Stephan McCurley has been working for Saturday for as long as he can remember. The 20-year old from Humble will have a lifelong dream come true this weekend when he makes his first start in a NASCAR-sanctioned event. McCurley will pilot the #51 Chevy in the Nationwide Series’ Dover 200 on the high-banked, one-mile oval of Dover International Speedway, and it will be with dad Mike as his crew chief. “I love high-banked race tracks,” Stephan McCurley said. “I am really looking forward to Dover. I know there will be some learning curves, but I usually can pick it up pretty quick.” The father-and-son combination has been going racing together since Stephan was 7. Mike handles most of the building process, and Stephan takes care of the set-ups. In 2008, the McCurleys competed in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour. The duo finished second in the points standings in Stephan’s first year competing in a late-model touring series. The two then moved to the ARCA Re/Max Series where they continued their success. Stephan drove in eight of the first nine races of the season, consistently finishing in the top 20. This season they set out to get Stephan into a Nationwide Series car and race. To do that, they wasted little time in getting cars to work on, while Stephan worked on getting qualified by NASCAR. To stay sharp on the track, Stephan has made five starts in the NASCAR Fiesta Late Model series at Houston Motorsports Park, winning four. On Saturday, that hard work the McCurleys have put in over the last few years at their small shop in Humble comes together in Delaware. Stephan hits the track in the Nationwide Series car for the first time today, and he will finally get a chance to see what his ride can do. “I have had no practice, but come the end of (today), I’ll know where I stand,” Stephan said. And by the end of Saturday’s race, he will know where his future lies. “If all goes well, I’m heading to Kansas in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Oct. 2,” Stephan said.(Houston Chronicle)(9-24-2010)
