Jeremy McGrath made it home safe in his four-wheeled racing debut.

McGrath, a seven-time AMA Supercross champion and a longtime favorite among San Diego motocross fans, made his stock-car racing debut Saturday night at the Kinston Automotive Late Model Stock races at Southern National Raceway in Lucama, N.C.

As part of the JR Motorsports team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., McGrath drove the Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet in two Late Model Stock races. McGrath finished Race 1 in 15th place out of a field of 25 cars, garnering 90 points for his team, and he finished 13th in Race 2 on the 4/10-mile oval, picking up an additional 95 points.

"I had a blast," McGrath said Wednesday from his home in Encinitas. "I loved every second of it, and I can't wait until the next race because I learned so much in one night."

McGrath found racing stock cars to be a different experience from racing dirt bikes. There was many a supercross race when McGrath dominated to a point where he had plenty of separation from the other riders.

"The intensity of driving nose-to-tail with these guys for 150 laps is really something else," said McGrath, 35. "In this sport, there is no pulling away. You either have somebody right in front of you or right on your butt the whole way.

"In supercross or motocross, I've been riding for so long that I know how to do it, but after just a few laps of this, I felt liked I belonged."

McGrath steered clear of any contact with the wall or other cars, but he did have a moment during practice.

"We had a good quality lap going when I got a little too aggressive and spun the car sideways," McGrath said. "I definitely had to check up. It was a classic rookie move.

"But we qualified at 15.75 (seconds) and the pole was 15.40, so we weren't too far off."

The races went off without incident.

"I kept the nose clean, and when we were done, the car was ready for the next race," McGrath said. "I felt like I could have been more aggressive, but the most important thing is to manage the amount of practice I can get."

McGrath said he relishes the chance to race for Earnhardt Jr.'s team.

"I've known Dale for a long time, since I was part of the Bud Light supercross team back in the day," McGrath said. "He gave me a great opportunity and I'm really excited about it."

Earnhardt Jr. said that the feelings are mutual.

"I like his approach, his mentality and the energy he brings to this shop," Earnhardt Jr. said in a release. "I know this isn't just some fleeting interest on his part. He is as serious about this as anyone I've ever been around."

For now, McGrath is back home spending time with his wife Kim and their 16-month-old daughter, Rhowan. His next stock-car race is May 19 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"I'm scheduled for 10 races this year, and that's a manageable schedule," McGrath said. "I have some obligations with Honda for the next few weeks, and after May 19, we'll probably be racing every other week."

Smith tied down

Mechanical problems put an end to a solid run by former Escondido resident Moses Smith, who is competing in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series. Driving the HASA Pool Products Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Smith raced in his second NASCAR West Series event on April 19 on the 1-mile oval at Phoenix International Raceway.

After qualifying in the 29th position on the starting grid in a field of 39 cars, Smith advanced as high as ninth place before a broken tie rod ended his race in the AlphaTrade.com 150.

"On the lead lap, with only four laps to go, the last thing I wanted to do was pit," said Smith, an Escondido High graduate now living in Tempe, Ariz. "However, I just could not steer. I thought I had cut a tire."

Unfortunately for the HASA Pool Products team, the problem was not as simple as a tire change, and Smith's race ended on lap 146 of the 150-lap event. The next race on the NASCAR West Series schedule will be Saturday at Altamont Motorsports Park in Tracy.

Frederick moves up

Del Mar's Stu Frederick benefited one position from a disqualification at the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Race held April 15 in conjunction with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Fifth-place finisher Michael McCann was disqualified after unapproved components were found in the transmission of his Dodge Viper.

An investigation last week verified that the components found in the transmission during postrace technical inspection were not eligible for competition. McCann lost all event points and purse after the disqualification, and all cars moved up in the finishing order.

The decision left Frederick and his Dodge Viper in 18th place after starting in the 26th position. Frederick finished 24.732 seconds behind race winner Eric Curran of East Hampton, Mass., who drove a Chevrolet Corvette.

The next event for the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge will be the Miller Dealers Utah Grand Prix on May 19 at Toole, Utah.

Superbikes at Fontana

Some of the fastest motorcycle riders in the world will be in Fontana this weekend for the Suzuki Superbike Challenge Weekend at California Speedway. Highlighting the events are rounds 4 and 5 of the AMA Superbike Championship, which will be held Saturday and Sunday. The Southern California Area Suzuki Dealers 100K will be held Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Ben Spies is the defending champion for both races and will be in the saddle again aboard a Yoshimura Suzuki. Spies won the 2006 AMA Superbike title with 10 wins in his sophomore season, and he won the season-opening Daytona Superbike and Superstock races last month.

Other events scheduled this weekend on the 21-turn, 2.36-mile road course include the Lockhart Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Race on Saturday, the AMA Superstock Race on Sunday, and the Pro Honda Oils Supersport Race on Sunday.

For ticket information visit www.californiaspeedway.com.

- Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com.