I saw a dude trackstanding a road bike fairview and Sharon road one evening(very cool). I have done it on the trail by accident or adrenaline or fear to maneuver a tight switchback etc. I've tried in my driveway(sloped) and in parking lots but cant do it. Watched videos and read articles. Apparently it's a basic skill but no luck mastering it when I want to. Anyone have simple 123 suggestions or is it all trial and error. My right foot is the pressure pedal but when I roll back I try swinging front wheel, have to clip out so I give up and go inside for a brew.

It's easier facing a slight uphill.  Practice on the MTB with lower air pressure.

I definitely agree with the above... Practice with flats.  Having the anxiety of having to clip out first will hinder your progress.  Start by riding very slowly, then come to a stop (slight uphill, on grass/trail, and in the track stand position).  By riding slowly first, you can learn to find and dial in to that sweet spot in the balance range, if that makes sense.

The only way to get good at it is to practice... There is no trick or technique that will get you there without practicing.

i like to have my cranks mostly parallel to the ground, try not to focus on the front wheel which is difficult to do. Keep your shoulders square and pointing the direction that the bike is pointing. Turn your front wheel towards whatever foot you ride with forward when coasting. (goofy, regular). For starters, use your front brake to preload your forward energy and "rock" backwards, then counter with keeping torque on your drivetrain, do this at first to stay in a tight space while moving a few inches back and forth. Eventually try to do this with as little movement as possible, then try it without using your brakes. 

When in a pinch, "set-up hops" are helpful. It's a maneuver that trials riders use to move their bike ever so slightly to get them better lined up for a bigger trick or line.

A Set-up is usually where you lift the back wheel, or both wheels a few centimeters off of the ground and in a certain direction. So if you start to lean in one direction, you could recover by hopping very slightly in that direction. 

If you want to have a little fun and keep things interesting, try trackstanding with your feet on the cranks instead of the pedals. 

Playing foot-down is a superb, and very fun way to learn balance on your bike. It's a bike game played with 2 or more people, in which all of the riders have to ride around in a very small area (the smaller the group, the smaller the area), and try to get each other to put their foot down. You can play dirty, by rubbing your front tire against their back tire, or by bluffing them head on, or whatever. If you put your foot down, you're out! 

Dirtclump and I have even taken to pushing each other with our hands and feet in effort to get the other to lose balance.

Keep in mind that effective trackstanding is less about staying perfectly still, and more about not having to put your foot down while remaining relatively stationary in a tight area.
Moving around a little bit is perfectly acceptable.

Been out of town, thanks to everyone for the replies and advice. Gonna keep trying,  I'm not going to flats yet tho until I really bust my a**. Who knows might eventually get it. I like the practicing on grass idea, probably save me on neosporin and band-aids.