It looked as if Clint would not only be the rookie to beat in the ultra-competitive UARA-STARS Series, but also one of the guys who could compete for the series championship. However, from the time he went to victory lane on March 27th to the mid-season race at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, VA, the young driver was plagued by bad luck. The bad luck wasn't that he wasn't competing at a high level, but rather that he was getting caught up in wrecks or having mechanical failures while racing inside the top ten and often in the top five.

While the performances were impressive, the results were not. After competing like he was expected to, he wasn't getting the finishes the he deserved. This prompted changes in the organization that had been in place at Clint King Motorsports for several years through Pro Challenge, Late Model Trucks and to Late Model Stock Cars. From there, the team didn't have a full-time crew chief, but rather relied on the knowledge and experience of the only two-time UARA-STARS Series champion, Matt McCall, who was working as a consultant for Clint King Motorsports since the beginning of the season.

With McCall not being able to commit to coming to all of the races, it was a crew chief by committee as Clint's dad, grandfather and a host of other part-time crew members helped the young driver attempt to make all the remaining seasons races. Clint would not make it back to victory lane during the 2010 season, but toward the end of the season it seemed as if they were getting back on track with some solid finishes as Clint picked up a top five at Kingsport Speedway.

Clint's UARA-STARS Series season came to an end with a tenth place points finish, but he certainly was one of the top five drivers week-in and week-out. With the 2010 season having ended, Clint King Motorsports began an extensive search for a new crew chief and began making plans for 2011. Once they had the chance to sit down and talk with several highly qualified crew chiefs, the decision was made to hire David Adams. Adams is an experienced crew chief, who once worked with Shane Hmiel and most recently turned the wrenches on Late Model veteran, Doug Godsey's cars.

Adams came on board at the end of November and immediately began taking the Clint King Motorsports cars apart and is in the process of getting Clint back up to speed for the 2011 season. Adams work ethic has impressed team owner and Clint's father, David King.

"David(Adams) is a great hire," said David King. "We knew at the end of the season that we had to find someone that both Clint and I believed in and David was the guy who we felt most comfortable with. He's already shown me that we made a good decision with his work ethics and he and Clint get along great."

David's arrival at Clint King Motorsports also opened up the door for CKM to begin working with a new chassis builder. Clint King Motorsports has now taken their cars to Frank Deiny, Jr's, FDJ Motorsports, who won both the Motor Mile and South Boston Speedway titles as well as the NASCAR Virginia State Championship. FDJ Motorsports has already updated Clint's cars with the same winning technology .

Along with the move to FDJ Motorsports comes the opportunity to work with Frank Deiny, Jr. Deiny, who most recently took a huge win in the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway for the fourth time and also has won five track championships in Late Model Stock Cars. Deiny, will be utilized by CKM as a chassis builder, assist with setups throughout the year, as a driver coach and all around consultant for Clint King Motorsports.

"I'm excited," said Clint with the hiring of not only David Adams, but the move to FDJ Motorsports. "We've made some big changes this winter and I think we've gone in the right direction. David(Adams) and I are already getting along and starting to mesh and what young driver wouldn't want the chance to work with a guy like Frank Deiny, Jr."

Despite the move to FDJ Motorsports, Clint's father, David feels that Performancenter Racing Warehouse, builders of the LTO Chassis' that Clint drove last year have a good product. They will always be credited with providing the chassis that gave Clint his first Late Model Stock Car win.

"Tom(Pistone), Roger(Johnson) and all the guys at Performancenter Racing Warehouse have been great to work with," said David King. "With the change in ownership this fall and all the unknowns, we just felt that it might be a good time for a change. FDJ Motorsports offers us the same technology and consultation that has been winning races and championships for the last couple of seasons and now offers us the same opportunity.

The moves for Clint King Motorsports are huge and there's no doubt that the team is hoping that it will be the right moves to not only fix the issues that CKM had in 2010, but to also get Clint to victory lane a lot more often in 2011.

"Racing is all about results," continued Clint. "We are hoping that unlike last year where we ran great almost every week and couldn't get the finishes we deserved, that we'll not only run good, but we'll be there at the end of the races to show everyone exactly what we can do."

As of right now, Clint plans to compete full-time in the UARA-STARS Series for 2011, starting with the March 12th season opener at Hickory Motor Speedway. Clint also plans to compete in a select number of NASCAR sanctioned events this season where CKM feels the relationship with FDJ Motorsports will have an even greater impact.

"I wish March 12th was tomorrow," said Clint. "I know that we need some time to get our cars ready and to test for the 2011 season. The changes we've made have us all more than a little excited for next season and I can't wait to get back to the track. "

Clint King Motorsports is supported by Warehouse Designs Inc., Lakeside Village, FDJ Motorports, Butler Built Seats, Circle Racing Wheels, CV Products, DJ Safety, Auman Motor Company, Shell Rapid Lube in Thomasville, NC and CEPrint Solutions, Lucas Oil Products.

For more information on Clint King visit http://www.ClintKing.com or contact Clint King Motorsports at (336) 472-0289, ext. 22.
 

Big Changes at Clint King Motorsports for 2011

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