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2009 Race Stories and Photos
August 1st to October 24th |
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Eddie MacDonald
Wins Lincoln Electric/Airgas NHMS Track Championship |
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Friday, October 23,
2009
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. has won the 2009 Camping World
Series East Lincoln Electric/Airgas Track Championship at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Driving the No. 71 NEMO/Grimm Construction Chevrolet, Eddie finished
sixth in the Heluva Good! 125 in June and won the second Heluva
Good! 125 in September. MacDonald scored a total of 15 bonus points
at the speedway in 2009 which led to his second consecutive Lincoln
Electric/Airgas Track Championship.
Ryan Truex of Mayetta, N.J., placed second in the Camping World
Series East Track Championship standings. Behind the wheel of the
No. 00 NAPA Toyota, Ryan finished second in June and third in
September at the Heluva Good! 125 races. Truex is the brother of
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Martin Truex, Jr.
Kevin Swindell, driver of the No. 9 Curb Records Chevrolet, was
third in the Lincoln Electric/Airgas Track Championship point
standings for the Camping World Series East. The Germantown, Tenn.
native finished third in June and 10th in September. This is
Swindell's first season competing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The Lincoln Electric/Airgas Championship awards a total purse of
$10,000 to the top three drivers of both the NASCAR Camping World
Series East for the events held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The
Track Championship standings are based on the NASCAR point system
for each division. |
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22nd PLACE FINISH at
MEMPHIS |
Eddie MacDonald and the Go Green
Racing Team joined forces for the first time to post an impressive
22nd place finish in the Nationwide Series’ Kroger On Track For The
Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. While a run in the 22nd
position would generally not attract too many accolades, what the
team accomplished to get to the finish was nothing short of
remarkable. Certainly, the David vs. Goliath comparison can be used
in this instance.
Archie St. Hilaire, owner of the Go Green Race Team headquartered in
Maine, decided a while ago that running in a Nationwide race was
something within his reach so he purchased a car down South, rented
space in a shop in Charlotte, installed a Roush engine, put together
a crew, and found a driver. The crew chief was Buddy Derocher and
the driver MacDonald. Together they would embark on a quest to
qualify and finish on the demanding ¾ mile oval of Memphis.
Because it was the team’s first attempt to qualify for the race, the
team was listed as “new” on the entry list. MacDonald had to make
the race on time. To make matters worse, 50 cars showed up for the
43 spots. To complicate matters even further, among the “Go or go
homers” were a number
of “start and park” entries that are only set up for qualifying,
then run a few laps in the race in order to collect the $15,000 or
so starting money.
It seems like a lot but it was the car’s first run of the season and
MacDonald’s first race on the unforgiving radial tires used in the
series. Throw in a crew that had never worked together and it would
appear the team was doomed before the car ever took the track. Of
course, one thing you
learn in racing is “never say never”. After the first hour and a
half practice on Friday the best they could do was 44th fastest, or
slowest. Derocher and the crew tried everything but the car was
nearly a second slower than the leaders. The #39 Ford Fusion could
only post a fast lap of 23.828sec.compared to Mike Bliss’ 22.908
sec. More changes for the second practice yielded nearly the same
results as the team posted the 41st fastest time, not even close to
making the race on qualifying time the next day. The decision was
made to throw the kitchen sink at it. Springs, shocks, carburetor
and track bar adjustment, and weight transfer were some of thethings
changed on the car.
Saturday morning, the day of reckoning arrived, with more than a few
concerned crewmembers hoping for the best. As the early morning sun
began to warm the track, the qualifying speeds began to drop as
MacDonald prepared to take the green flag in the 43rd position in
the middle of the “Go or go
homers”. As he so often does, MacDonald wheeled the car around the
track on the second lap in 23.312second good enough for the 27th
starting spot on the grid. There were smiles and huge sighs of
relief afterwards back at the hauler.
MacDonald was relieved saying, “The crew made a lot of changes to
the car after the final practice and there were the right ones
obviously. It was so much better so I have to give Buddy and the
crew all the praise. What a fantastic job everyone has done. When
you think of how little time everyone
has been together, it is amazing what we have accomplished so far.
Now we have to go out and have a good race. We wanted to qualify and
we did; now we want to have a good race and be there at the end to
finish. I can’t thank Archie enough for giving me this opportunity.
He is really a great guy.”
Derocher was pleased after the qualifying saying, “This feels great.
We did change a number of things but Eddie’s got to get the credit.
He did a lot of it himself and just did an awesome job. We beat some
good teams so I am very proud of what we did. This is a pick-up
crew. I had a couple of guys from
our East Series team and guys from the South who volunteered and we
really worked well together. I know we still have the race ahead but
I would raise a flag right now if I could.”
St. Hilaire was equally pleased after the run saying, “This is
great! I’ve wanted to do this for some time and things worked out
well. Eddie did a great job out there and he deserves a lot of the
credit. We know he is a great driver and we are looking forward to a
good finish in the race. I know he can race with these guys.”
With the hood of the #39 emblazoned with the picture of an outhouse
with toilet paper trailing a guy exiting the facility, the car was
definitely distinctive. Sponsored by Blow Bros. of Maine with the
motto, “We are #1 in the #2 business” written on the paper itself, a
little comic relief was felt before the green flag was thrown to
begin the carnage filled race for nearly everyone in the field. Even
the leaders were beating and banging on one another with tempers
flaring throughout the race. MacDonald said afterwards, “It was like
driving the bumper cars at Canobie Lake Park.”
Unfortunately for MacDonald, a loose oil line on David Reutimann’s
car dumped a ton of oil in turn one on lap eight right in front of
the #39. A six-car pile-up resulted with MacDonald’s car sustaining
left rear fender damage. The crew jumped into action for what would
be the first of many pit stops throughout the race to repair damage.
After three visits to pit road to repair the spoiler and beat down
the damaged trunk lid, the car was able to stay on the lead lap. For
a group that never worked together before, their work was
unbelievable. Spotter Tony Micale did a fantastic job considering
the number of wrecks going on all around the car also sponsored by
Hancock Electric and A&B Vending.
The second of many caution flags to follow fell on lap 24 when a
number of cars got collected including MacDonald who only received
minor damage this time and remained on the lead lap compliments of a
“lucky dog”. As the caution flags continued to wave, MacDonald
restarted in positions ranging from 19th to 28th. The real trouble
began for the Go Green Team on the lap 130 restart after pitting for
tires and a track bar adjustment. After getting the “lucky dog”
MacDonald was in 21st on the lap 130 restart when the #24 of Eric
McClure deliberately drove into the #39 in turn one just using the
car as a backstop. McClure used the old adage that “eight tires are
better than four” as he sent MacDonald spinning up the track. It was
a bonehead move by a supposed veteran racer. Later in the race on
lap
165, McClure pounded the outside wall hard after trying another
bonsai move and had to be taken to the infield care center.
The damage caused by the McClure incident flat spotted the tires and
the left rear finally blew on lap 154 while the team was waiting for
a caution to come in to change the tires. Unfortunately, MacDonald
was the caution. After the stop the #39 returned to the track
battered but was able to race with the leaders through lap 227 when
another yellow slowed the action. A green/white/checker finish
mercilessly ended a race that left few cars unscathed. Most looked
like enduro cars after a 150 lapper.
Even though Brad Keselowski won the race and we got to see Steven
Wallace flip out, the real excitement was at the Go Green hauler.
Despite the torn up racecar that was not a result of anything the
driver did, the owner, crew chief, and crew were pleased with the
22nd place run and knew an
even better finish was possible had it not been for the rough
driving by the series veterans. Overall, the success of the team
left St. Hilaire and the team with the desire to do it again
sometime in the near future. From what this writer has seen, this
team can be competitive in this series. Go Green!
Amanda Leach from Mainely Motorsports
chronicled the event and will televise her piece on Time Warner
channel 9 on Wednesday at 8:00 PM. Replays of the show will
be played at various times during the week so check listings for
time and day. For those unable to access Time Warner, you may
go to
Mainelymotorsportstv.com to see the show and interview with
Archie and Eddie. The station plans to cover snow cross, ice racing,
charity snowmobile rides and other winter activities after the
racing season.
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EDDIE to RUN
NATIONWIDE RACE at MEMPHIS 10/24 |
While Eddie was busy preparing
for his upcoming race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series “Kroger on the
Track for a Cure 250” at Memphis Motorsports Park, the veteran
driver took a little time to reflect on his recently completed
Camping World Series East season.
“I am very happy with everything we accomplished this season,” said
Eddie. “We were in the race for the championship going into the last
race at Dover and to finish second in the points to a great team
means we had a very successful season. Of course, I would like to go
back and fix a couple of problems we had a different tracks, but,
all in all, we accomplished a lot as a team.”
The success of the team at the track fell into the capable hands of
the crew led by Rollie LaChance with Eddie saying, “It is great to
see how hard Rollie works. He is so determined to make the car
perform every week. We really understand each other and communicate
so well after working together for several years. That is really the
key. What can I say about the crew? Everyone works so hard. They are
a great group of volunteer guys who make this all happen to be
competitive every week.”
For the last two seasons, Eddie has driven for team owner Rob Grimm
in the #71 Grimm Construction Chevy and the team’s fortunes have
risen to the top with Eddie saying, “Rob has been absolutely great.
He has made a huge difference in our racing program the last two
years. Rob has provided the organization and the equipment needed to
compete for wins and the championship. Having all the cars complete
will make for a better season in 2010. I want to thank his wife
Carla and the entire Grimm family for all their support.”
Perhaps the team’s biggest success this season, according to Eddie,
was to come back to win the September race at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway after taking two wins there last season. The most exciting
race was being there at the end of the race at Lime Rock to finish
second after struggling there in the past.
Sponsors are important to the success of every team with Eddie
saying, “We have a group of sponsors who have been with us this
season to help us out, NEMO, A&B Vending, Waymart Building Center,
Hanover Place, Racing With Jesus, Daymark Solutions, and of course
Grimm Construction. We could not accomplish anything without every
one of them.”
As mentioned, Eddie will compete this coming Saturday in the
Nationwide Kroger 250 in the #39 Go Green Racing Ford Fusion owned
by Maine native Archie St. Hilaire. “I am very excited to compete in
the next level in racing. I thank Archie for the opportunity to
drive against the elite in NASCAR. No doubt, it is going to be tough
and a huge challenge but it should also be a lot of fun.”
Eddie went to Mooresville last week to practice and left impressed
with what he saw saying, “Veteran crew chief Buddy Derocher has
assembled a great group of guys from the Mooresville area and they
are really working hard so we can be competitive on the track.
Everyone worked hard last week when we practiced at Caraway to get
the car just right. This is the first time the car has run this
season so there were a few problems, as expected, but Buddy and the
crew worked to fix them at the track and back in the shop. I am
confident we will be competitive.”
BBI Waste Industries, a long time sponsor of the Go Green Racing
Team, will be on the hood, with Hancock Electric of Quincy, Mass.,
and A&B Vending of Canterbury, N.H. also providing sponsorship.
“Kenny Thompson from Hancock Electric and Ed Dooley of A&B Vending
really stepped up to make this deal happen,” said Eddie. “We are
always looking for sponsors, and we still are, but it seems these
two guys are always there when we need someone.”
The #39 will have to qualify its way in for the race but Eddie says,
“We are going down there with the expectation of qualifying for the
race and putting on a good show. The race will be nationally
televised so I hope our fans will watch.” The race will be run on
Saturday at 3:00 pm. |
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EDDIE
MAC TO ATTACK MEMPHIS IN NATIONWIDE SERIES |
Go Green Racing,
Inc and Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, MA are pleased to announce that
MacDonald will be driving the Go Green Racing #39 at Memphis
Motorsports Park on October 24, 2009 in the “Kroger on the Track for
a Cure 250” sponsored by The Kroger Company, a retail grocery chain.
Go Green President and owner of the # 38 Camping World East Series
team, Archie St. Hilaire, says “We are very happy to have Eddie
driving the #39 car for us at Memphis. There will be many challenges
for both the team and driver as we both step up to the second
highest form of motorsports in the country. We purchased a Ford
Fusion Nationwide car a couple of months ago and have been preparing
the car down at our Mooresville, N.C . shop to enter a few
Nationwide races before the end of the season to see if it is where
we want to be for next season. We originally wanted Eddie to race at
Richmond in September but agreed that he should focus on winning the
Camping World East Championship this season for the first time in
his career. This would be a huge plus for us going into Memphis and
beyond.”
Buddy Desrocher will be the crew chief of the 39 car headed to
Memphis and will be assisted by Eddie’s crew chief Rollie Lachance,
who has lead Eddie to many wins over his career including the
coveted “Oxford 250” this summer at Oxford Speedway in Oxford, ME
along with two wins last year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Eddie is excited about making the move up to the next level saying,
“This is a great opportunity for myself and the Go Green crew to
test ourselves against some of the best drivers in the country with
Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, and Dave Gilliland already
signed up for the race. Memphis is a fast ¾ mile track that
challenges even the best NASCAR drivers. Hopefully after we finish
New Hampshire and Dover with high finishes and hopefully the
championship, we can concentrate on getting ready for Memphis with a
little testing of the car at a short track near Charlotte.”
The #39 car will be sponsored by BBI Waste Industries in Old Orchard
Beach, ME . and longtime supporters of Eddie Macdonald Racing, Ken
Thompson of Hancock Electric Motor Service of Quincy,Ma. and Ed
Dooley from A & B Vending in Canterbury,N. H.
All PR inquiries can be directed to Tobin Trautz of Go Green Racing
at 207-229-7239 or
ttrautz@gmail.com |
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ACT Late Models at Oxford on Oct. 11th - 20th Place Finish |
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After
struggling in practice and barely qualifying for the ACT feature
in the last chance race, Eddie fell a lap down in early going
and soldiered on to a 20th place finish.
MacDonald admitted, “We just missed it today. I don't know if
it was tires or what, but we were trying a few different
things. They didn't work. We kind of thought that we would use
this as a test for next year's 250 and it definitely didn't work
out. So we'll go back to what we had.”
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Dover International Speedway |
The Sunoco 150
Friday, September 25th - 4:45 PM |
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Eddie
Second in CWES Points Standings with a 9th |
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Truex Claims Camping
World East Crown at Dover
as fellow rookie Moffitt wins season finale |
NASCAR Official Release
September 26, 2009
DOVER, Del. - A
pair of rookies took center stage Friday at Dover International
Speedway: Brett Moffitt came away with the Sunoco 150 checkered flag
and Ryan Truex earned the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series East
championship.
Truex, a 17-year-old development
driver for Michael Waltrip Racing, finished eighth on Friday but it
was the performance throughout the 11-race season that put him in
the championship Winner’s Circle following the Sunoco 150. Truex
finished his first season in NASCAR’s top development series with
three wins and eight top 10s.
“We didn’t have the best car
today, but I think we showed why we are champions,” Truex said. “We
can adjust on a car and make it better.
“I just can’t say how much I
appreciate everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing, everyone on my team,
my parents and my brother. I’m really fortunate, and I can’t explain
how much it means.”
The main championship contender
for Truex – Eddie MacDonald
– finished one position behind Truex in the race and wound up 34
points out of the championship (1,719 – 1,685).
“We based our race strategy on
racing the 71 car [MacDonald],” said Mike Greci, crew chief of the
No. 00 NAPA Toyota driven by Truex. “We were able to come out of
here with a pretty good finish. We knew we had to come out here and
race the 71, and they’ve been a first class team all year long, so
we’re pretty fortunate.” |
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Follow the Action
Lap by Lap at NASCAR Local Tracks HERE |
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Eddie
Shooting for the Championship at Dover Sunoco 150 |
NASCAR RELEASE -
DOVER, Del. – Continuing a season-long trend, first-year NASCAR
Camping World Series East driver Matt DiBenedetto took little time
to adapt to a new track.
The Joe Gibbs Racing development driver clocked a fast lap of 23.963
seconds (150.232 mph) in final practice Thursday in his first
appearance at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He was also
second-fastest in the first practice session earlier in the day at
24.436 (147.324).
Kevin Swindell was the second-fastest driver in Thursday’s sessions
with a lap of 24.320 seconds (148.026 mph) during final practice and
rookie Brett Moffitt was third-fastest on the day at 24.350
(147.844), also in final practice.
Matt Kobyluck led the way during the first practice at 24.347
seconds (147.826 mph) and Jeff Anton was third behind DiBenedetto at
24.499 (146.945).
Friday’s Sunoco 150 will decide the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Series
East championship. Ryan Truex enters with a 30-point lead on
Eddie MacDonald while
Jody Lavender is 102 points out of first place. Truex was 10th
fastest in the first practice and 13th in the final session while
MacDonald finished sixth and ninth, respectively, on the speed
charts. Lavender was 23rd fastest in both practices.
Qualifying for the Sunoco 150 is set for Friday at 12:40 p.m. and
green flag on the season finale will drop at 4:45 p.m.
A live audio stream of the
Sunoco 150 action will be available on
nascarhometracks.com,
starting just prior to the green-flag.
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EDDIE
WINS TWO RACES AT NHMS |
Weeks before the
big NASCAR Cup weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Grimm
Racing Team set three goals. Taking the pole in the Camping World
Series East Heluva Good! Fall 125 was the first. Defending the title
earned last September in the race was another, and winning the
first-ever ACT Invitational was the third. By Saturday night, each
goal was realized.
On the biggest stage, Eddie captured the pole
position on Thursday afternoon with a fast lap of 29.972 sec.
(127.079mph) with the Rowley, Mass driver saying, “We have wanted
this for a long time. Rollie (LaChance) really has this place
figured out. We were second fasted in practice but I was in the
Modified when the crew was working on the car so I really didn’t
know what they did but it sure was fast. I was able to drive it in
really deep and get on the gas early. It was amazing.”
After a forty-minute rain delay on Friday NASCAR officials shortened
the race from 125 laps to 100 laps due
to time constraints. MacDonald took the green flag and quickly
opened up a five-car lead on the field. The NEMO sponsored Chevy did
not pit on the lap 13 caution with most of the leaders, choosing to
pit on the next caution. Eddie battled West Series driver David
Mayhew for several laps before giving up the lead on lap 18, then
pitting for gas, then tires on lap 30. The #71 restarted in the 27th
position but began marching back to the front.
Eddie charged from 19th on a lap 46 restart with a three-wide pass
and into eighth and into fifth at the halfway mark but couldn’t find
a groove saying, “I was searching but I couldn’t find a great line.
I moved up a little on the track and that got me a little free and
the car felt super.”
Running in fifth on a lap 81 restart with darkness beginning to be
an issue, Eddie made the move of the race with an incredible
three-wide pass through turns three and four to move into the second
spot to set up a pass for the lead on lap 92. Another caution on lap
92 forced officials to try one green white checker finish on a lap
97 restart due to darkness and ending on the 99th circuit. Eddie
jumped out to the front and held off Brent Moffitt and Ryan Truex
for the win. When the day started Truex held a fifty point lead in
the championship battle but with the win and bonus points the lead
now stands at thirty with the final race of the season this Friday
at Dover.
Eddie was thrilled with the win saying, “ I can’t thank Rollie and
the crew for the work they have done throughout the season. As I
said, Rollie has this place figured out and winning the pole and the
race shows how good he is. The car was perfect. I knew I could drive
the car three-wide and it would grip the track. It’s awesome to know
you can do that. We moved up in the points and now we need to go to
Dover and do the same thing and see what happens. All I can say is
this was a lot of fun for everyone. NEMO has been a great sponsor
and I know the Daymark people really enjoyed the race. Thanks to all
the fans that have been so supportive.”
The win guarantees a spot in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at
Irwindale Speedway in California in January pitting the top
competitors from the East and West series.
With two of the teams goals achieved, the team set its sights on the
first-ever ACT Invitational run at NHMS.
Thirty-six teams were invited to compete in the 50-lap shootout that
ran Saturday after the NASCAR Truck race. Eddie and Rollie’s #17
Late Model received the invitation after winning the prestigious
Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway earlier this season.
With NEMO, New England Mechanical Overlay from Pembroke, N.H. as the
main sponsor, Eddie started from the 19th position and charged into
the third spot by the first caution of the race on lap 31 using his
patented tree-wide move. After taking the lead on lap 35, Eddie
battled youngster Brandon Watson, swapping the lead a couple of
times before taking it for good on lap 45 to take the checkers.
Eddie said of the victory, “This is really special to win the first
one here. These guys raced hard and clean and it was a lot of fun. I
knew there would be some serious competition but I didn’t expect it
to be Watson and Sweet. They put on a great show. That is why this
series is so much fun, you never know who is going to run good. My
thanks go to Tom Curley and NHMS for giving us this opportunity to
race here. There was a big crowd still in the stands after the Truck
race and I hope they really enjoyed the show. This hopefully will be
the first of many ACT races here and it feels great to win the first
one.”
After three days of winning, emotions ran high in the pits for the
team. NEMO sponsor Ron Bennett said of the two wins, “I really don’t
know what to make of it, it is absolutely unbelievable. I am so
happy for Eddie, his family, and the crew, they all work hard and
deserve the win. I am just happy to be part of it. When I first got
involved with the team it was simply to help out a friend but it
turned into something much more than that.”
When asked which win Bennett thought was more impressive he quickly
stated,
“Next week at Dover!”
Team owner Rob Grimm said of the wins, “It is just amazing what
these guys can do. Winning like this never gets old.”
Crew chief Rollie LaChance said, ”Any win at Loudon is absolutely
huge. I don’t care what it’s in. In the Northeast, this is the
place. So to win any show here is huge. To win two of these shows
like this is, I don’t know. I don’t know what to think of it. To
accomplish our goals in what we set up to do in the Camping World
car, that was big. The gain on Truex, we would have liked to gain
more, but it gives us a shot at Dover. That’s what I wanted out of
the weekend. I wanted a shot at Dover. We’ll do our best. If it
doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. So be it.”
The onetime little team from the Northeast isn’t so little anymore.
With three Camping World Series East wins at The Magic Mile in the
last four races and the ACT Invitational victory, the team is
turning even the NASCAR Cup heads in the NHMS garage. The team has a
brand new car ready to go for the final race of the season at Dover.
It will carry a distinctive new look so look for the familiar #71 up
front and racing for the lead. |
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Friday,
September 18th, 2009
New
Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, NH - 1.058 mile |
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EDDIE WINS the Heluva
Good 125! |
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EDDIE ON THE POLE AT NHMS! |
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NASCAR RELEASE - LOUDON,
N.H. – A two-time
winner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a year ago, Eddie MacDonald
earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Series East Coors
Light Pole Award in advance of Friday’s Heluva Good! Fall 125.
MacDonald, from nearby Rowley,
Mass., laid down a fast lap of 29.972 seconds (127.079 mph) in
Thursday’s qualifying session to capture his second pole of the 2009
season. MacDonald won both New Hampshire races in 2008 and enters
tomorrow’s race trailing championship points leader Ryan Truex by
just 50 points. Truex will start ninth.
Joe Gibbs Racing development
driver Max Gresham was second fastest in time trials with a lap of
30.052 seconds (126.740 mph) in his first appearance at the Loudon
mile. He was followed in the top five by Brett Moffitt at 30.105
(126.517), Joey Polewarczyk at 30.230 (125.944) and Matt Kobyluck at
30.328 (125.587).
The rest of the top 10
qualifiers included Kevin Swindell, David Mayhew, Ty Dillon, Truex
and Jonathan Smith.
The Heluva Good! Fall 125 is
slated to go green on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5:10 p.m.
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Eddie To Sub for Seuss in NHMS Modified Tour Race |
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- Posts a 30.397 for
28th on the grid - |
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NASCAR Camping World East Series driver and TD Banknorth Oxford
250 winner Eddie MacDonald will substitute for Andy Seuss in the
#70 Stuart's Automotive/Manchester Urology Associates Modified
in Saturday's NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway.
Seuss runs a limited schedule of Northern Modified races in
addition to the full NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
schedule. When a rained-out WSMT date at Caraway Speedway (NC)
was reset for this Saturday, Seuss' family-owned team looked at
various options and decided on Tuesday to put MacDonald in the
car while Seuss races at Caraway.
Full Coverage at
localracing.nascar.com Here
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MACDONALD CONFIDENT
FOR SUCCESS AT NHMS |
Eddie MacDonald will try to
defend his NASCAR Camping World East Series title at New Hampshire
Motor Speedway this Friday while hoping to taste victory in the
first-ever Act Invitational race at the track on Saturday. MacDonald
piloted the Grimm Construction Chevy to both wins last year at NHMS
and qualified for the ACT Invitational after winning the famed
Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway this season.
The team is currently in second place in the East Series race with
two races remaining on the schedule but MacDonald feels solid runs
are the only things on his mind saying, “We are not counting spots
where we have to finish or Truex has to run. We are going there to
try to win. All we can do is run the best we can and see what
happens. We know we can contend for the win on Friday. We had a
chance to win the June race but it didn’t happen.”
MacDonald started on the outside pole in the June race at Loudon but
slipped back to finish sixth saying, “The car was really fast, just
like it was last year. We could’ve finished better in the June race
there this year but our pit strategy was a little off. We are
confident for the upcoming race because we have the same car, same
set-up and we can make any adjustments needed and hope for the best.
Rollie and the crew have really given me fast cars this year. Our
Adirondack finish didn’t really show how fast the car was and that
was our worst finish in a while. The last four or five races, the
cars have really been fast and I expect the same at Loudon.”
The team has been well-supported by its sponsors with MacDonald
saying, “Things have been great for us this year with Rob Grimm as
the owner and with sponsors like A&B Vending, HMS Motorsports of
Danvers, R.B. Fries, Waymart Building Center, Hanover Place, and
NEMO. We have a new sponsor that I am very excited to have with us.
Daymark Solutions from Littleton, Mass. has never sponsored a NASCAR
team before so we are really pleased to have them aboard and hope to
give them something to remember with a win.”
New England Mechanical Overlay, NEMO, in Pembroke, N.H. has been a
consistent sponsor for the #71 race team and MacDonald appreciates
everything saying, “NEMO has been our tremendous supporter and their
logo will be on the hood of the East car and on the hood and rear
quarter panel on the Late Model for the ACT race. Becky and Ron
Bennett have been there for us for years and continue to do anything
we ask of them. It is people like this that allow us to compete at
such a high level. Besides being sponsors, they are great friends.”
The team is very excited to compete in the first-ever ACT race at
NHMS and MacDonald says of the event, “I am really looking forward
to this race. These ACT guys are a lot of fun to race with. It is a
totally different driving style around the track. We had a great day
of testing a few weeks ago and just as we thought, you can drive in
the corners a lot deeper and get on it a lot sooner coming out of
the turns. Even though the tires are not as wide at the East tires,
they held up pretty good. There is some good competition and any one
of a handful of guys could win it.”
Preparing the two cars for Loudon and the Dover car, MacDonald knows
the crew has been working overtime and appreciates the effort
saying, “ I couldn’t count the numbers of hours Rollie and the guys
have put in at the shop but I know it is a huge amount. Here they
are, a volunteer crew, and they put in so much time, I can never
thank them enough. I know one way to thank them and that would be to
win both races, one each day. It would sure make all their hard work
pay off.” |
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DAYMARK
SOLUTIONS, INC
to SPONSOR MACDONALD at NHMS |
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Grimm Racing is
pleased to announce the addition of Daymark Solutions, Inc to its
team as a sponsor for the Heluva Good! 125 Camping World Series East
race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, September 18 as part
of the Sprint Cup weekend.
Eddie MacDonald, driver of the #71 Grimm Construction Chevy, is very
appreciative Daymark will be on board saying, “I can’t thank Daymark
enough for extending themselves to help out our team. As a small
independent team we rely on so many people to help and I think it is
great a company of this stature has decided to sponsor us for the
race. I know a number of people from Daymark will be joining us for
the race and I am really looking forward to add them to our cheering
section. It means a lot to everyone on the team to know that we have
the company and its workers behind us. A win for us will be really
sweet.”
The team is currently in second place in the points race for the
championship and MacDonald believes a strong showing at Loudon will
close the gap before the final race at Dover saying, “At this stage
of the season we are down to the wire. We have had our success at
Loudon last year and we are hoping to post another win there so we
have a shot at the title. It should be a great race for Daymark and
its employee family to be part of, so we are really excited and
determined to put on a good show. Rollie and the crew have worked
hard all season long so we can be in this position to win it all.”
Daymark Solutions, Inc. headquartered in Littleton, Mass, is an
experienced technology solutions provider focused on architecting,
providing and implementing effective server, storage and
backup/recovery solutions for businesses in the Northeastern United
States. Clients include major financial institutions, biotechnology
firms, service organizations, healthcare organizations and
providers, hospitals, manufacturers and defense contractors. For
more information about the company, please contact the website at
www.daymarksi.com.
Practice for the race will take place on Thursday September 17
beginning at 11:30 a.m. with qualifying scheduled for 3:10 p.m. For
more information contact the website
www.grimmracing.com
This is Eddie’s ninth year in the Camping World Series East despite
being only 29 years old. Eddie began his career as a high school
teenager racing at his family owned track, Lee USA Speedway in Lee,
N.H. about forty miles from his Rowley, Mass. home. After
experiencing success at every level at Lee, Eddie joined what was
then called the Busch North Series. The series has evolved into
today’s NASCAR Developmental series that has fielded drivers from
Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc. among other Sprint Cup teams.
Drivers Martin Truex and Joey Logano were former competitors in the
series.
Things fall into place at times and one of the major elements of a
successful racing program occurred when Rollie LaChance from New
Gloucester, Maine agreed to come aboard as Eddie’s crew chief four
years ago. As they say, “ good things come to those who wait.”
Rollie brought eighteen years experience in the Busch East series
with 16 wins when he served as crew chief for eleven years in the
series. Eddie and Rollie hit it off immediately and started posting
wins and top five finishes while on an austere budget that shook the
heads of the well-heeled teams they were competing against. As
co-owners of a struggling team, Eddie and Rollie decided to sell one
of their cars to buy a spec engine used in the series and that is
where the partnership with Rob Grimm began.
Grimm Racing, from Waymart, Pa. had long been a sponsor of racing in
that region, when Rob decided to buy a racecar for the Camping East
Series and purchased the car Eddie and Rollie had for sale. The deal
was struck and after much deliberation, Rob decided to keep Eddie in
the car, with Rollie as the crew chief. Since that time, Grimm
Racing, just two short years ago, has posted three wins, multiple
top five and ten finishes and in title contention this year. Perhaps
the most impressive of the wins occurred at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway last season when the little unknown team from the Northeast
captured both wins at the famed speedway.
Eddie says of the wins, “When Rollie and I hooked up we knew we
could race together and have fun. He had a lot of success in the
series and that a number of great drivers. His goal and mine was to
win at Loudon and to win the Oxford 250 because that is in his back
yard. As is turns out, we won both races at Loudon and this year we
won the 250. The Oxford 250 has long been known as the richest short
track race in the country for Late Model cars and to win that race
has always been a dream. There are only two things we have left to
do this year and one is to win another Loudon race and to win the
championship. Of course, winning Dover will be pretty special also.”
Rollie and Eddie have been together
for four years and their success has been chronicled with wins and
top five and ten finishes. However, the small under-funded team, as
it was once called, received the boost it needed when Rob Grimm came
aboard. Since that merger, the team has posted three wins including
three top five finishes this year. When the Grimm racing team takes
the green flag in the Heluva Good! 125 at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway, Daymark Solutions will proudly be displayed on the car. |
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August 28th - ACT Tour Story
Eddie
Is One of the First 22 Invitees
Announced for Sept. 19th at NHMS |
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Test Day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Weds., August 26th |
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| With his win at the Banknorth
250, Eddie joined the group of Late Model drivers from New England
and Canada that had earned invitations to the ACT special event on
Sept. 19 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Two test days on 8/25 and
8/26 for 57 invitees split into two groups served as both practice
sessions for the teams to get comfortable at the 1.058 mile oval and
test runs for ACT President Tom Curley to evaluate their performance
as he selected the final 36 cars for the 50 lap race.
After solo runs in the morning
and for 1 1/2 hours after the lunch break, "mock races" were held to
give the drivers the feel of the starts and of drafting in packs
since only 5 of the 57 had ever raced at the track before.
On Wednesday 8/26 Eddie
displayed his mastery of NHMS by posting lap times about 1/2 second
better than the other competitors and by charging to the front after
the second trial start for the win in the "mock race." Wednesday was
much cooler than Tuesday which had slightly slower times, so Eddie
was the top performer of the invitees.
As Travis Barret notes in his GREEN-WHITE-CHECKER blog linked below,
Eddie's performance placed him on the short list of ten initially
selected for the event. |
ACT
Test and Tune at NHMS Day Two - ACT Tour Release
The American Canadian Tour completed their final test session at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway on Wednesday, August 26. The two sessions
this week were in preparation for the Inaugural ACT Invitational at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19.
Twenty-one cars were in attendance on the second day. With cooler
temperature and overcast skies the track was quicker than during
Tuesday’s session and the speeds showed it. The cars were racy and
proved that side by side racing was possible all the way around the
track. The mock races were once again the highlight of the day with
lots of action with a dozen cars running door handle to door handle
around the entire track.
Eddie MacDonald has owned NHMS recently
and used his previous experience on the “Magic Mile” to his
advantage. MacDonald showed that he will be a true contender and
probably the man to beat in the Invitational on Saturday, September
19. Also fast were ACT regulars John Donahue and part timer Ben
Rowe, who also has some experience at NHMS.
After the completion of the two day test and tune session, it became
apparent to ACT officials that an adjustment would need to be made
on the draw system used to lineup the field for the Invitational in
the spirit of competition and safety. An announcement on this system
will be made early next week. The ACT office will also be releasing
the first batch of guaranteed ACT Invitational qualifiers, based on
their performance in the test session, soon.
Only four qualifying races remain before the Inaugural ACT
Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September
19. The next qualifier will be determined this Saturday, August 29
at Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jct., Quebec, when 11 of the best
ACT Tour teams battle 11 of the best Serie ACT Castrol teams in the
Coors 200 Showdown. The remaining three qualifying races are the
Twin State 100 at Twin State Speedway in Claremont, NH on Friday,
September 4, the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 at Thunder Road in
Barre, VT, on Sunday, September 6 and the Fall Foliage 300 at
Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY on Sunday, September 13. |
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6th at the Late Model Wiscasset Twin 150 |
On Saturday, August 16th,
MacDonald Motorsports took the #17 Late Model to Wiscasset Raceway
in Wiscasset, ME to take a shot at the 150 lap Late Model segment
which had a posted purse of
$30,000. Well, it was not a pretty race. When Travis Barrett uses
"grueling marathon" and "carnage"
in his report (linked below), it's not going to be a nice story.
Long, hot, and wreck-filled, the 150 laps started off with a bunch
of cautions - so many that the decision was made to count all the
caution laps towards the 150 instead of just tallying the green
laps. Otherwise the 2 hour 20 minute race might have been another
hour longer. Eddie was caught up in a multi-car tangle, but, missing
the hood and with a rumpled nose and fender, he charged back to a
6th place finish....and much more work to make the ACT Invitational
test day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on 8/26. More at the
G-W-C link. |
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CW East Race 9 - Sat., August 15th |
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Camping World East Series
NASCAR Mohegan Sun 200
at Lime Rock Park |
Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock, CT -1.53
Road Course
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IMPROBABLE SECOND
PLACE FINISH
FOR MACDONALD AT LIME ROCK |
Eddie MacDonald’s fortunes appeared
to take a turn for the worse halfway through the NASCAR Camping
World Series East’s Mohegan Sun 200 at Lime Rock Park. While
cruising along in the sixth position, the
transmission locked in fourth gear for the remainder of the race.
MacDonald piloted the Grimm Construction Chevy forward and into a
second place run for the green/white checkered finish on the 86th
lap.
MacDonald joked about the stuck shifter saying, “I was hoping to
have an automatic because I hate shifting and this was the closest
thing to an automatic,” before continuing, “It was really lugging
down on the restarts and the left and right handers in turns three
and four but those were the only spots that really hurt us.
Everywhere else we were able to gain or maintain.”
Two late race cautions forced the green/white checkered finish with
MacDonald starting behind race winner Ryan Truex. On both restarts
the #81, #61, and the #44 ran inside and outside but MacDonald was
able to hold onto the second spot saying, “I was hoping we didn’t
have restarts at the end but the car picked up speed even though it
bogged down a bit at the green flag and I was able to stay behind
the #00 into turn one. The last one was really hairy with cars
flying all over the place and it is great to finish second.”
Crew chief Rollie LaChance planned to bring the #71 into the pits to
fix the stuck gear after attempts to work it loose inside the
cockpit failed but the team never got the chance when no caution
flags flew until lap 71. It was decided that it was too late in the
race to pit, so MacDonald muscled the car for the remaining 15 laps.
“It would have been interesting if we were able to get it fixed.
With the car I had, I think we could have won the race. The car was
great during the race. Rollie and the crew did a great job making
adjustments after our practices. I just didn’t like the way it was
going so Rollie made the right moves. I can’t say enough about our
team. They are all volunteers and do an outstanding job every race.
When you have people that dedicated and just love racing, it really
makes me try that much harder.”
MacDonald was seventh fastest in the first practice then falling to
thirteenth in the second and final one. He qualified ninth
(54.873sec/100.377mph) then started eighth on the 1.53mile road
course when the #7 car went to the rear. MacDonald moved to fifth by
the second caution flag on lap 12 and was content to run there. “The
#18 was flying so we were just riding out there maintaining our
position. We wanted to stop sometime after lap 20 for fuel and then
we were good to go but just before the halfway mark the tranny got
stuck in fourth gear and then the fun began,” laughed MacDonald.
Despite the mechanical problem, MacDonald was able to run in the
sixth position and into third by lap 67. The #18 was forced to the
pits after tangling with two lapped cars on the backside of the
track. When the green flag waved on the lap 77 restart, MacDonald
was in the second spot and had to hold off road course specialist
Jason Holehouse. Another caution two laps later forced the overtime.
After the race MacDonald was quick to add, “None of this would be
possible without Rob Grimm and Ron and Becky Bennett from NEMO New
England Mechanical Overlay and all the other people who have helped
so much. We have two races left at Loudon and Dover and those are
tracks we have run well at so hopefully we can end the season
contending for the championship. We are in
second place by 50 points and we’ve learned that anything can
happen. Just look at today.” |
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FULL RACE RESULTS
HERE |
FULL POINTS
STANDINGS HERE |
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COCA-COLA
MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD:
Eddie MacDonald, 71 Grimm
Construction Chevrolet |
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Follow the action
Fri. and Sat. lap by lap at:
localracing.nascar.com |
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14 Aug 2009
DiBenedetto on Pole, Koby(no)luck 21st |
The luck of three-time
Lime Rock winner Matt Kobyluck ran out during qualifying as a
fuel-contamination problem ended his run before it started. Just as
Kobyluck took the green to start his first hot lap as part of the
final group qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World East Mohegan Sun
200, we heard a pop from his #40 Mohegan Sun Chevy on the front
straight. By the time he exited Big Bend, the car was stopped – and
so were his chances of qualifying toward the front.
But that isn’t to say that Matt DiBenedetto wasn’t going to take
pole anyway. The part-time yet two-time winner (Tri-County and NHIS)
turned a :53.727 lap in his Joe Gibbs Driven Toyota – after he saw
Kobyluck’s down Chevy – to nip points leader Ryan Truex by 2/10s of
a second. It was DiBenedetto’s second pole of the year; his first
was also on a road course, Watkins Glen in June.
Third was Jason Holehouse, test driver and chief instructor for the
Skip Barber Racing School. Starting alongside Holehouse is Brett
Moffitt, sixth in points and winner of the South Boston race in May.
“I was on the start of a good lap when I had to slow for Matt’s
stopped car!” DiBenedetto said, “But I put another one together,
then parked it. I would have headed back out if I had to.”
Lime Rock is the ninth of 11 races in this year’s NASCAR CWES
championship, and the top six drivers in points –
Truex, Jody Lavender, Eddie MacDonald,
Kobyluck, Steve Park and Moffitt – are within 100 points of each
other with three races to go. It is the closest points battle in the
series’ 23-year history. The Mohegan
Sun 200 will play a large part in determining the 2009 champion.
Lavender qualified 14th, MacDonald
ninth and Park 10th for tomorrow’s 1:00 p.m. start.
Starting grid - Mohegan Sun
200 (km)
1. Matt DiBenedetto, :53.727
2. Ryan Truex, :53.900
3. Jason Holehouse, :54.464
4. Brett Moffitt, :54.541
5. Ryan Duff, :54.595
6. Mike Olsen, :54.694
7. Jesus hernandez, :54.766
8. Alex Kennedy, :54.787
9. Eddie MacDonald,
:54.873
10. Steve Park, :54.947
11. Jeff Anton,:55.038
12. Jonathan Smith, :55.103
13. Dustin Delaney, :55.797
14. Jody Lavender, :56.038
15. Derek Ramstrom, :56.896
16. Matt Kurzejewski, :57.059
17. Scott Bouleym :57.349
18. John Salemi, :57.523
19. Alan Tardiff, :60.865
20. Tiffany Daniels, :63.624
21. Matt Kobyluck, no time
22. Tim Cowen, no time
#7 Duff and #35 Park will have to drop to the back for transmission
and engine change respectively. |
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CW East Race 8 - Sat., August 1st |
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The Edge Hotel 150
presented by
Casella Waste Systems |
Adirondack
International Speedway
Beaver Falls,
NY
-
.500
Mile
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MACDONALD
FINISHES TENTH AT ADIRONDACK |
Eddie MacDonald scored his first
ever Camping World Series East pole for the Edge Hotel 150 at
Adirondack International Speedway with a time of 16.739 sec.
(107.533mph). The Grimm Construction Chevy led the field with 101
laps but the handling went away late in the race causing MacDonald
to slide back to tenth.
“ It was so great to win the Coors Light Pole Award. We have been on
the outside pole a number of times but this was my first in the
Camping World East. I really thought we had a good chance to win
this thing but the right front tire was just used up at the end.
When I turned it in the corner, it just wanted to go straight.”
When the green flag waved, MacDonald was able to establish a
four-car length lead was not seriously challenged according to the
driver, “I didn’t have anybody pushing me but we started off tighter
than we should have been and that started using up the right front
tire. I was just riding around out there. When we got to a hundred
laps I thought we could run the last fifty the same way but it gave
out at the end. It would have been nice to win it from the pole but
it just didn’t happen.”
Matt Kobyluck’s #40 took the lead from MacDonald on lap 51 but the
#71 was able to re-take the top spot eleven laps later. By lap 96,
MacDonald and Jody Lavender were pulling away from the field with
the #88 taking first on lap 112 with MacDonald saying, “At that
point we were really starting to slide in the turns. Later on when I
started racing the #00 for second it felt like I was on ice. At that
point I just started going backwards. It’s one of those things that
happen. We were hoping for the win so it was disappointing to end up
tenth.”
The team will now prepare for the road course race at Lime Rock Park
on August 15 and MacDonald feels confident the team can improve from
third in the points with a solid run saying, “We had a pretty good
car but the engine let go but we had a decent run in the back-up
car. Hopefully we will definitely have a much better run this year
and try to improve our position in the points.” |
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UNOFFICIAL
RUNDOWN: 1. PARK, 2. TRUEX,
3. LAVENDER, 4. HERNANDEZ, 5. KOBYLUCK, 6. TARDIFF, 7. DILLON, 8.
MOFFITT, 9. SALEMI,
10. MACDONALD, 11. DELANEY,
12. SMITH, 13. CLOCE, 14. DUFF, 15. HOLEHOUSE, 16. GRESHAM, 17.
KURZEJEWSKI, 18. ARTHUR, 19. BOULEY, 20. KENNEDY, 21. PECK
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Live Adirondack
Lap by Lap on localracing.NASCAR.com HERE |
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QUALIFYING: MacDonald Collects First
Series Career Pole Award
Championship
hunt heats up
by
Jason Christley, NASCAR - August 1, 2009 - 4:30pm
BEAVER FALLS, N.Y.
– In the middle of the championship hunt, Eddie MacDonald put
himself in perfect position at the start of The Edge Hotel 150
presented Casella Waste Systems.
MacDonald, making his 118th
career start, earned his first Coors Light Pole Award. MacDonald was
the first driver out in qualifying and put down a lap of 16.739
seconds around the half-mile asphalt oval.
MacDonald enters the event nine
points behind rookie Ryan Truex in the points standings with four
races remaining. Truex will start 10th.
Rookie Brett Moffitt qualified
second at 16.806 seconds (107.105 mph). Matt Kobyluck, who has won
at Adirondack three times including last year, qualified third at
16.823 (106.996). Ryan Duff and Dustin Delaney rounded out the top
five.
Alex Kennedy, who was fastest in
practice, qualified sixth. |
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>>
Previous Race Results HERE << |
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