Daytona Here I Come!
by Eric McClure - Staff Writer
NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver
02/13/2008

Well, it is that time again. I can't believe the start of the Nationwide Series season is already here. This has, without a doubt, been the best few weeks of my life. There's a lot to talk about, so let's get started.

The time I've gotten to spend with Mabreigh this winter has been the best. She is doing so much now! She talks to "Da Da," crawls everywhere, dances to "Little Einsteins" and "Doodlebops," and can even walk a bit when she's holding on to things! She's giving "tisses" (kisses) now, which is amazing! The first Christmas with Mabreigh was great! And, now, the best news is we found out Miranda is expecting again!

The due date is September and we couldn't be happier. Miranda is just glowing and- though people in the industry swear this isn't true- blessings like these just prove that there's so much more to life than racing. I still can't make pancakes, though.

But, racing is the chosen profession, and I couldn't be happier to be with Front Row Motorsports. Last year we were presented with a lot of different opportunities with several teams, and I feel confident that we made the best choice, no matter what happens. Bob Jenkins has done everything possible to give us the best chance going into the 2008 season, which is far more than I could ask for. We've got decent equipment, and good people, and with Scott Eggleston and Cal Boprey leading the shop, I feel like we are ready to go.

The biggest reason for my excitement is the trust I have with the team and Bob. Even today, based on a few past experiences, I'm not sure how many people you can trust in this business, especially when the driver brings sponsorship. Bob, though, is a competitor and true businessman, and seems interested in trying to build something together, which is great for me. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but a lot of upside, and the BEST sponsor in Hefty brand, so if we can continue to improve throughout the season, we'll have a good head start for '09.

Ok, enough of that. I've spent quite a bit of time, or tried to, at FRM this winter and for the first time in my career, I feel like part of a team. They, without a doubt, are the hardest working bunch of guys I have ever seen. Period. And they are behind me and what we are trying to do. I've been able to form a lot of friendships with the guys, which is the first step, and I want to do all I can for them. It started to all pay off starting with the test. We had two good sessions with both the cup car, and the Nationwide car.

The cup car was pretty decent, especially in single car runs. We learned some things that will hopefully allow us to be solid when we go back, with both FRM cup cars. The Nationwide car was awesome in the draft. It wasn't quite as good as we would have liked by itself, but I was very pleased with the way it drove. I really enjoyed working with Scott and Cal, and I feel that they can help me along the way. I'm still relatively inexperienced in this deal, but I feel like they trust me with the car, which is another big deal for me. Hopefully we can be respectable and build from that.

Ok, now, at one point I had a lot to say about the test, but we're three days from leaving and with everything going on here, and Mabreigh into everything, I just summarized the entire thing. I promise there will be more cool recaps down the road. The highlights of the trip were hanging out with the team after the test, and the Thursday we had off. A couple of the guys, Robert and PJ, stayed for both tests, and I had a really cool rental car, and it was 75 degrees, so we cruised the beach. We checked out one of the rental houses we have for Speedweeks, from Waverly Property Group, one of our sponsors, and then we went to the movies.

We saw National Treasure 2. It was good. And we ate at a lot of local places, like the Brickyard. Also very good. And, of course, no Daytona trip is complete without Crabby Joe's. I can't say much more about Luke and his team. They are first class all the way. My father in law also got to come down with Dad for the Nationwide test, so that was really cool. He and my father are probably my two biggest supporters without a doubt. Finally, my sports teams have suffered the worst month ever. The Redskins and the Hoos. Gibbs is gone and Snyder has gone ballistic, letting everyone go. And Virginia can't win. They can get up big, but can't finish the deal. And you know it's coming and, yet, you can't turn away. It's like watching a train wreck. Ha ha.

I'll talk to you after California. In the meantime, cheer on the Hefty Racing team for good run in the Nationwide events, as well as the Daytona 500 festivities. Who knows? Maybe we can pull off the upset and sneak it in…

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