ANTELOPE, California — Bill McAnally Racing’s driver of the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota Camry, Eric Holmes brought home a third place finish at Saturday’s Thunder Valley Casino Resort “200”. The finish moves him up several spots in the chase for the 2011 NKNP West Series championship to third.
"What a weekend. "— Eric Holmes
“What a weekend,” said Holmes. He put the No. 20 NAPA Toyota from Bill McAnally Racing at the top of the speed charts during first practice and qualified on the outside of row two for the 64-lap race.
Holmes ran with the top five during the first 15 laps before coming in to the pits while under green at lap 20 to take on fuel. He restarted in 19th and 20 laps later was back in the top five. “We were trying to stay out of the mayhem. There were some drivers that were all over the place. With about 15 laps to go, David Mayhew got into me and hooked my car. I lost about eight spots but I worked my way back up.”
With five laps to go, Holmes began to make his final attempt to catch up with NASCAR Sprint Cup regular and eventual winner, Joey Logano and David Gilliland. Coming to the final corner of the race, Mayhew and Holmes were fighting hard for position. “The #17 got underneath me as we came out of the turn. I gave him room but I didn’t lift off the throttle. I caught his right rear corner. I hate when that happens. We are buddies. I don’t ever want to wreck a car especially that close to the finish. We’re two veterans racing for a win. It’s not something I ever wanted to happen especially when racing someone I respect as much as David Mayhew.”
The Thunder Valley Casino Resort “200” at Infineon Raceway will be televised July 7th at 3 pm PST. Check your local listing for any changes. The series next visits Toyota Speedway in Irwindale on July 2nd.
For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com. BMR is also home to the BMR NAPA AutoCare where customers can have their vehicle serviced by a championship winning team. Check our website for our latest discount coupons and to make an appointment for service. Bill McAnally Racing is now on Facebook. Become a fan and stay up to date with the latest happenings with your favorite race teams. Also follow the team on BMR_NASCAR on Twitter.
