ANTELOPE, California – Bill McAnally Racing’s Eric Holmes wasted no time in delivering Toyota its first win in the NASCAR Camping World Series, taking the victory in his first race for the manufacturer. He led wire-to-wire to capture the win before a sell-out crowd in the NASCAR Camping World Series West season opener Toyota NAPA AutoCare 150 at All American Speedway in Roseville, CA.
Holmes and the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts team put the Toyota from BMR on the outside of the front row to start the race. The race was red flagged three times with ten caution periods but Holmes maintained his position for all 153 laps, collecting five bonus points for leading a lap and five more for leading the most laps. He is the NCWS West point leader with 190 points.
“I knew I had to get the lead early,” said Holmes. “The cars are real difficult to drive for four or five laps, especially on cold tires and low air pressure. So, I knew I had to feel it out at first. It felt good and I got by him. All the restarts were difficult. I just wanted to get racing. I knew I could drive away, if we could get racing.”
The 2006 champion from Escalon, Calif., held off the competition in a two-lap dash to the finish, as a late-race caution extended the race distance for a green-white-checkered finish. He crossed the finish line in the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota with a .478 of a second margin over second place.
Holmes was asked about being able to maintain his early momentum this season. “You set your goals high,” he said. “There’s a lot of luck. And a lot goes into it. Anything can happen. But you go out to win every race. If I couldn’t have the opportunity to win, I wouldn’t keep doing this. I’m just thankful for Bill McAnally and everybody involved for giving me the opportunity.”
Holmes and Bill McAnally Racing would like to thank NAPA Auto Parts and all their other race partners for their great support at this event. Holmes visited the NAPA VIP tent after qualifying to personally thank them and sign autographs. A huge group of excited NAPA store owners, employees and customers attended the sold out race. Over 75 people were able to see the race team up close as they went on a VIP garage tour. Several fans were also given a ride in BMR’s NAPA two-seater ride-along car at All American Speedway prior to the race.
The Toyota/NAPA AutoCare 150 will be broadcasted on SPEED Channel’s Racing Across America on April 7th at 9 am PT. Check your local listings. The next NCWS West will be April 10th at Phoenix International Raceway and will be televised live on HDNet.
For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com.
