Holmes was off to a good start Thursday at Fontana in NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series first practice which he was third fastest. Not bad for his first time ever on the two mile superspeedway. Eric qualified second with a lap time of 41.818. Auggie Vidovich won the Bud Pole Award with a lap of 41.804. The two were the only drivers in the 41-second range.

The early portion of the event was dominated by Vidovich, who led the first 42 laps with Eric running in second. Vidovich’s night ended early after running out of room while trying to squeeze between a spinning car and the wall. Eric took over the lead but was challenged by several other drivers. Eric led a total of 15 laps, which gave him an extra five points in the championship point standings for the West Series Division.

The scramble was on to the finish after a caution, with only eight laps to go. Brett Thompson led at the restart with three laps remaining – followed by Eric in second, Jim Inglebright in third and Duncan in fourth. Eric took the lead on lap 97, but was passed by Mike Duncan, who benefited from the late-race caution and made a pit stop for two fresh tires. Jim Inglebright followed Duncan across the finish line with Eric finishing in third.

The third place finish for Eric along with the ninth place finish for Mike David was enough for Eric to move into the top position in the tight championship standings. Eric leads with 1539 over David with 1512.

The next event on the NASCAR Grand National Division, AutoZone West Series schedule will be at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas, on Sept. 30.