After getting off to a solid start this season, Eric Hardin (No. 5 Direct Shopping Network Chevrolet) encountered some bad luck that knocked him out of the top 10 of the championship standings in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. The Anaheim, Calif., competitor hopes a visit to his NASCAR Home Track, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, will provide him with an opportunity to turn his season back around.
“I’m real excited about going to Irwindale, since it’s my home track,” Hardin said. “I have not had the opportunity to race there in a while. Every time I do, I get that confidence back. I’m real comfortable there.”
The NASCAR Camping World Series West heads to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale this week for a special Fourth of July event, the California Highway Patrol 200, on Friday. The race will be televised live in high definition to a national audience on HDNet. In addition, SPEED is to provide an enhanced replay on July 18.
Although his team has run well there, Hardin’s finishes at the Irwindale facility have not always reflected it. “We haven’t had a good finish there yet, but we’ve always run well,” he said. “So, we look for good things from it.”
Hardin hopes that by continuing to work hard, his team will be able to change their luck.
“We’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing and try to be more prepared at the races,” he said. “That’s all you can do.”
The success he experienced late last year and early this season, meanwhile, has provided him with the confidence to know he’s capable of running with the leaders in the series.
“It was really good running toward the front, where we need to be,” said Hardin, who turned 26 on Sunday. “Unfortunately, we’ve had a couple of crashes recently. So, that kind of brings you down a little bit. Coming off of Sonoma to my home track gives me something to really look forward to.”
Hardin, who lost part of one leg to cancer as a youngster, is in his third full season of competing in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. He has three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in 33 starts.
