Dover Int'l Speedway - Sept. 22nd - 11th
Eddie Overcomes Early Tire Problems
for Eleventh Place Finish

Eddie MacDonald battled back from an early tire problem to finish eleventh in the Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway in the Grand National Division Busch East Series. The Nemo Mechanical Overlay Monte Carlo qualified sixth with a speed of 149.340 (24.106 sec.) and the Rowley, Mass. driver was poised for a solid run when the green flag waved but something did not feel right.

“The car was really fast but the right front tire felt like it was going down so we decided to pit. As it turned out the lug nuts had backed out and the tire was loose. We went three laps down because this place is so fast when you stop under green you will loose laps quickly. When we did get back, the car just took off.”

After the pit stop on lap 22, MacDonald began a charge through the field and was able to make up two laps and appeared certain to get back on the lead lap but a series of caution flags kept the MacDonald Motorsports ride starting at the rear of the field. After each restart MacDonald would power by the same cars only to find himself behind them again after the next caution when lapped cars are required to start at the rear. On lap 42, MacDonald was 23rd and by lap 102 he was in 14th place and determined to get to the front

“Rollie (LaChance) had a great set up and the car was handling really well. I could drive it in the turns and it just stuck. I was able to get by a lot of cars in the turn, that’s how good it was. When you can run and pass people in the turns here you know you have a great car. The crew did a great job but it always seems like something happens to hold us back. Last week we had a lug nut get wedged behind the tire and this week it was the lugs getting loose. If we did not have that problem this car would have been a top five if not a top three car. We had one of the fastest cars out there. Even after our problem in practice, we were still able to qualify well.”

After running tenth fastest in the first practice, the crew had to change a spindle and hub after a bearing seized up at the beginning of the second practice. MacDonald did not make it out for the remaining practice to shake down the car after the repair but was still able to post the sixth fastest lap in qualifying. The team has performed well this season in qualifying.

MacDonald was in a good position to pick up more spots when the flag waved for the green white checker finish but the rear tire blew apart on the last lap causing MacDonald to loose spots and finish eleventh and wondering what may have been saying, “We had such a great car but we just needed some luck. I needed to pass one car to finish eighth but the left rear tire came apart on the last lap and we ended up losing two positions. It was really disappointing to miss out on the top ten. We should have been up there competing for the win but luck has not been with us this year. Rollie and the crew have worked hard all season but we just can’t catch a break. I can’t say enough about this team because with all we have been through this season no one has given up. If anything, everyone has worked even harder and I thank them for that. I also want to thank Nemo, Hancock Electric, Tri-State Roofing, and Hanover Place for their support this season. We would not have even been able to run this year without them.”

NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, BUSCH EAST SERIES
Sunoco 150
Dover International Speedway, Dover, Del., Friday, September 22, 2006

Finish Start Car # Driver Hometown Car Laps Money Won Reason Out
1 3 9 Tim Andrews Concord, N.C. Van Dyk Baler/Bollegraaf Chevrolet 157 $13,000  
2 13 35 Steve Park E. Northport, N.Y. Waste Management Recycle America Ford 157 $9,000  
3 8 99 Bryon Chew Mattituck, N.Y. Buzz Chew Chevrolet Chevrolet 157 $8,300  
4 5 40 Matt Kobyluck Uncasville, Conn. Mohegan Sun Chevrolet 157 $7,600  
5 16 61 Mike Olsen N. Haverhill, N.H. Little Trees Chevrolet 157 $6,400  
6 15 5 Barney McRae Colchester, Vt. Motion Racing Chevrolet 157 $5,400  
7 10 45 Brian Hoar Williston, Vt. Goss Dodge Dodge 157 $5,500  
8 11 96 Mike Johnson Salisbury, Mass. Johnson Lumber Ford 156 $5,000  
9 28 30 Jeff Anton Russell, Mass. Engineered Floors Chevrolet 156 $5,500  
10 7 33 Tracy Gordon Strong, Maine The Woodworks/Archer Corp. Ford 156 $4,100  
11 6 48 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, Mass. New England Mechanical Overlay Chevrolet 156 $3,900  
12 26 3 Joey McCarthy Randolph, N.J. STI Motorsports Chevrolet 152 $3,700  
13 30 26 Scott Bouley Thomaston, Conn. Towne & Aurell Excavating Chevrolet 152 $3,600  
14 19 15 John Salemi Nashua, N.H. Waste Management Chevrolet 151 $3,500  
15 25 24 Patrick Dupree* Onchiota, N.Y. Outback Steakhouse Dodge 151 $3,400  
16 18 06 Ryan Seaman Toms River, N.J. ERS Fleet Repair Chevrolet 148 $3,300 Accident
17 29 16 Kip Stockwell Braintree, Vt. Stockwell Racing Chevrolet 146 $3,275  
18 20 03 Rogelio Lopez Mexico City, Mexico Telmex/Lucas Oil Chevrolet 142 $3,250  
19 23 84 Dion Ciccarelli* Severn, Md. Jamerson Motorsports/Star Sales Ford 141 $3,225  
20 24 52 Donnie Neuenberger Edgewater, Md. Metropolitan First Mortgage Ford 140 $2,700  
21 17 14 Joe Masessa Franklin Lakes, N.J. Skin Cancer Foundation Chevrolet 121 $3,175 Accident
22 1 44 Sean Caisse Pelham, N.H. Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet 115 $4,150 Accident
23 2 22 John Freeman Charlotte, N.C. Supercuts/Family Dollar Dodge 104 $3,125 Accident
24 4 12 Ruben Pardo* Mexico City, Mexico Family Dollar/Movida Dodge 97 $3,100 Accident
25 14 81 Brett Thompson Jerome, Idaho VaCom Communications Chevrolet 66 $7,575 Accident
26 21 32 Dale Quarterley Westfield, Mass. Van Dyk Baler/Bollegraaf Chevrolet 32 $2,525 Accident
27 22 8 Rich Gould* N. Brunswick, N.J. Nassau Painting Chevrolet 32 $3,000 Accident
28 12 88 Mike Gallo Sanford, Maine JBR Racing Ford 23 $2,500 Radiator
29 9 4 Andrew Myers Newport Beach, Calif. Toyota of Escondido Chevrolet 21 $7,500 Accident
30 27 01 Charles Lewandoski Stafford Springs, Conn. Lewandoski Construction Chevrolet 2 $2,500 Transmission
               
  DNQ:            
  21 Carlos Pardo Mexico City, Mexico Telcel Chevrolet      
  83 Ray Ciccarelli Ellicott City, Md. Chrons & Colitis Foundation Ford      
  10 Pierre Bourque Ottawa, Ontario Canada.com/Driving.ca Chevrolet      
  62 Charlie Price Redlands, Calif. TBA Chevrolet      
  25 Jeremy Clark Cortland, N.Y. Hartley's Automotive & RV Chevrolet      
  31 Peyton Sellers Danville, Va. Whelen Engineering Chevrolet      
                 

TIME OF RACE: 1 hour, 48 minutes, 25 seconds

AVERAGE SPEED: 86.887 mph

MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.411 seconds

CAUTION PERIOS: 7 for 55 laps

LEAD CHANGES: 8 among 4 drivers

LAP LEADERS: Caisse 1-4, Andrews 5-28, Caisse 29-68, Chew 69-73, Andrews 74-113, Park 114-147, Andrews 148-154, Park 155, Andrews 156-157

BUSCH POLE AWARD: Sean Caisse, Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet (23.563 seconds @ 152.782 mph) – TRACK RECORD

POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Jeff Anton, Engineered Floors Chevrolet

FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Matt Kobyluck, Mohegan Sun Chevrolet

Media Contact: Jennifer MacDonald - jennymac29@hotmail.com