Much like many of his counterparts, McLaughlin has spent a considerable amount of time running Eldora on a simulator to prepare for the challenge of racing a truck at the half-mile dirt oval.
“IRacing is a ton of how I’ve prepared for this race,” noted McLaughlin. “I’ve watched a lot of tape, I’ve talked to a lot of different guys that have run this deal … Stewart Friesen, in particular, has been a big help to me … but I’ve tried to talk to everyone I can that has run this deal a good bit and focused on soaking in as much as I can, because that’s what it takes to get up to speed quickly.”
That’s not to say that McLaughlin doesn’t have any laps at Eldora, however. He’s run there previously in his big-block modified with the Super DIRTcar Series and finished fourth there last season.
That gave McLaughlin some notes as to how the track will behave and where to run, even if there are some substantial differences when racing it in a truck.
“Eldora is a momentum track. That’s a big part of it,” he pointed out. These things are going to carry a lot of momentum around here, just like the modifieds did when I raced here in the big block. The trucks are really heavy machines and really different than anything I’m used to, so it’s not going to be easy … but I’m excited about it. The place is just cool, man. I ran fourth here last year, pressed right up against the fence, so hopefully we can do the same thing again.”
What are the differences between racing a big-block modified and a truck on dirt?
“You’re definitely not going to be able to set these trucks down into the corner like you would a dirt car,” McLaughlin laughed. “You’re going to have to ease it in on entry and drive it as much like an asphalt car as you can, and that’s where a lot of the series regulars are going to be good, because they have that experience. You saw (Matt) Crafton, an asphalt guy, come in and win the thing last year … and Bubba Wallace is another one who wasn’t a dirt guy that did well here.
“It’s a bit of a balance; you want to drive like you’re on asphalt, but at the same time, you’ve got to have that little bit of dirt experience to be comfortable out there,” noted McLaughlin. “It’s going to be fun.”
While he said the true impact of his NASCAR debut won’t set in until he goes out to qualify late Wednesday afternoon, McLaughlin was in awe of how far he’s come since the early days of his career, when he raced a winged mini-outlaw kart at North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway.
“This moment is surreal. There were a lot of points in my career where I never thought I’d be standing here, so to finally get here and have a shot of it makes all the long night and every ounce of blood, sweat and tears that I’ve put into this sport worth it,” McLaughlin said. “This is what us racers live for and these opportunities don’t come often, so I’m super thankful for it.”
