Eddie MacDonald broke out of his team’s slump with a ninth place qualifying run for the Siemens 125 at NHIS on Thursday, then proved it was no fluke with a solid seventh-place finish in the Busch North Series race at the “ Magic Mile.” The entire team was relieved the HRM Motorsports Ford finally ran the way the crew expects it to go each week.

MacDonald’s optimism that things have turned around was clearly evident after the qualifying run and he predicted a good race for the main event on Saturday. He was right. The #17 was just as fast as expected and after an early pit stop to tighten up the car, the Rowley driver began making his move from the 16th position on lap 40 to ninth by lap 54.

Crew chief Chris Raymond set the tire pressure during the pit stop for a long run, knowing the car would respond – and the Ford Taurus did just that. By the halfway mark, MacDonald took seventh place on the restart after the caution flag brought out by Johnson’s spin on lap 59. While the father and son duo of Kelly and Ryan Moore battled for first place, Eddie had his sights set on sixth place, occupied by Mike Stefanik.

Eddie did challenge Stefanik but couldn’t make the pass explaining, “ You have to be a lot quicker to pass someone here and I tried a few times. I could get up on the inside of him but just didn’t have enough bite to get in front of him.”

The seventh place finish was especially satisfying for the team after falling victim to some bad luck for a number of races. Eddie said, “ This is a good finish for us to turn things around and hope this continues with a good run at Adirondack this coming weekend.” The team breathed a big sigh of relief after the run and hope for more good finishes for the remainder of the season.

While the team has operated this year without a major sponsor, Stewart and Sons Ford of Cuttingville, Vt. was on the fender of Eddie’s car. They have been a long time sponsor in the racing community and have been strong supporters of Roger Raymond, Chris’ racing dad. Eddie was pleased saying, “ Stewart and Sons came on board for this race and they really helped us out. It looks good to have something on the side of the car.”

Siemens 125
NASCAR GRAND NATIONAL DIVISION, BUSCH NORTH SERIES

New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H., Sat., July 24, 2004

Finishing position, starting position, driver, hometown, manufacturer, laps completed, reason out if any, money won

1.    (14) Dale Quarterley, Westfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 125, $13,521
2.    (6)   Kelly Moore, Scarborough, Me., Chevrolet, 125, $9,821
3.    (13) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn.,  Chevrolet, $7,700
4.    (15) Andy Santerre, Cherryfield, Me., Chevrolet, 125, $7,821
5.    (8)   Ryan Moore, Scarborough, Me., Chevrolet, 125, $6,221
6.    (3)   Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 125, $5,721
7. (9) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Ford, 125, $5,321
8.    (1)   Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H., Chevrolet, 125, $5,521
9.    (11) Mike Gallo, Sanford, Me., Ford, 125, $3,800
10.  (10) Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H., Ford, 125, $3,921
11.  (5)   Joey McCarthy, Randolph, N.J., Chevrolet, 125, $3,721
12.  (16) Bobby Dragon, Milton, Vt., Chevrolet, 125, $3,521
13.  (17) Dale Shaw, Center Conway, N.H., Chevrolet, 125, $2,900
14.  (19) Tom Carey, Orange, Mass., Chevrolet, 125, $2,800
15.  (18) Tim Andrews, Concord, N.C., Chevrolet, 125, $3,221
16.  (23) Ryan Seaman, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 125, $3,121
17.  (24) Tracy Gordon, Strong, Me., Ford, 125, $2,550
18.  (25) Jamie Aube, Manchester, N.H., Chevrolet, 125, $2,996
19.  (22) Dave Dion, Hudson, N.H., Ford, 125, $2,971
20.  (21) Bill Penfold, Yarmouth, Me., Chevrolet, 125, $2,946
21.  (2)   Brian Hoar, Williston, Vt., Dodge, 124, $2,921
22.  (26) Barney McRae, Cochester, Vt.,  Chevrolet, 124, $2,896
23.  (27) John Cerbone, City Island, N.Y., Chevrolet, 123, $2,871
24.  (28) Doug Krpata, Bethpage, N.Y., Chevrolet, 123, $2,846
25.  (32) Scott Bouley, Thomaston, Conn., Chevrolet, 122, $2,821
26.  (34) Jack Sellers, Sacramento, Cal., Chevrolet, 119, $7,275
27.  (4)   Mike Johnson, Salisbury, Mass., Ford, 118, $2,771
28.  (7)   Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 112, Accident, $2,746
29.  (31) Kip Stockwell, Braintree, Vt., Chevrolet, 110, Running, $2,721
30. (12) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 94, Engine, $2,721
31.  (20) Nevin George, Kunkletown, Pa., Chevrolet, 67, Accident, $2,200
32.  (30) Mike Speakman, Pylesville, Md., Chevrolet, 47, Transmission, $2,200
33.  (33) Jeff Fultz, Cincinnati, Ohio, Chevrolet, 34, Transmission, $2,200
34.  (29) David Eshleman, Fontana, Cal., Chevrolet, DNS, $7,200
35.  (35) Bob Brunell, Peru, N.Y., Chevrolet, DNS, $2,200

TIME OF RACE: 1 hour, 25 minutes, 31 seconds    
 
AVERAGE SPEED: 92.087 miles per hour

MARGIN OF VICTORY:  0.428 seconds
CAUTION PERIODS: 6 for 30 laps

LEAD CHANGES: 8 among 6 drivers

LAP LEADERS: Mike Olsen 1-5, Kelly Moore 6-12, Brian Hoar 13-15, K. Moore 16-31, Barney McRae 32-35, Olsen 36, K. Moore 37-81, Ryan Moore 82-106, Dale Quarterley 107-125

BUSCH POLE AWARD: Mike Olsen, Chevrolet (30.550 seconds @ 123.732 mph)

POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Dale Quarterley, Chevrolet

FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Kelly Moore, Chevrolet

Media Contact: Jennifer MacDonald - jennymac29@hotmail.com