29
ROA
27
DAY
37
KEN
27
NHA
20
NSH
23
IRP
21
IOW
26
GLN
35
CGV
36
BRI
27
ATL
28
RCH
30
CHI
25
DOV
24
KAN
31
CLT
31
TEX
24
PHO
19
HOM
29
19th 572
19 DOV
25
2012 14 Toyota DAY
22
PHO
28
LVS
25
BRI
27
CAL
26
TEX
24
RCH
31
TAL
27
DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA
21
KEN
26
DAY
18
NHA
22
CHI
24
IND
24
IOW
31
GLN
26
CGV
19
BRI
27
ATL
21
RCH
26
CHI
25
KEN
22
DOV
26
CLT
22
KAN
15
TEX
21
PHO
20
HOM
27
16th 559
2013 DAY
8
PHO
29
LVS
40
BRI
21
CAL
27
TEX
30
RCH
26
TAL
23
DAR
26
CLT
30
DOV
24
IOW
18
MCH
28
ROA
27
KEN
23
DAY
24
NHA
31
CHI
28
IND
31
IOW
23
GLN
28
MOH BRI ATL RCH CHI
25
KEN
24
DOV
26
KAN
27
CLT
33
TEX PHO
27
HOM 20th 482
2014 DAY
35
PHO
23
LVS
27
BRI
27
CAL
25
TEX
24
DAR
21
RCH
29
TAL
17
IOW
24
CLT
29
DOV MCH ROA
20
KEN
24
DAY
22
NHA
26
CHI
25
IND
36
IOW
23
GLN
24
MOH BRI
20
ATL
24
RCH CHI
26
KEN
31
DOV KAN
19
CLT
32
TEX
26
PHO
26
HOM
26
19th 521
2015 JGL Racing 24 Toyota DAY
17
ATL
28
LVS
23
PHO
29
CAL
34
TEX
29
BRI
26
RCH
36
TAL
21
19th 565
TriStar Motorsports IOW
33
CLT
30
DOV
24
MCH
23
CHI
26
DAY
24
KEN
27
NHA
18
IND
29
IOW
26
GLN
24
MOH
35
BRI
33
ROA
23
DAR
28
RCH
26
CHI
27
KEN
29
DOV
22
CLT
28
KAN
26
TEX
28
PHO
26
HOM
29
2016 JD Motorsports 0 Chevy DAY
30
ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 73rd 11

Craftsman Truck Series[]

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NCTC Pts
2004 27 Chevy DAY ATL MAR MFD CLT DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN GTW MCH IRP
DNQ
NSH NA -
72 BRI
DNQ
RCH NHA LVS CAL TEX MAR PHO DAR HOM

* Season still in progress.
1 Ineligible for series championship points.

References[]

  1. ^ "Eric McClure 1978 - 2021". Legacy.com. Legacy.com.
  2. ^ "Eric McClure passes away at age 42". Nascar.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Eric McClure Wants 1 Shot to Run the Daytona 500". ABC News. January 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  4. ^ "Lap-by-Lap: Talladega". NASCAR. May 5, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  5. ^ Owens, Jeff (May 5, 2012). "Eric McClure injured in multicar wreck near end of Nationwide race". Sporting News. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  6. ^ McClure taken to hospital after scary crash. Talladega, Alabama: NASCAR. May 5, 2012.
  7. ^ Hembree, Mike (May 5, 2012). "NNS: Talladega Thriller". Speed TV. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  8. ^ Caraviello, David (May 7, 2012). "McClure suffered concussion, internal bruising". NASCAR. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  9. ^ Newton, David (May 7, 2012). "Eric McClure released from hospital". ESPN. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  10. ^ http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2012/05/09/emcclure-to-miss-darlington.html Eric McClure to miss Darlington
  11. ^ "McClure back in the No. 14 at Road America". NASCAR. June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  12. ^ "Eric McClure Returns to TriStar Motorsports for the 2013 NNS Season". SpeedwayMedia.com. January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  13. ^ Gregory, Allen (August 21, 2013). "Latest setback frustrates McClure". Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, TN. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  14. ^ James, Brant (September 19, 2013). "McClure ready to race again". ESPN. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  15. ^ Long, Dustin (November 14, 2013). "McClure Remains Hospitalized". Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
  16. ^ Eric McClure joins JGL Racing for 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, FOX Sports, January 5, 2015
  17. ^ DeGroot, Nick (January 26, 2016). "JD Motorsports announces 2016 driver lineup". Motorsport.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  18. ^ "MCCLURE, MARTIN FORM K&N PRO SERIES TEAM". NASCAR. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  19. ^ "Austin Cindric Joins Martin-McClure Racing". Catchfence. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  20. ^ Andrejev, Alex (May 2, 2021). "Former NASCAR driver Eric McClure dies at age 42". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "McClure and Wife Welcome 5th Daughter". Yardbarker. Fox Sports. July 31, 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
  22. ^ Dustin Long (April 27, 2012). "N'wide driver McClure, his family starting over a year after a tornadoe". Sports Illustrated.
  23. ^ Jessica Griffith (February 11, 2018). "Former NASCAR driver Eric McClure arrested in domestic violence incident". WCYB. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  24. ^ "Eric McClure passes away at age 42". Nascar.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.

External links[]

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