Former NASCAR Xfinity driver Eric McClure was arrested Sunday by the Smyth County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office on a Class 1 misdemeanor charge of battery and assault, NBC Sports has confirmed.
An affidavit from the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office listed the victim as McClure’s wife, Miranda. The sheriff’s office responded to the couple’s home and arrested Eric McClure, 39. The couple has seven daughters.
McClure, who was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond, is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 21 in Juvenile Domestic Relations Court in Smyth County, Virginia.
NASCAR confirmed to NBC Sports that McClure is not currently a member.
McClure ran in 288 career Xfinity races, tying him with Matt Kenseth for 24th on the all-time list. McClure had one top-10 finish, an eighth-place result in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in 2013.
McClure, who last raced in the series in 2016, also is co-owner of Martin-McClure Racing. The team competed last year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The team did not compete in Sunday’s season opener at New Smyrna Speedway but stated on its Facebook page earlier Sunday that “we look forward to rejoining the #KNEast later in the season.’’
Martin-McClure Racing announced on its Facebook page Monday that McClure has taken an indefinite leave of absence effective immediately. Hal Martin will oversee all team operations.
The team also said in its statement: “We are committed to our team’s values of transparency, professionalism, and performance. Our highest priority is to maintain a family-centered atmosphere where everyone is safe and protected. We strive to ensure that any contrary actions are met with a prompt and appropriate response.’'
McClure’s driving career was interrupted by injuries, including concussions. By Oct. 2012, he had suffered three concussions in less than two years in crashes, he told USA Today at the time.
He missed five races after suffering a concussion and other injures in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2012. He also suffered a concussion at Bristol Motor Speedway in Aug. 2010 and did not race the following week. He suffered a concussion in a crash at Daytona in July 2011. He was cleared by a doctor and raced the following week.
McClure also suffers from Epstein-Barr. He told the Bristol Herald Courier last July that the virus first surfaced in Jan. 2012.
“You get used to taking Tylenol and ibuprofen, and you try to be careful around people and keep your hands sanitized but there’s no way to prevent it,” McClure told the Herald Courier. “You can get so tired and just sleep until your nights and days get reversed.
“There are days as the injection cycle comes to a close that in addition to fatigue I get emotional and really sad.”
