Slowhand Maestro Keeps Fast Company

08-28-2006 | Steve Keller, TruckSeries.com

Slowhand Maestro Keeps Fast Company

Famed guitarist Eric Clapton (center) poses for a photo with Germain Racing's Todd Bodine (left) and Ted Musgrave at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Ronda Greer Photo)

While Johnny Benson won the coveted guitar trophy for capturing the Toyota Tundra 200 a few weeks ago at Nashville Superspeedway, Todd Bodine and Ted Musgrave were the big winners on Wednesday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Legendary Rock & Roll guitarist Eric Clapton was a guest of truck owners - Bob, Steve and Rick Germain.

Clapton, who will continue his World Tour in Japan and then Australia in November, was all smiles at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday evening. A little high octane action at Bristol would prove to be the perfect primer for Clapton before he goes back on the road to promote his latest album "Back Home" - released last year in August.

Eric Clapton's Latest Release - Back Home"Back Home" is the artists first offering of all new original material in nearly five years - Steve Winwood and John Mayer are among the guest artists. A short Tour in the US, with two dates in Canada, runs September 16th through October 23rd. Clapton will visit Japan from November 11th to December 6th; New Zealand and Australia between January 27th and February 11th, 2007.

Clapton watched an action-packed USAR Hooters Pro Cup event from high atop the No. 9 Team ASE hauler of Ted Musgrave; then made his way to Todd Bodine's No. 30 Lumber Liquidators pit box for the O'Reilly 200. Clapton would play witness to the Germain Freight Train - Bodine finished second with teammate Ted Musgrave right behind him in third. A racing legend in his own right, Mark Martin won the event that marked Roush Racing's 41st NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory.

Clapton is a three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and 16-time Grammy winner with familiar songs like Lay Down Sally, Wonderful Tonight, After Midnight, I Can't Stand It and many others. In 1993, Clapton founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, West Indies - a facility for the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction for people of the Caribbean and throughout the world.

Clapton Could Use Your Help
The producers of Clapton's forthcoming video anthology spanning his career are still looking for your rare home video and photos of Clapton. They're particularly interested in video and images from his time with The Yardbirds, John Mayall's Blues Breakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos, and anything from the 1970s.

If you have photos, film, video, super 8, or other visual media prior to 1980, please contact them at their new email address: ec_anthology@yahoo.com. Regrettably, the former email address was problematic and the producers would encourage anyone who previously contacted them without a reply to please do so again at this new email address ( ec_anthology@yahoo.com ).

You will be credited and compensated if your footage is used. http://www.ericclapton.com