Thompson International Speedway - 6/29 - 20th

Electrical Problems Plague Eddie at Thompson

Eddie MacDonald’s second place qualifying run was all for naught when mechanical problems sent him to the pits on a first lap caution in the NASCAR Grand National Division Busch East Series Pepsi Busch East 100 at Thompson International Speedway. When repairs were made, MacDonald returned to the track three laps down and had to settle for a twentieth place finish.

The New England Mechanical Overlay Chevy was fast in practice and really stepped it up to post the second fastest qualifying lap at 109 mph (20.501sec.) on the fast, high-banked 5/8ths of a mile oval. The Rowley Mass driver felt the car was good enough to repeat his victory at the season ending race last year.

“The car could not have been much better. The handling was there and we had plenty of power down the straight. I was able to pick up the throttle off the corners. It felt as good as it did last year when we won. I want to thank everyone who helped out, especially Rollie (LaChance). He has been working day and night to get us to this point.”

Since the race was 100 laps, there were no plans to pit and MacDonald’s strategy was simple. “Starting on the outside pole really gives us a great advantage. We’ll probably get single file and ride around for a little while, save the tires so we will have something for the end. Starting up front is good also because it gives some exposure to our sponsor NEMO. I also want to thank Kenny Thompson from Hancock Electric in Quincy for everything he has done.

When the green flag waved, MacDonald powered past the #44 on the outside but when the yellow flag was thrown the car lost all power and had to be pushed to the pits. A harness holding the battery in place turned out to be the culprit as it broke loose causing the battery to bounce around eventually shutting down the electrical system. Despite running well the rest of the way, MacDonald could only get one “lucky dog” lap back and finished two laps down and was dejected after the race.

“This one is hard to take. We had an absolutely fantastic car and to have something like this happen is really frustrating for me and everyone involved with this team. After finishing fifth last week, and with the qualifying run today, we thought we were back on track. We just can’t seem to catch a break. Everyone is working so hard; we just need to put a string of good finishes together. Let’s hope we can rebound at Lake Erie this Saturday.”
Top 10 Driver Points:

UNOFFICIAL BUSCH EAST SERIES POINT STANDINGS (wins)

1. Matt Kobyluck (1) 669
2. Mike Olsen 655
3. Bryon Chew (1) 629
4. Sean Caisse (2) 611
5. Charles Lewandoski 599
6. Mike Johnson 588
7. Kip Stockwell 532
8. Brian Hoar 525
9. Joey McCarthy 504
10. Eddie MacDonald 488

NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, BUSCH EAST SERIES
Pepsi 100
Thompson International Speedway, Thompson, Conn., Thursday, June 29, 2006
 

Finish Start Car # Driver Hometown Car Laps

Money Won

 Reason Out
1 3 40 Matt Kobyluck Uncasville, Conn. Mohegan Sun Chevrolet 100 $6,500  
2 5 45 Brian Hoar Williston, Vt. Goss Dodge Dodge 100 $4,465  
3 11 01 Charles Lewandoski Stafford Springs, Conn. Lewandoski Construction Chevrolet 100 $3,200  
4 4 96 Mike Johnson Salisbury, Mass. Johnson Lumber Ford 100 $3,000  
5 8 99 Bryon Chew Mattituck, N.Y. Buzz Chew Chevrolet Chevrolet 100 $2,500  
6 9 61 Mike Olsen N. Haverhill, N.H. Little Trees Chevrolet 100 $1,950  
7 6 29 Dave Dion Hudson, N.H. Berlin City Ford 100 $1,550  
8 27 67 Jamie Aube Manchester, N.H. Red Line Oil Chevrolet 100 $2,500  
9 14 12 Ruben Pardo Mexico Supercuts Dodge 100 $1,475  
10 17 15 John Salemi Nashua, N.H. Waste Management Chevrolet 100 $1,400  
11 13 16 Kip Stockwell Braintree, Vt. Stockwell Racing Chevrolet 100 $1,375  
12 18 33 Tracy Gordon Strong, Maine The Woodworks/Archer Corp. Ford 100 $1,350  
13 19 3 Joey McCarthy Randolph, N.J. STI Motorsports Chevrolet 100 $1,275  
14 15 8 Rich Gould N. Brunswick, N.J. Nassau Painting Chevrolet 100 $1,225  
15 25 25 Jeremy Clark* Cortland, N.Y. ING Chevrolet 100 $1,200  
16 16 84 Dion Ciccarelli* Severn, Md. Jamerson Motorsports/Star Sales Ford 100 $1,175  
17 21 10 Pierre Borque* Ottawa, Ont. Full Metal Minerals Chevrolet 100 $1,150  
18 22 24 Patrick Dupree Onchiota, N.Y. Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet 100 $1,150  
19 7 5 John Freeman Huntersville, N.C. Freeman's Stereo Video Chevrolet 99 $1,150  
20 2 48 Eddie MacDonald Rowley, Mass. N.E. Mechanical Overlay Chevrolet 98 $1,150  
21 20 41 Don Wagner Wharton, N.J. Mannings USA/Snacketizers Chevrolet 98 $650  
22 23 14 Joe Masessa Franklin Lakes, N.J. Skin Cancer Foundation Chevrolet 95 $1,150  
23 26 26 Scott Bouley Thomaston, Conn. IGS Propane Chevrolet 85 $1,150  
24 10 30 Jeff Anton Russell, Mass. Engineered Floors Chevrolet 65 $1,150 Mechanical
25 24 98 John Cerbone City Island, N.Y. Apache Fishing Chevrolet 63 $650 Accident
26 28 97 Brent Cross Cortland, N.Y. Cummings Auto Machine Chevrolet 60 $1,150 Handling
27 12 7 James Civali Meriden, Conn. Nick Perricone, M.D. Chevrolet 27 $650 Accident
28 1 44 Sean Caisse Pelham, N.H. Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet 14 $2,150 Rear End
                 

TIME OF RACE: 1 hour, 1 minute, 15 seconds
AVERAGE SPEED: 60.735 mph
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.415 seconds

CAUTION PERIODS: 7 for 45 laps

LEAD CHANGES: 1 between 2 drivers
LAP LEADERS: Sean Caisse 1-13, Matt Kobyluck 14-100

BUSCH POLE AWARD: Sean Caisse, Casella Waste Systems Chevrolet (20.315 seconds & 110.756 mph)

POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Jamie Aube, Red Line Oil Chevrolet

FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Brian Hoar, Goss Dodge

Media Contact: Jennifer MacDonald - jennymac29@hotmail.com