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Making
a Brother’s Dream a Reality
Eric McClure (Alabama-Huntsville) has the
opportunity of a lifetime to pursue his dream
as a professional race car driver. What’s
it going to take? Probably just a little help
from his brothers. With a great opportunity
on the horizon, and just a few weeks remaining,
every Sigma Nu can help this young man achieve
his dream.
In "American Idol" fashion, Sigma
Nus from across the country can vote for |
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Click
here to vote for Eric McClure |
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Brother
McClure to have a shot on a new reality TV show
called Racin’
for a Livin’. The show, which will air on a
prime-time network and be distributed internationally,
will allow viewers to see and experience the high
intensity world of auto racing through the eyes
and mind of the driver. They will take rookie unknown
race car drivers from all across the country, train
them next to veteran drivers and pit them against
each other for a chance at a 2007 contract to
race in the NASCAR Busch Grand National division,
the series just below the NASCAR Nextel Cup. This
is every racer’s dream.
It all began for McClure, a junior Human Resources
major, when he started racing at the age of 14 at
Huntsville Speedway. It was only natural for him
to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather who
raced there in the 70s. "I grew up watching
NASCAR and local racing as my grandparents wondered
when it would be my turn. Racing is much more than
a hobby for me; it’s a way of life. Once I got behind
the wheel of my first stock car at the age of 14,
I was hooked," recalls McClure.
The
Chance of a Lifetime
Although he has had success as a driver, winning
numerous races in the Hobby Stock and Super
Stock divisions, recent financial challenges
and lack of sponsorships put a halt to his
dream of becoming a professional race car
driver.
Then, along came Racin’ for a Livin’.
The show’s producers had originally selected
50 drivers from thousands of applicants. |
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Online
votes will determine the 15 drivers out of those
50 who will move on to preliminary track testing.
McClure was not selected as one of those 50; however,
a second opportunity arose in which he could be
chosen for one of 20 Rookie Wildcard positions.
From there, all he’d have to do was land in the
top five of the Wildcards to get a chance to move
on to track testing and potentially become one of
the final 12 drivers who would be on the show.
In June, after a few weeks of silence from the producers
and learning that someone from Alabama had already
been selected, McClure had all but lost hope for
the WildCard opportunity. On the night of June 26,
McClure received a call from another competitor
who shared that there would be one more available
spot for the racer who could submit the best marketing
proposal by 11:00 PM that night. With only two hours
to work on the proposal, McClure submitted the winning
pitch that would secure him one of the 20 Wildcard
spots.
Here’s Where You Come In
Voting for the 5 Wildcard positions ends on August
15th at 11:59 EDT. Every Sigma Nu can vote for McClure’s
opportunity to achieve his dream. Click
here to visit the Racin’ for a Livin’ website,
then click on the WildCard button and vote for Eric
McClure from Alabama. Voting is available 24
hours a day and you may vote as often as you wish.
As of this writing, McClure is in 7th place. If
you would like to learn more about McClure and his
racing career, visit his website at www.Eric-McClure.com.
Sigma Nu Leadership
McClure pledged Sigma Nu in fall 2003 and was initiated
in January 2004. He says he joined because of the
quality guys he had met who were already members.
He also recognized the chapter’s involvement in
the campus community, which was important to him.
"Sigma Nu is a great leadership opportunity
and a chance to make life-long friendships,"
says McClure. He currently serves the chapter as
LEAD Chairman, focusing mostly on Phase Two last
semester. He placed a high priority on getting the
junior initiates involved in the chapter. In the
fall, he says, they will focus on Phases Three and
Four of the LEAD curriculum.
Proving
Himself
Even though McClure’s career dreams involve
racing, he’s working hard to complete his
degree and learn as much as he can about Human
Resources. He’s involved in a co-op program
in which he gains hands-on work experience
in his field while still in college.
As far as the racing opportunity, it’s not
just about online voting. That’s only the
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next
hurdle to cross for a chance to race on the show.
But McClure says that if he gets the opportunity
to prove himself in the next step, he feels he has
a good chance to go on.
In addition to this story, McClure has achieved
local publicity, being featured on two local TV
Networks (NBC WAFF 48, ABC WAAY 31) and a few radio
stations (Sports Radio 730AM WUMP & Country
102.1FM WDRM). He has also been featured in the
local newspaper "The Huntsville Times".
National recognition, like this article, could potentially
earn him bonus points in the voting of a yet-to-be-determined
value.
In the next few weeks, McClure could be one step
closer to his dream, especially if the more than
30,000 brothers who receive The Rock take
time to go online and vote every day. He could soon
be on his way to proving himself as a driver. And
you can help him get one step closer to his dream.
Make
sure you vote for Eric McClure today! |
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