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2012 Race Stories and Photos |
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Follow Eddie on
race weekends at
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Classic 3 Championship
presented by
RCR Racing Museum
Rockingham Speedway
Rockingham, NC
Saturday, November 3rd |
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Eddie MacDonald Closes Season
at “The Rock” |
The final race of the K&N Pro Series East season concluded
with a 100 lap event on the fast, high-banked mile oval on the famed
Rockingham Speedway. Eddie Mac came from deep in the pack to score
his twelfth top ten finish of the fourteen race schedule. The
Classic 3 Championship presented by RCR Racing Museum was the first
appearance for the K&N Series and the fans witnessed an exciting
show.
MacDonald had his work cut out for him after qualifying
22nd in the 30 car field on a track that is considered difficult on
which to pass. The Grimm Construction Chevy moved to the front
despite a loose handling car to finish a solid tenth when the
checkered flag flew.
“We are pleased that we finished tenth
especially with the handling of the car,” said MacDonald. “We were
really disappointed with our qualifying run. We knew starting where
we did would be difficult because this is such a tough track to pass
on. To make matters worse the car was real loose in and out of the
turns so I had to back up going into turn one so I could get a good
exit coming out of turn two. That made it very hard to pass anyone
but the car remained the way it was for the rest of the race and did
not fall off.”
By lap 20, the Rowley, Mass. veteran moved
into 16th saying, “It cuts good on the bottom and I’m not trying to
abuse the tires so I’m not gaining a lot. It was tight at the
beginning but it is getting a lot looser. It washes up the nose
pretty good if I am not right on the bottom line but the way it
feels I know it is going to loosen up a lot more.”
By lap 44
Eddie Mac’s prediction was right saying, “it is looser all the way
around in and off both turns.” A wedge and tire pressure adjustments
were made at the halfway break as MacDonald returned to the track in
the 14th position. The #71 gained one more spot when the red flag
waved when Dylan Presnell ended up on his roof and on fire on the
backstretch. The young driver escaped injury and racing resumed with
17 laps to go and MacDonald in 12th. With five to go Eddie Mac rode
in the 11th position. On the white flag lap, leader Brett Moffitt
attempted to block eventual winner Tyler Reddick on the backstretch
causing Moffitt to hit the wall that cost him the championship. The
Grimm Racing Chevy was the lucky recipient of the crash to gain one
more position for the top ten finish.
“Obviously we would
have liked a better finish but we are happy to run where we did with
the car we had today,” said MacDonald. “This series is so
competitive I am pleased with our sixth place finish in the
championship points. Team owner Rob Grimm also finished sixth in the
points and I am very happy for him. He and his wife Carla have been
great to us and we really appreciate everything they have done for
us. Rollie, the crew, and I can’t thank them enough. I want to take
this opportunity to thank the crew for all their hard work this
season. This is a volunteer crew and we are competing against a lot
of teams that have big payrolls, so for us to do as well as we have
is a feather in their caps. We had some students from UNOH this
weekend and they did an outstanding job for us. They are well
prepared and that is a testament to the education they receive at
UNOH. We may be a small team but we are blessed with a lot of
caring, dedicated people and Rollie and I really appreciate all the
support.”
Eddie Mac and the Grimm Racing Team will be
recognized at The NASCAR Touring Awards banquet on December 8 at the
NASCAR Hall of Fame Convention Center in Charlotte for the sixth
place finish, as well as two Coke-Cola Move of the Race Awards. |
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News &
Notes: K&N East at Rockingham |
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FAST FACTS
The Race:
The inaugural Classic 3 Championship pres. by RCR Racing Museum will
be the first stand-alone event in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history
at Rockingham Speedway and the final event of the 2012 season.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field
will be 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26 starting
positions will be based on two-lap time trials and the remaining
four will be filled through the provisional process. The race will
be 100 laps (100 miles) with a 10 minute break at or near the
conclusion of Lap 50.
The Track: Rockingham is a one-mile
asphalt oval with 22 degrees of banking in Turns 1 & 2 and 25
degrees in Turns 3 & 4. The facility opened in 1965 and held NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series races until 2004. The
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series contested its inaugural event at
the track this past April.
Series History: The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
competed in combination with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at
Rockingham six times from 1987-92. Dana Patten registered the
highest finish among the K&N Pro Series East competitors in those
events, 10th overall in the 1989 race that was won by Nationwide
Series driver Rob Moroso.
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Statistical Advance:
Classic 3 Championship presented by RCR
Racing Museum |
Eddie MacDonald (No.
71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two
poles and 74 top 10s in 157 career starts.
• Became the 16th
driver in series history to reach 150 career starts in June at
Gresham.
• Is tied with Kyle Larson for the most top-10 finishes
among all competitors this year with 11. Ranks sixth in points.
• Has three wins – all at New Hampshire – and 21 top 10s in 43
career speedway races.
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Rockingham Race Setup
• This will be the first stand-alone race in NASCAR K&N Pro Series
East history at Rockingham Speedway.
• A four-way battle for the
championship at Rockingham will include Kyle Larson, Brett Moffitt
(-10), Corey LaJoie (-19) and longshot Chase Elliott (-30).
• Moffitt is the most-accomplished active driver on tracks .75 miles
or larger with five wins, five poles and an average finish of sixth.
LaJoie has two wins and an average finish of ninth while Larson has
one win and an average finish of fourth. Elliott also has a speedway
win and an average finish of 12th.
• LaJoie has won three of the
previous four races and will attempt to become just the third driver
in series history to record six wins in the same season.
At Rockingham Speedway:
• Opened in 1965.
• Held 78 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 1965-2004, 42 NASCAR
Nationwide Series races from 1982-2004 and the first NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series event this past April.
• The NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East competed in combination with the NNS six times from
1987-92.
Rockingham Speedway Data
Race: #14 of 14
Track Layout: 1-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 100 laps (100 miles)
• Banking/Turns 1&2: 22
degrees
• Banking/Turns 3&4: 25 degrees
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Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140
Greenville Pickens
Speedway
Greenville, SC
Sat.. October 27th - 8 PM |
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Tenth Place Finish for MacDonald
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AFor the 11th time Eddie
MacDonald posted a top ten finish in the 13 races run in the K&N Pro
Series East this season. In the rescheduled Labor Day rainout at the
Greenville Pickens’ “Old House of Racing”, Eddie Mac rallied to
score a tenth place run despite early engine problems in the Kevin
Whitaker 140 on the half mile oval.
“Something was wrong with
the engine almost from the start of the race,” said MacDonald. “It
ran great in practice and we ran in the top five, but something
happened shortly after we took the green flag. It really messed up
the rest of the race but we managed to get a top ten finish. We
haven’t had a chance to find out what went wrong with it. We have
our other car ready for Rockingham this Saturday so we are in good
shape.”
Qualifying and the race was rained out on Labor Day
and the field was set by points. The Grimm Construction Chevy
started fifth as a result. The #71 held his position for a while but
the horsepower wasn’t there to hold off the field for long. “It was
tough to run with these guys since this place is pretty fast with
the long straightaways,” said MacDonald. “I just tried to hang on
and try not to lose too many spots until we made our pit stop.”
MacDonald headed to the pits after going a lap down at the
halfway flag in the 13th position. The Rowley, Mass. veteran ran in
the 15th position after getting his lap back on caution lap 125. “We
were really struggling with the engine and then near the end of the
race the handling went away so we needed something to happen to give
us a chance for a better finish and we got it.”
The race
extended to 146 laps and finished with a green/white checker finish.
In the last turn on the last lap Corey Lajoie moved leader Brent
Moffitt out of the way that resulted in a huge crash on the
frontstretch just before the start/finish line taking out the top
runners. MacDonald was able to miss the carnage to take the checkers
in the tenth spot.
“It was really wild at the end, “said Eddie
Mac. “Cars were flying everywhere and I couldn’t even see the
start/finish line with the smoke covering the track. We got lucky to
miss the wreck and it helped turn a bad night into a decent one. Now
we are headed to Rockingham for our final race of the season and we
have “Blackie” all ready to go. It is our Loudon car so we hope it
will run well on the mile track at Rockingham. Hopefully we will
have a strong run there to finish up.”
With the run,
MacDonald and team owner Rob Grimm moved in to sixth position in the
point’s race. The event will mark the first appearance for the K&N
Pro Series East in the Inaugural Classic 3 presented by RCR Racing
Museum on the legendary Rockingham Speedway mile oval. NASCAR has
scheduled a test day for Thursday with practice and qualifying on
Friday. The green flag will fly at 2 p.m. on Saturday. |
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News &
Notes: K&N East at Greenville |
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FAST FACTS
The Race: The second edition
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 will mark the ninth all-time event for
the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Greenville Pickens Speedway, and
the second of two in 2012.
The Procedure: The starting field is 28
cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through
two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded
through the provisional process. The race will be 140 laps (70
miles) straight through with no tire changes.
The Track: Greenville Pickens is a
half-mile asphalt oval with five degrees of banking in the turns.
The facility opened in 1946 with a dirt racing surface and was paved
in 1970. There were 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held there
from 1951-71.
Race Winners: The eight previous K&N
Pro Series East races in Greenville have produced seven different
winners. Only Darrell Wallace Jr., who captured the first event of
the season at GPS, has won at the track twice.
Pole Winners: Like with race winners,
there has been only one driver to earn multiple poles at GPS, Brett
Moffitt. Moffitt set the qualifying record at 20.534 seconds (87.659
mph) in the 2011 season-opener, and his 2010 pole eclipsed Joey
Logano’s series record as the youngest pole winner at 16 years,
eight months.
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Statistical Advance:
Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71
Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles
and 73 top 10s in 156 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in
series history to reach 150 career starts in June at Gresham.
•
Is tied with points leader Kyle Larson for the most top-10 finishes
among all competitors this year with 10.
• Has an average finish
of 10th and a best result of third in seven career starts at GPS. |
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Active Series Career Leaders
Wins
1.
Brett Moffitt … 9
2. Eddie MacDonald … 6
3.
Dale Quarterley … 6
4. Darrell Wallace Jr. … 6
5. Corey LaJoie
… 4
Poles
1. Brett Moffitt … 8
2. Dale
Quarterley … 4
Darrell Wallace Jr. … 4
4. Eddie
MacDonald … 2
Cale Conley … 2
Top Fives
1. Dale Quarterley … 31
2. Eddie MacDonald … 28
3. Brett Moffitt … 28
4. Corey LaJoie … 15
Darrell Wallace Jr.
… 15
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Top 10s
1. Eddie MacDonald … 73
2. Dale Quarterley … 67
3. Brett Moffitt … 33
4. Darrell Wallace Jr. … 24
5. Corey LaJoie … 18
Laps Completed
1. Eddie MacDonald … 20,095
2. Dale Quarterley … 18,816
3. John Salemi … 8,182
4. Brett Moffitt … 6,083
5. Ryan Gifford … 5,210
Laps Led
1. Brett Moffitt … 1,373
2. Dale Quarterley … 706
3. Eddie MacDonald … 668
4. Darrell Wallace Jr. … 598
5. Corey LaJoie … 449 |
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SAT/SUN OCT. 20/21 - Lee USA
Speedway, Lee, NH |
| Eddie Runs Second At Lee USA
Speedway |
The Hancock Electric/Grimm Construction
Chevy took the green flag for the final time this season in the 50
Lap Late Model feature to score a second place finish. Eddie
MacDonald returned to the family owned speedway where he cut his
teeth racing as a teenager for the huge annual Lee Oktoberfest and
did not disappoint the hometown fans with two patented runs from the
rear.
MacDonald started last in Saturday’s qualifying event,
then went on to capture the win in the ten lap event saying, “The
car was really tight in practice so we loosened it up quite a bit
for the heat. The weather heated up so the change we made helped the
car a lot.”
The #17 owned by Freddie Peterson started 11th in
the 50 lap feature on Sunday after the field was inverted. In three
laps, Eddie Mac ran third as he made his way from the rear with
typical inside and outside passing. On the 11th circuit, MacDonald
was in second but the car became very tight with the Rowley, Mass.
veteran saying after the race, “The weather got a lot colder today
compared to yesterday and we didn’t adjust the car enough. It really
was tight and didn’t want to turn so I was wrestling with it. I knew
Helliwell was coming but there was not anything I could do to hold
him off.”
Eddie Mac passed Tyler Fiscus for second place
after the halfway flags and had to settle for the second place
finish saying, “We really wanted to get the win for Shelia and
Freddie Peterson. They have been great to us. You always want to
win, especially in front of your hometown fans, but we are happy to
take the second place finish to close out our Late Model season. We
had a lot of fun running the Late Model when we could and look
forward to next season to do it again.”
“I also want to take
this opportunity to thank Ken Thompson from Hancock Electric Motor
Service. He started helping us out with our East car years ago and
has been a sponsor for our Late Model over the last few seasons.
Kenny is retiring soon and everyone on our race team thanks him for
all the support and wishes he and his wife Carol all the happiness
and good health in the future,” said MacDonald after the race.
Channel 9’s Chronicle folks were at the track shooting footage
and interviewing Eddie, his dad Red, and track manager Bob Watson
for a piece about the track. It is not known when it will run so
check the TV listings for the show.
The Grimm Racing team
will compete in its final two events in the K&N Pro Series East
schedule. On October 27th. MacDonald will start fifth in the Kevin
Whitaker 140 at Greenville Pickens Speedway due to a Labor Day
rainout. On November 3rd, the final event will be run at the famed
Rockingham Speedway. |
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The American Real TV 150
Dover International Speedway
Dover, DE
Fri. September 28 -
4:50 PM |
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Tire Issue Slows MacDonald at Dover |
Eddie MacDonald’s hopes to repeat last year’s fourth place
finish at Dover International Speedway were dashed with a flat tire
early in The American Real TV 150. The Grimm Construction Chevy
qualified 13th (22.813 sec.-151.178 mph) for the K&N Pro Series
East’s 12th race of the season with the team confident a solid
finish expected but it was not to be.
“Even though we qualified 13th, we felt the car would be
good over the long run but you never know,” said MacDonald after the
race. “The car was just a little loose early on but I was just out
there riding knowing that we had the break at the halfway mark to
make any adjustments. We have been very successful here in the past
so we knew what we had to do but things don’t always go the way you
plan in racing.”
With the #71 riding in the 14th position, a
cut rear tire on lap 36 forced MacDonald to the pits. While entering
pit road, the caution flag flew over the track. “We shot ourselves
in the foot right then,” said Eddie Mac. “We should have kept going
and then pit. We would have been only one lap down but we ended up
two laps down. It is really difficult to make up two laps on this
track because it is so fast so we just had to ride around and hope
for the “lucky dog” to get us back on the lead lap.”
With
Darrell Wallace and Brett Moffitt lapping the slower cars, MacDonald
was not able to get the “lucky dog” until the fifth caution of the
race on lap 72 that led to the halfway break. The #71 restarted the
second half in the 20th spot one lap down. On the next caution on
lap 105 MacDonald rode in the 16th position but was not eligible for
the free pass.
“It was really frustrating to have to wait
and hope for the free pass,” said the veteran driver. “We couldn’t
race anyone to get the lap back and that was the worst part. We made
it to 11th when the final caution came out on lap 146 but we didn’t
get the free pass. It really would not have mattered much at that
point since it was a green white checker finish.”
The
checkered flag waved on lap 154 with the Grimm Construction Chevy
posting the 11th place finish one lap down. It was only the second
time this season the team has not finished in the top ten. MacDonald
remained in sixth place in the point’s race with two races left on
the schedule. The team will race next at Greenville Pickens Speedway
October 27th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 that was
rescheduled due to an earlier rain out. The season concludes at
Rockingham on November 3. Speed will televise The American Real TV
150 on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.
“We have two races left on
the schedule and we want to finish up strong. The team appreciates
the support of our fans especially the fans from the Waymart, Pa
area that traveled by bus to watch the race. That is really cool and
we thank them,” said MacDonald. |
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HOMETRACKS LIVE: K&N East At Dover
For the Event Schedule, Entry
List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
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News &
Notes: K&N East at Dover |
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FAST FACTS
The Race: The
American Real TV 150 at Dover International Speedway will be the
12th event of the 14-race 2012 schedule for the NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East. This will be the 12th all-time stand-alone race for the
East at Dover.
The Procedure: The starting field is 30
cars, including provisionals. The first 26 cars will have secured
starting positions based on two-lap qualifying. The remaining four
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 150 laps (150 miles) and will have a 10-minute break at or near
the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track: Known as the “Monster Mile,”
Dover is an even one-mile concrete oval with banking of nine degrees
on the straightaways and 24 degrees in the turns.
Race Winners: There have been 10 winners
in the previous 11 K&N Pro Series East races at Dover. Darrell
Wallace Jr. is the defending winner while Brett Moffitt is the only
driver with multiple wins at the track.
Pole Winners: There has yet to be a driver
that has earned multiple poles at Dover. Wallace captured the pole
in last year’s event and Matt DiBenedetto has the qualifying record
at 23.201 seconds (155.166 mph), established in 2009.
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Statistical Advance:
The American Real TV 150 |
Eddie MacDonald (No.
71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two
poles and 73 top 10s in 155 career starts.
• Became the 16th
driver in series history to reach 150 career starts at Gresham in
June.
• Has 10 top-10 finishes this year, the most among all
competitors, and ranks sixth in points.
• Has four top 10s with
an average finish of 12th and a best result of third (2004) in 10
career starts at Dover. |
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Smoking
Hot Finish for MacDonald
at New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
Eddie MacDonald battled his way from
deep in the field in both the K&N Pro Series East and American
Canadian Tour events on Saturday as part of the big NASCAR Cup
weekend at the Magic Mile. The three time winner fought an
ill-handling car in the G-Oil 100 at the beginning of the race to
post an impressive eighth place finish as the checkered flag flew.
The Grimm Construction/ Hancock Electric Pontiac took the green flag
in the 26th position due to the luck of the draw in the Bond Auto
Parts ACT Invitational only to have the exciting run end in
disappointment.
MacDonald started the 11th race in the K&N
series in the 18th position with MacDonald saying, “It really was a
surprise we didn’t qualify better. The car handled good but we just
didn’t get it done to start where we wanted to be. But Rollie and I
thought we would be okay for race, but obviously we had some
problems right away.”
When the green flag waved the #71 was
bouncing off the track in the turns then sliding up the track. “I
had to drive in low in the turns to take the bounce out of it,” said
the Rowley, Mass. driver. “It wasn’t doing that in practice the day
before so to do it then was really strange. Rollie said it, and it’s
true, that the track can change from day to day and that is probably
happened. That might explain our poor qualifying run too. We knew we
had to do something or we would be going a lap down soon.”
The team got just the break it needed when the caution flag waved on
lap 20. Crew chief Rollie LaChance called the car into the pits for
wedge, track bar, and shock adjustments. The car returned to the
pits for more work so as not to go a lap down then returned to the
track in the 34th position. “We desperately needed to make that stop
and the car was better immediately. We also knew we had the
mandatory halfway break so we could make further adjustments and get
new right side tires.”
When the yellow waved on lap 48 for a
wreck, MacDonald ran in 21st position. The crew went to work making
more adjustments and bolting on two new right side Goodyear tires.
“The changes helped a lot but we needed more because we were still
tight in and through the center. The bounce was gone but wit was
still touching. Rollie and the crew did a great job getting the car
where it needed to be and I appreciate all the hard work.”
When the second half of the race resumed on lap 50, The Grimm
Construction Chevy moved steadily through the pack to ride in the
16th position by lap 76 and into 14th by lap 91. A multi-car pile up
on the backstretch with only eight laps remaining left the #71 with
left side quarter panel damage when one of the spinning cars just
caught the left side. The panel rubbed on the tire causing it to
smoke badly. “Our spotter and crew looked at it and thought we could
make it to the end without it blowing out and fortunately the thing
held but it was smoking quite a bit.”
The red flag covered
the track until clean up was completed to set the stage for a five
lap shootout to the checkers. MacDonald started in 11th and was able
to gain three more positions to finish eighth in what could only be
described as a “Smoking Hot Finish.”
“You always want a
better finish but after the problems that we had to fall back as far
as we did, getting an eighth place run was pretty good. The team
worked hard so now we have to go back to the shop tonight and start
getting the car ready for our race at Dover this coming Friday
night. We have some damage to repair but we will be ready. I want to
thank all of our fans for coming out to support us. It really means
a lot to the entire crew,” said MacDonald.
As soon as
MacDonald got out of the East car, he was strapping himself into the
ACT Late Model for the Bond Auto Parts 50 lap event. The two-time
winner of the ACT Invitational was considered a heavy favorite to
win despite drawing the 26th starting position in the 42 car field.
The Grimm construction/ Hancock Electric Pontiac wasted little
time moving through the field, wowing the huge crowd with inside and
outside three wide passing. The first caution flag waved on lap 11
with the #17 gaining 15 positions to ride in 11th place. Another
yellow on lap 15 found MacDonald in eighth place after a spectacular
three-wide pass on the inside in turn one.
“The car really
ran great and I could go anywhere with it. I knew I had plenty of
time to get to the front but we were going so good I just kept
passing cars,” said Eddie Mac. On the 20th circuit, MacDonald
stormed into second place behind leader and eventual winner Ray
Parent. “I thought I would just ride for a while and save the tires.
The other 17 was fast but I was just keeping pace. I knew we were in
good shape or at least I thought we were.”
A spin on lap 26
brought out the caution and then the inexplicable happened as
MacDonald restarted on the outside of Parent. “By the time we
entered turn one the rear right tire just lost pressure and I almost
wrecked it. By the time we got to the pits, we were already two laps
down so we just pulled it into the garage to finish 39th. There was
a huge hole in the center of the tire. I don’t know how or when it
happened since I didn’t feel anything. It is disappointing because
we had such a great car and it would have been fun racing Parent for
the win. We will be racing Freddie Peterson’s Late Model at Airborne
Speedway in Plattsburg, N.Y. in a couple of weeks and we are looking
forward to that race.” |
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Richard Casey |
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Photos by
Chris Roy &
Richard Casey |
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G-Oil 100
New
Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, NH
Sat. September 22nd - 2:30 PM |
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News &
Notes: K&N East at Loudon |
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FAST FACTS
The Race:
The G-Oil 100 will be the 11th of 14 races on the 2012 NASCAR K&N
Pro Series East schedule and the lone trip to New Hampshire Motor
Speedway.
The Procedure:
The starting field is 36 cars, including provisionals. The first 32
cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 100 laps (105.8 miles) with a 10-minute break at or near the
conclusion of Lap 50.
The Track:
NHMS, a 1.058-mile slightly-banked asphalt oval, is the largest
track the K&N Pro Series East races at. NHMS has played host to the
K&N Pro Series East in each year of the track’s existence and has
held more races than any other facility in the series’ 26-year
history.
Race Winners:
There have been 25 different winners in 56 all-time stand-alone
races at NHMS. New Hampshire native Brad Leighton has the most
series wins at the “Magic Mile” with eight while Brett Moffitt is
the defending race winner.
Pole Winners:
Of the 29 different drivers to earn a Coors Light Pole Award at
NHMS, Kelly Moore has the most in K&N Pro Series East history with
six. Darrell Wallace Jr. set the
track qualifying record at 29.849 seconds
(127.6022 mph) in this event last year.
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Statistical Advance:
G-Oil 100 |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction
Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 72 top 10s in
154 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in series history to
reach 150 career starts in June at Gresham.
• Is tied with points leader Brett Moffitt
for the most top-10 finishes among all competitors this year with
nine.
• Has
three wins, a pole, 11 top 10s and an average finish of 17th in 23
career starts at NHMS. He enters this race with a streak of
nine-consecutive top 10s at the track. |
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Bond Automtive ACT Invitational
New
Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, NH
Sat. September 22nd - 4:30 PM |
|
The American-Canadian Tour is the premier late
model series on the northern East Coast and southeastern Canada. The
Bond Auto Parts ACT Invitational features only the best of the
series' best, and drivers race all season for the opportunity to get
an invitation to the tour's most prestigious race. The race is all
about the driver and the car his team puts together, as the 50-lap
event doesn't cater to pit stops.
In 2011,
Eddie MacDonald
and Nick Sweet battled side-by-side on the races final laps to
provide NHMS with its most exciting finish of the year. In the end,
it was MacDonald that took the checkered flag and became the first
repeat winner at "The Magic Mile" since the tour started racing at
the track in 2009.
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Bond Auto
ACT Invitational
NHMS Test & Tune
August 29th, 2012 |
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.jpg) |
Sanair
Super Speedway
St. Pie, QC, Canada
Saturday, August
11th,
2012 |
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| Fourth Place Run
for Eddie in Canada |
Driver Eddie MacDonald and
crew chief Rollie LaChance were back in the Newburyport shop
preparing for the next race after returning from Sanair Super
Speedway posting a solid fourth place finish in the American
Canadian Tour’s visit to St-Pie, Quebec. Both men were pleased with
the results the new car produced on the 7/8 mile track.
“We spent the week in Maine at Rollie’s shop working on the car and
really moved things around a lot until we found the set up that we
wanted,” said Eddie. “It is a brand new car built for Freddie
Peterson and we ran it a couple of times but we really have not had
a lot of time to work on it with our East schedule. We were able to
devote the week to it and it really responded the way we wanted. Of
course you always want to win but we’ll take the fourth place
finish. Sanair was a great place to race. It is a big fast track and
your car had better handle well and ours did.”
The #17
Hancock Electric sponsored ride started ninth in the field on
Saturday but the race was shortened to seven laps when the rains
came with the remaining 93 laps rescheduled for Sunday, August 12.
The teams were allowed to fuel up Sunday morning and that proved to
be very important with Rollie saying, “I knew we were going to be
close on fuel so letting us fill up in the morning was good. Our
fuel cell is not as big as the other cars so we had to go the
distance and Eddie did a great job of saving when he could. There
was only one caution on lap 35 so we knew it would be close and it
was. The car was real good especially in the dogleg. Eddie would go
in with a half car lead and come out with a three car lead. He was
able to make up a lot of ground there on the leaders.”
Eddie
drove to the third spot by the halfway flags but just couldn’t get
by Laperle saying, “He was really loose in the turns and would slow
down quite a bit and I had to get off the throttle and that hurt us.
By the time I could get back on it Helliwell had opened up a huge
lead. With the laps winding down the car started getting loose so I
didn’t want to do anything stupid. I was able to run wide open
through the dogleg to gain ground but towards the end of the race I
had to back off the throttle to maintain position. Austin came on
strong from starting in the rear due to a tire issue and probably
would have won the race had it gone much further. We are pleased
with the fourth place run and really feel good about the car. We
have it almost where it needs to be to race these guys for the win.
Hopefully we will get another shot at them at Loudon in September in
the ACT Invitational. We will also be running our K&N Pro Series
East car there so we will have a busy weekend.”
Eddie, Rollie
and the rest of the Grimm Racing team will return for the second K&N
race of the season at the Greenville Pickens Speedway in South
Carolina on September 3. With only four races remaining on the
schedule both driver and team owner Rob Grimm are in fifth place in
the hotly contested point’s race. |
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The Pork Be Inspired 150
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Friday, August 3rd,
2012 |
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| Eddie Posts Top Ten
Finish at Iowa Speedway |
For the ninth time in ten
races in this year’s K&N Pro Series East schedule, Eddie MacDonald
scored another top ten run in the Pork Be Inspired 150 in the second
East West combination at Iowa Speedway. With the eighth place finish
the Grimm Construction Racing Team moved into fifth place in both
owner and driver points.
MacDonald qualified 21st in the 36
car field saying, “We ended qualifying just about where we ran in
practice. We have not been blinding fast it seems this season in
practice, so this wasn’t any different. We set up thinking the track
would get tight toward the halfway break and it did. We were running
15th at the break and decided to make adjustments for the car to
tighten up near the end of the race as it did in the first half but
it got real loose instead. We may have gone too far but we did gain
a lot of spots so posting another top ten was pretty good.”
The Grimm Racing Team scored a fifth place finish in its first trip
to the 7/8 of a mile oval back in March in the first combination
race pitting the top East and West drivers against each other. The
East drivers dominated this time around with the top eight positions
recorded before Michael Self took first place West points with his
ninth place run with MacDonald saying, “This just proves how highly
competitive the East series has become. For a while we were pretty
even with the west guys but with all the Cup involvement in the
East, it is extremely difficult to compete. When you can run
consistently in the top ten as we have this season, we really have
done well. It is tough being a small team competing in this setting
but Rollie, team owner Rob Grimm, and the crew are determined to
work hard and do as well as we can. We are happy to be in fifth in
the points and will work hard to stay there. It says a lot about
this team to accomplish what we have.”
The # 71 gained
positions during the second half riding in the tenth spot with 25
laps to go. MacDonald moved into seventh with 15 laps remaining, and
then lost one position with eight laps remaining to take the
checkered flag saying, “The car was loose at the end so we just
tried to get the best finish we could without wrecking. It is a long
trip for us and I am thankful for everyone’s help. We return next
for another race at Greenville Pickens Speedway on Labor Day weekend
where we had a fifth place finish there back in March so hopefully
we can have another great run.”
SPEED will televise the Pork
Be Inspired race on Thursday, August 16 at 3 p.m. |
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News &
Notes: K&N East/West Combo |
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FAST FACTS
The Race:
This event will be the seventh all-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series
East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway, and the second in 2012.
The two series got together for the first time this year at Iowa on
May 19.
The
Procedure:
The starting field is 36 cars, including provisionals. The first 28
cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining eight
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 150 laps (131.25 miles) and will be run in two segments with a
midway break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track:
Iowa Speedway is a .875-mile paved oval with the turns banked 12-14
degrees, four degrees banking in the backstretch and 10 degrees
banking in the frontstretch.
Race Winners:
The six previous editions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West
combination race have produced six different winners. Chase Elliott
was the victor in the first Iowa event this year as a representative
of the East while the highest finisher from the West was Dylan
Kwasniewski, eighth overall.
Pole Winners:
The first six Iowa combo races have also produced different pole
winners. Iowa native Brett Moffitt earned the pole as an East
representative in May while the best qualifier from the West was
David Mayhew, ninth overall. |
|
Statistical Advance:
Analyzing Pork Be Inspired 150 |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 7 Grimm Construction
Chevrolet)
• One top five, three top 10s in five E-W
combination races at Iowa
• Best overall E-W finish of third in 2011
• Average overall E-W finish at Iowa of 15.0
• Six wins, two poles, 28 top fives, 71 top
10s in 153 career series starts |
|
Busy Weekend for Eddie at
the JEGS 150 & the TD Bank 250 |
Eddie MacDonald and the Grimm Racing
Team raced not only at racetracks but also to airports this past
weekend. Eddie Mac competed Saturday night at the Columbus (Ohio)
Motor Speedway then on Sunday taking the green flag in the TD Bank
250 in Oxford, Maine.
“We did the same thing last year and it
was not a lot of fun dealing with the logistics of travel and
getting cars to the tracks,” said MacDonald. “We had a great effort
from the guys on the team in Columbus and Oxford. A lot of people
put in a lot of hard work and Rollie and I are really thankful we
have such committed people. The support for our team is just super.”
The K&N Pro Series East Jegs 150 on the half mile track produced
a 10th place finish for the Grimm Construction Chevy. “I just
couldn’t drive the car on the second groove and when we had a lot of
cautions late in the race we had to start on the outside every time.
We lost two or three spots before I could get back down to the
bottom,” said the Rowley, Mass. driver. “Every time we would battle
to get back to eighth then another caution flag and we would have to
do it all over again.”
When the green flag waved, MacDonald
started in the 14th spot on the grid. After 30 laps the #71 gained
four positions and moved into eighth at the halfway flag on lap 75
with MacDonald saying, “As long as I could pass on the bottom I was
able to hold position on the track. But as soon as the cautions
started in the second half of the race it seemed we were always
running eighth and got stuck on the outside for the restart. On the
positive side, we had another top ten finish. We have finished in
the top ten for all but one race this year. We have five races left
on tracks we have run well on so hopefully we will finish strong.”
MacDonald is currently in eighth place in the point’s race as only
15 points separate positions four through eighth.
The K&N Pro
Series East will venture west again for the second race of the
season at Iowa Speedway. It will be the second combination race of
the season with the West Series in the Pork Be Inspired 150 on
August 3. Speed will televise the Columbus race on August 2 at 3p.m.
The second race of the weekend began soon after the completion
of the Jegs 150 when Eddie Mac, Rollie LaChance, and crew members
had it in high gear to make the three hour drive to the Pittsburg
airport to make the flight to Portland Jetport and then to Oxford
for the 8:50 a.m. practice for the Late Model TD Bank 250. While the
80+ cars that were trying to make the 39 car field practiced a full
day on Saturday, the Hancock Electric sponsored ride would have only
two practice sessions to ready the car for the heats.
MacDonald started third in the fifth heat and easily won the 15 lap
qualifier and started fifth in the 250 lap main event. The two time
winner of the event, Eddie Mac ran second after 18 laps despite
battling a loose racecar. Many competitors pitted on the first
caution flag on lap 69 but MacDonald and crew elected to stay out
hoping to pit somewhere near the halfway point for tires and fuel
with Eddie Mac saying, “We were loose in the center and a little
free off but everyone was sliding around so we thought we could wait
for halfway to pit. We were running okay in second place and no one
was going to catch Joey Pole so we knew we made the right decision.”
On lap 135 the caution flag flew and the #17 came to the pits
for tires, fuel and no adjustments then returning to the track in
third place. “The crew did a fantastic job on the pit stop and we
beat a lot of cars back to the track. Unfortunately the new tires
did not work for the car and fell off very quickly. We just got a
lot looser as the race went on and by the end I was just hanging on
trying not to lose it. We fell back to ninth place by the end. It
was really disappointing to run like that. We expected to do a lot
better but it wasn’t meant to be. I feel bad for all the people who
jumped in to help us this weekend. We are lucky to have so many good
people helping us. I know that I, Rollie and the regular crew guys
could not have done it without them. We appreciate Kenny Thompson
from Hancock Electric for his support of us in this series. We are
going to race the ACT race at Beech Ridge this Saturday in Freddie
Peterson’s car and we are looking forward to a good run there.” |
| The TD Bank
250 |
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| Photos by
Richard Casey |
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| Photos by
Chris Roy |
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Sunday, July 22nd
Oxford Plains Speedway |
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| 9th Place Finish
for Eddie |
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Columbus Motor Speedway
Columbus, OH
Saturday, July 21st |
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10th at
Columbus |
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News &
Notes: K&N East Visits Columbus |
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FAST FACTS
The Race: The Jegs 150 will be the
ninth of 14 races on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule.
It will mark the second year in a row the series has visited
Columbus Motor Speedway and the lone trip to the state of Ohio.
The Procedure: The starting field is 28
cars, including provisionals. The first 24 cars will qualify through
two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded
through the provisional process. The race will be 150 laps (49.99
miles).
The Track: A charter member of the NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series, Columbus is a .333-mile, semi-banked
paved oval that began as a motorcycle racing track in 1946 and first
played host to stock cars in 1950.
Race Winners: Darrell Wallace Jr.
was victorious in the K&N Pro Series East’s first trip to Columbus
in 2011.
Pole Winners: Max Gresham was the
inaugural pole winner at Columbus and established the qualifying
record at 14.176 seconds (84.565 mph).
|
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Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Jegs 150 |
Eddie
MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 70 top 10s in
152 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in series history to reach 150 career
starts in June at Gresham.
• Is in a three-way tie for the series lead in top-10
finishes this year with seven in eight races.
• Finished 10th in the inaugural event at Columbus. |
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The
Samuel 150
CNB Bank
Raceway Park
Clearfield, PA
Saturday, July 14th |
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6th at
Clearfield |
Eddie MacDonald and the
Grimm Racing Team began the second half of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
East 14 race season with a sixth place finish in the Samuel 150 at
CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pa.
The Grimm
Construction Chevy started 13th in the field after running sixth and
fourteenth in the first and second practice sessions respectively
with MacDonald saying, “We drew the number one position for
qualifying and that is always tough but I knew we had a good
handling, fast car that would be there at the end and it was. The
car was very good in practice and we were looking forward to the
race. We planned to go out there and take what we could the first
half of the race and then go for it in the second half.”
When
the first of eight caution flags flew on lap nine, the #71 was
riding in the tenth spot and gained two more positions by the time
the second yellow waved on lap 23 with the veteran driver saying,
“For the most part, I was out there just riding and some of the
front guys got in trouble and I was able to take advantage of their
problems. We wanted to be in a good position when they stopped us
for the break and it was even better than we had hoped.”
From
lap 50 to the mandatory ten minute break on lap 76, MacDonald moved
the Grimm Construction Chevy into the fourth spot for the restart of
the second half. When the green flag waved, MacDonald drove to
second place in two laps saying, “With the new tires and the
adjustments we made during the break, the car was really fast and
was handling great in the corners. We blew past two cars right away
and then settled into second place. I knew Moffitt was just riding
around so I decided not to burn up my tires chasing him. I let the
#96 go since it seemed he wanted to try to pass the leader but
Moffitt had a great car.”
With 40 to go, Eddie Mac was in
third, and then settled into fourth at lap 128 caution flag when the
car was “a little too tight.” With four laps to go, MacDonald
appeared headed to a second top five finish this season when the
backstretch lights went out to bring out the red flag. After a 15
minute delay to restore power, the field restarted for the green
white checker finish. MacDonald started outside in the fourth spot
but was shuffled back to sixth when the #96 spun his tires right in
front of the #71 when the green flag waved.
“I moved to the
outside so I wouldn’t get run over from behind and thought I could
get the spot but he got it going and I was hung out on the outside
in the turn one marbles. I got back down but lost two positions.
That did not make me happy but we had a great car and a great run
and it was a lot of fun to run the way we did. I think we put on a
good show for all the “Grimm Nation” fans that came down from
Waymart, Pa. They really support us and we really appreciate it. Rob
(Grimm) has been such a great team owner; it is a lot of fun to run
well in front of the hometown crowd. I think half the stands were
filled with Waymart people and that was just great,” said MacDonald
after the race.
The K&N series will take the green flag again
for the Jegs 150 at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway on Saturday,
July21. Eddie Mac will then try for a third win in the Oxford 250
the following day on Sunday at the Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine.
Speed will televise the Samuel 150 on Thursday, July 19 at 3 PM. |
| |
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News &
Notes: K&N East Visits Clearfield |
|
FAST FACTS
The Race: The
Samuel 150 will be the eighth of 14 races on the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East schedule. It will mark the series’ first visit to CNB
Bank Raceway Park since 1988 and the first trip to the state of
Pennsylvania since 2006.
The Procedure:
The starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26
cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 150 laps (93.75 miles) and contested in two segments with a
10-minute break at or near the conclusion of Lap 75.
The Track:
Originally a half-mile oval, which held the two previous races for
the K&N Pro Series East, CNB Bank Raceway Park was recently
reconfigured to a banked .625-mile track. The Samuel 150 will be the
first NASCAR-sanctioned event for the renovated facility.
Race Winners:
Bobby Dragon won at Clearfield on June 11, 1987 during the K&N Pro
Series East’s inaugural season. Kelly Moore won the only other race
there in 1988.
Pole Winners:
Moore and Pete Silva earned the two previous poles at Clearfield.
Pole times from the first two races are not available.
|
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Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Samual 150 at CNB Bank Raceway Park |
Eddie
MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 69 top 10s in
151 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in series history to reach 150 career
starts in June at Gresham.
• Is in a four-way tie for the series lead in top-10
finishes this year with six in seven races.
• Four of his six career wins have come at tracks
.625 miles or larger: three at New Hampshire and one at Thompson
International Speedway. |
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Visit Hampton VA 175
Langley
Speedway
Hampton, VA
Saturday, June 23rd |
| Ninth at Langley |
Eddie MacDonald finished in
the ninth position in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Langley
Speedway in the Visit Hampton Va. 175. The Grimm Construction Chevy
started 17th on the grid for the seventh race of the season.
In the first practice session, the #71 was 13th fastest but fell off
during the second session and into qualifying with the veteran
driver saying, “We just couldn’t get the speed out of it that we
needed. The car was dragging some in the turns that really killed or
lap times. We made adjustments but it still continued during the
race.”
When the green flag waved for the 175 lap event over
the .4 of a mile oval, MacDonald was content to hold the position
but headed for the first of three visits to the pits during a lap 43
caution. “The guys went under the hood to make some adjustments and
we even considered making a shock change but we would have gone down
at least a lap. With the changes the crew made, we were able to stay
on the lead lap and that was really important to us.”
By lap
83 the car was running in 17thand was still a handful. The decision
was made to pit on caution lap 86 for additional work that helped
for the second half of the race. By the next caution on lap 119,
MacDonald ran in the 13th spot with a better car. “With the
adjustments we made, the car was a little faster than it was earlier
and I was able to pass some cars and I knew I could get more. A lot
of guys were getting loose so I just needed to be patient and get
the best finish I could. Obviously, I didn’t have anything for the
leaders but I was hoping to salvage a top ten finish.”
With
the laps winding down, MacDonald ran in the ninth position when the
caution flag waved with only five laps to go. The #71 maintained
that spot to post its sixth top ten finish along with one top five
run. Both driver and team owner Rob Grimm moved up one position in
sixth in the point’s race. “It wasn’t the finish we wanted but
considering everything that happened, finishing ninth and moving up
in the point’s race is a good thing. With our next race in Rob’s
home state of Pennsylvania, we hope to have a great run for him
there. I know a lot of people will be there for that one so that
really gives the team added incentive to do well. Rob and his family
have done so much for us; it would be super to have a great run
there.”
Speed will televise the Visit Hampton Va. on Thursday
at 3p.m. on June 28. Next on the schedule is the Samuel 150 at CNB
Raceway Park in Clearfield, PA. |
|
News &
Notes: K&N East Visits Langley |
Fast
Facts
The Race: The 2012 NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East schedule will reach the midway point of the
14-race slate with the Visit Hampton VA 175 at Langley Speedway on
June 23 in Hampton, Va.
The Procedure: The
starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26 cars
will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots
will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be
175 laps (70 miles).
The Track: On property
that was originally a .8-mile horse track, the racing distance was
cut in half and made exclusively an auto racing facility in 1950.
The track, which played host to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from
1964-70, was converted to asphalt in 1968 and currently runs as a
slightly-banked .396-mile oval. |
Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Visit Hampton VA 175 at Langley Speedway
Eddie MacDonald (No.
71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six
wins, two poles and 68 top 10s in 150 career starts.
• Became the 16th driver in series history to reach
150 career starts last time out at Gresham.
• Has five top 10s in six starts this year.
• Finished 13th at Langley in 2011.
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The Slack Auto Parts 150
Gresham
Motorsports Park
Jefferson,
GA
Saturday, June 9th -
8:30 PM |
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Eddie Rallies to Eighth Place Finish at
Gresham |
Eddie MacDonald started
deep in the field in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Slack Auto Parts
150 At Gresham Motorsports Park then rallied to an eighth place
finish on the half-mile oval.
The Grimm Construction Chevy
struggled in practice and qualifying starting 27th in the field. “We
had a number of issues the team had to deal with, one of them a
tight condition,” said MacDonald. “We just couldn’t get the car to
go early but Rollie and the crew made the right adjustments and the
car was really fast right from the start of the race.”
When
the green flag waved, MacDonald immediately began his move to the
front saying, “I was able to drive it on the bottom and pass a
number of cars. The only time we slowed down is when I had to run
the high groove. The car was really tight there, so the place to be
for us was on the bottom of the track. The handling was great on the
bottom and that gave us the opportunity to pass a lot of cars.”
By the halfway flag, the #71 was running in twelfth and was
still passing cars, “The car was strong but as you know, when you
get up into the top ten the lead cars are tougher to pass. We just
needed to be a little patient and take the positions when we could.
The late race cautions cost us some momentum because everyone was
bunched up so it was more difficult to make passes on the bottom,”
said the Rowley, Mass. veteran.
With only 12 laps remaining,
the Grimm Racing Chevy based in Waymart, Pa. ran comfortably in the
eighth position with MacDonald saying, “Of course you always want a
better finish, but to finish in the eighth spot after starting so
far back was satisfying. The crew really did an outstanding job to
get us the finish that we had. Things did not look good in practice
and qualifying but these guys never give up and it showed today.”
With the run, MacDonald moved into seventh place in the point’s
race and only two points behind the sixth place car after six races.
Rob Grimm also sits in seventh place in the owner point’s race as
the team has posted one top five and five top ten finishes to date.
After a week off, the Grimm Racing team will next fire the
engine on June 23 in the Visit Hampton Va. 175 at Langley Speedway.
The Slack Auto Parts 150 will be televised on Speed at 3 p.m. on
Thursday, June 21. |
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News &
Notes: K&N East Rolls on to Gresham |
|
Fast Facts
The Race: The
sixth of 14 races on the 2012 schedule, the Slack Auto Parts 150
will mark the third year in a row the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
will travel to Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga.
The Procedure:
The starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26
cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 150 laps (75 miles).
The Track:
Gresham is a high-banked fast half mile that opened late in the 2009
racing season. The facility, which sits on the grounds of the former
Peach State Speedway, underwent a complete renovation under the
Gresham family ownership.
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Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Slack Auto Parts 150 at Gresham Motorsports Park |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71
Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles
and 67 top 10s in 149 career starts.
• Will
become the 16th driver in series history to reach 150 career starts
with this race.
• Has four top 10s in five starts
this year.
• Has an average finish of 11th in the two races at
Gresham. |
Gresham Motorsports
Park History
• Opened in 1967 as Jefco Speedway. Has
also been known as Georgia International Speedway and Peach State
Speedway.
• Played host to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 1967,
1986 and twice in 1987.
• The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series held races
there in 1968 and 1969.
• Re-opened in November 2009 as Gresham
Motorsports Park.
• The inaugural race for the NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East at Gresham, and the first event for the series in the
state of Georgia, was held on Aug. 28, 2010.
• Kevin Swindell
earned the inaugural event pole while Ty Dillon earned his first and
only series win in the event.
• Max Gresham won from the pole at
his family’s track in 2011.
Gresham Motorsports Park
Data
Race: #6 of 14 (6/9/12)
Track Layout: .5-mile
asphalt oval
• Race Length: 150 laps (75 miles)
•
Banking–turns: 12 degrees
• Banking–straights: six degrees |
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The NASCAR Hall of Fame 150
Bowman Gray
Stadium
Winston-Salem, NC
Saturday, June 3rd,
2012 |
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Eddie Finishes 10th
After Starting 10th |
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News &
Notes: K&N East Heads to BGS |
|
The Race:
The fifth of 14 races on the 2012 schedule, the NASCAR Hall of Fame
150 will mark the second year in a row the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
East has traveled to historic Bowman Gray Stadium.
The Procedure:
The starting field is 24 cars, including provisionals. The first 20
cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four
spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will
be 150 laps (37.5 miles).
The Track:
Nicknamed “The Stadium” and “The Madhouse,” Bowman Gray is a flat
.25-mile asphalt oval. The track opened in 1946 and held its first
NASCAR-sanctioned race in 1953.
Race Winners:
Matt DiBenedetto won the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 on June
4, 2011.
Pole Winners:
Coleman Pressley took the first series pole at Bowman Gray in 2011
with a fast lap of 14.722 seconds (60.926 mph).
Home Tracks: Bowman Gray
NASCAR’s longest running sanctioned track,
Bowman Gray Stadium features four divisions of NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series racing on Saturday nights from May-August,
headlined by the famed Modified division. Through May 19, Burt Myers
led brother, Jason, in the Modified standings while Jeff Garrison
(Sportsman), Billy Gregg (Street Stock) and Charlie Curry (Stadium
Stock) were atop their respective divisions. The Modifieds will join
the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with a 100-lap event on June 2.
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Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The NASCAR HALL OF FAME 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium |
Eddie
MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 66 top 10s in
148 career starts.
• Has
three top 10s in four starts this year.
• Finished 13th at Bowman Gray in 2011 after
competing for the lead late in the race. |
| |
Bowman
Gray Stadium History
• NASCAR’s first weekly track,
racing was started at Bowman Gray Stadium in 1949 by Bill France Sr.
and Alvin Hawkins
• Bowman
Gray is one of nine tracks that has been a sanctioned member in each
of the 31 years of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
• Bowman Gray played host to the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series 29 times from 1958-71.
• Other NASCAR national or regional touring series
that have competed at BGS include: Convertible Series (1956-59),
Grand American (1970-72), Grand National East (1972), Goody’s Dash
Series (1989-96), Whelen Southern Modified Tour (2005-pr.).
• The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East made its debut at
Bowman Gray in 2011. |
|
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The Graham Tire 150
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Saturday, May 19,
2012 |
 |
| Eddie Finishes 10th
After Starting 18th |
Eddie MacDonald scored a
tenth place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East/West
combination race in the Graham Tire 150 at Iowa Speedway. Two West
cars finished ahead of the Grimm Construction Chevy giving MacDonald
eighth place East Series points. He currently sits in eighth place
in the point’s race after four events.
“The car was really
fast in the first practice running sixth and we were very happy with
it,” said MacDonald. “We went out on old tires so we expected to be
faster with new tires, but we were not. The car was very loose in
qualifying and I didn’t know what happened. All of a sudden it
didn’t handle anything like it did in practice. We lost some
positions in the second practice but that was because all the other
teams ran stickers. So qualifying the way we did was a real
surprise.”
MacDonald started 18th in the race but could not
get the car to turn saying, “The thing was so loose, we decided to
pit during the caution on lap 38 because we had almost gone a lap
down so we had to pit. Rollie and the crew tightened it up quite a
bit and it got really good. At the halfway break on lap 75, we put
on four new tires.”
Restarting in the 22nd position,
MacDonald began moving through the field saying, “The car was very
fast on the new tires and I was able to pass a lot of cars but after
a while, it got really loose again. We pitted then discovered the
right rear tire was really huge. That was the problem right along.
We had been chasing the car the entire race and tightened it up
quite a bit so now that we knew the problem we had to take out a lot
of the adjustment we made earlier. We were running ninth at the end
but the late race caution killed us. We were not too good on
restarts so at the end I was just trying to hang on to tenth and not
wreck the car when it got crazy with ten laps to go. If that caution
didn’t happen we probably could have picked up a couple of more
positions. It was just one of those strange nights.”
“We had
a great finish here last year and thought we would again but it was
not to be. I really enjoy racing here against the West guys and we
get to do it again later this season, hopefully with a little bit
better result. Rollie and the crew worked their tails off and I
really appreciate all the hard work. My thanks go to Rob Grimm for
making all of this possible and my thanks to a new sponsor, Kustom
Vinyl for coming on board.”
The K&N Pro Series East returns
to action at Bowman Gray Stadium on June 2. |
|
Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Graham Tire 150 East-West Combo at Iowa Speedway |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 7 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• One top five, two 10s
in four E-W combination races at Iowa
• Best overall E-W finish of third in 2011
• Average overall E-W finish at Iowa of 16.25
• Six career series wins
• Two career series poles
• 146 career series starts |
| |
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST-WEST COMBINATION RACE AT
IOWA SPEEDWAY
• There have
been five previous East-West combination races at Iowa Speedway –
one each year from 2007-2011. In addition, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series
West visited the .875-mile track in Newton, Iowa for a stand-alone
series race in 2009.
• Iowa Speedway is located about 30 miles east of Des Moines. It was
designed by NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Rusty Wallace. The track
opened in September of 2006.
• The five East-West combination events have resulted
in five different winners – Joey Logano (2007), Brian Ickler (2008),
Kyle Busch (2009), Max Gresham (2010) and Brett Moffitt (2011).
• The five events have also produced five different
Coors Light Pole winners – Kevin Harvick (2007), Austin Dillon
(2008), Kyle Busch (2009), David Mayhew (2010) and Matt DiBenedetto
(2011).
• Kyle Busch was
the only driver to win the E-W race at Iowa from the pole. Ickler
started the furthest back and won, coming from seventh on the grid.
• Mayhew has the most top-five finishes in E-W action
at Iowa, with three.
• Mayhew,
Jesus Hernandez and Brett Thompson have the most top 10 finishes in
the Iowa combination races, with three each.
• With an average of 5.33, Hernandez has the best
average finish among drivers with at least three starts in E-W
competition at Iowa.
• Moffitt has led the most laps of competition in E-W action at
Iowa, leading the way for 192 circuits.
• Only four drivers competed in all five E-W
combination races at Iowa –Mayhew, Thompson, Daryl Harr and Eric
Holmes.
• The 2010 event
was the only East-West combination race at Iowa to be extended by a
late-race caution for a green-white-checkered finish.
• Toyota has gone to Victory Lane in three E-W
events, while Chevrolet is credited with two wins.
• 123 different drivers have
competed in the five E-W combination events at Iowa. |
| |
Iowa Speedway Data
Race:
(5/19/12)
East – #4 of 14
West - #5 of 15
Track Layout: .875-mile, paved oval
Banking: 10 degrees in the tri-oval, 4 degrees on the
backstretch, 12-14 degrees in the turns
Race Length: 150 laps (131.25 miles) |
|
Sunday, May 6th |
The Spring
Green 112 |
| From a 15th place
grid position, Eddie finished in 17th. |
|
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The Blue OX 100
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, VA
Thursday, April
26, 2012 |
 |
|
Top Ten for Eddie MacDonald at Richmond |
A solid eighth place finish for Eddie MacDonald in the K&N
Pro Series East Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International
Raceway successfully capped an earlier day of frustration
for both driver and crew. With the run, the Grimm
Construction Chevy gained five positions in the point’s race
into ninth.
Rain postponed the scheduled practice
time one hour, so the two scheduled practices were blended
into one. After changing spark plugs at the start of
practice, the car returned to the track and quickly
discovered the car would just not turn in the corners on the
banked three-quarters of a mile oval. After numerous
adjustments the car was still not right with MacDonald
saying, “The car was so tight in the center of the turn the
nose would just push up the track so I couldn’t get back to
the throttle. We made a lot of changes but nothing seemed to
work. It was a pretty frustrating practice. Driving that
track is nothing like Loudon or Dover so it was hard to get
a handle on it. We knew we had to make changes for
qualifying and they did help.”
The # 71 qualified
11th on the starting grid with MacDonald saying, “The car
was better and I was able to hold it on the bottom but we
knew it would still be a handful during the race.” When the
green flag flew, the Rowley, Mass. veteran started on the
inside and planned to stay there as long as possible. “I had
to keep the car on the bottom yellow line of the track. If I
moved up a little, the nose would push up. I just wanted to
ride easy, save the tires and let the leaders use up their
stuff.”
At the halfway flag, MacDonald rode in the
13th position saying, “If I got up off the bottom groove the
car would not turn. It didn’t like the outside and I got
pushed up and I lost a bunch of positions. I started backing
up just before the turns so I could stay on the bottom. It
seemed to be working and the car seemed to be getting
better.”
In the 17th spot on lap 71, MacDonald made a
terrific three wide pass underneath and began heading back
towards the front. A red flag on lap 89 found MacDonald in
the 12th position when the race resumed with only six laps
to go in the scheduled 100 lap event. In two laps, Eddie Mac
was in eighth. A caution flag on lap 99 forced a green white
checker finish to extend the race two laps. MacDonald held
the eighth spot to post his second top ten finish in three
races with a fifth at Greenville being the other.
“We
had a pretty good finish considering the way the car was
earlier. It was crazy out there at the end and I knew the
leaders would be banging on each other. I knew some guys
ahead of me were loose so I knew I could get under them at
the end. We missed the wrecks there at the end and the car
came home in pretty good shape. We just have to get it ready
now for Iowa instead of having to do a lot of body repairs
to it. Everyone worked so hard today in the pits; I really
have to thank them for everything they do.”
Crew
chief Rollie LaChance was equally pleased with the outcome
saying, “I am very happy with our finish. The car came
around near the end so I was pleased with that. Eddie drove
a smart race doing what he needed to do to get the finish we
had. The crew worked hard today and I really have to give
them credit. They are up against other teams that have a
number of paid crew guys from the Cup, Nationwide, and Truck
series. I don’t think they know how much they accomplish at
times. It is hard for us but a day like today shows just how
hard they work and how good they are.”
The Grimm
Racing team will take the green flag next on May 19 at the
Iowa Speedway in the first of two combination races with the
K&N West Series. The team will race their American Canadian
Tour Late Model at Devil’s Bowl in West Haven, Vermont on
Sunday, May 6. |
|
|
 |
LIVE COVERAGE ON SPEED:
The Blue Ox 100 will be carried live on SPEED, which will
mark the first time since the 2008 season that the K&N Pro
Series East has had a points-paying race broadcast same-day.
The exhibition Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown will also
air live from Richmond following the Blue Ox 100. Starts at
7:00 PM EST. |
|
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Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
•
Has six wins, two poles and 64 top 10s in 146 career starts.
•
Finished 14th at Richmond in 2011.
Notebook
• The 2011
Blue Ox 100 was the first stand-alone race at Richmond in NASCAR K&N
Pro Series East history.
• Teams from the NKNPS East competed in
combination with the NASCAR Nationwide Series in five races at
Richmond from 1988-92.
Richmond International Raceway Data
Race: #3 of 14 overall (4/26/12)
Track Layout: .75-mile, D-Shaped
asphalt oval
• Race Length: 100 laps (75 miles)
•
Banking/Corners: 14 degrees
• Banking/Frontstretch: eight degrees
• Banking/Backstretch: two degrees |
|
Sunday, April 15th |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Seventh in
Governor's Cup |
| |
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|
MacDonald and
LaChance Team Up
for First ACT Race of the Season |
Eddie MacDonald and crew
chief Rollie LaChance are ready for the Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee
USA Speedway on Sunday, April 15 in the opener for the American
Canadian Tour. The MacDonald
Motorsports Team will unveil a new
car built by Dale Shaw for owner Fred Petersen.
“We are
really excited to be teamed up with Freddy again to run in the ACT
series this season,” said MacDonald. “We are just putting the final
touches on the new car and after a day of testing, we are
anxious to get it on the track at Lee. Dale did a great job on the
car with Rollie very involved in the building so we feel we know the
car pretty well already. With any new car there will be a learning
curve but we feel comfortable with it.”
Both driver and crew
chief currently compete in the NASCAR K&N East Series and are unable
to enter all the ACT races yet MacDonald feels right at home in the
series saying, “We have competed in the ACT races through the years
whenever our schedule permits and both Rollie and I enjoy running
with these guys. It is a fantastic tour that is well run and has a
ton of talented drivers. Anytime you can win one of these races, you
have really accomplished something. We have had great success in the
past
and hope to continue with a great showing on Sunday. Freddy
is a super owner to drive for and it looks like we will be able to
participate in more ACT races this year than our East schedule has
allowed us in the past.”
Starting the season off at Lee is
exciting for MacDonald since he began racing there while attending
high school. “It’s is a homecoming to race at Lee. My parents, (Judy
and Red) have owned the track since I can remember. My first race
when I was kid was at Lee and racing there for many years is always
a thrill. There is nothing like performing well at your home track
and that is what we hope to do in the Governor’s Cup. We have a lot
of family and fans in the area so it will be fun to see them and run
well in front of them. We can’t wait to take the green flag.”
|
|
ACT NH GOV CUP AT
LEE USA SPEEDWAY
FEATURES 13 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS |
There will be no less than
(13) thirteen former champion drivers entered in the 2012 ACT opener
at Lee USA on Sunday, April 15, 2012. Between them they have
accumulated 48 track and/or touring series championships during
their careers. The annual opening New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150
at Lee USA Speedway is expected to field the best opening day group
of racers in its 22 event history.
Heading the list of former
champions is Brian Hoar, Williston, VT. He is an (8) eight-time ACT
Champion and also owns a Thunder Road and Airborne track
championship. Hoar also is the defending NH Governor Cup winner.
Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT is a (7) seven-time ACT Champion and also
is the 2010 Thunder Road track Champion.
Part-time ACT driver
and noted car builder with nine (9) Oxford Plains Speedway Pro Stock
titles, Jeff Taylor from Farmington, ME, along with two-time Oxford
Pro Stock Champion Ricky Rolfe from Farmington, ME will look to take
the Cup back to the Pine Tree State.
A home track favorite
from New Hampshire and top ACT US competitor will try and bring the
Governor’s Cup back home to the Granite State. Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
has 6 championships; he is a two-time Ford Blue Oval Champion and a
four-time Lee USA track Champion. Another favorite looking for his
first ACT win is Lancaster, NH’s Quinny Welch. He has three titles
at the White Mountain Motorsports Park. Randy Potter from Groveton,
NH is a former Riverside Speedway Champion and veteran ACT
challenger.
Potter’s Crew Chief Pete Knights said, “We really
think we had a ‘bounce back’ season last year. We were in a position
to win at least two or three races but didn’t get the job done.
Winning the opener at Lee would really help our team regain the
momentum we established in 2011. We have had a good off-season
preparing the car and are anxious for the season to start.”
Three-time Airborne Champion Brent Dragon, Milton, VT and another
Airborne Late Model Track Champion Mark Lamberton from Mooers Forks,
NY have entered. “Well, we have a new car built at the McColl shops
in Ontario and have tested it with the McColl folks. I know Richard
Green Racing has been involved in ACT racing for a long time, and I
would love to get things started at Lee like we did last year at New
Smyrna. The key for us is to get the car to last and be consistent.
I would love to have a great season for Rick (owner RGR),” said
Lamberton.
Thunder Road former track Champions Jamie Fisher,
Shelburne, VT and Nick Sweet from Barre, VT are both capable of
contending for the NH Governor’s Cup. Sweet said, “We have taken
over the responsibility for the Mad Dog Racing Team in 2012. That
means that our touring responsibility is to help owner Eric Chase,
but we also get to do some touring, so we will just see what happens
at Lee. I know we are also excited about getting Thunder Road weekly
racing going. It should be a fun race season.”
Two surprise
entries for the 2012 opening event have been received by perennial
title contenders on the ACT Castrol Series in the Province of
Quebec. Former champions Donald Theetge, Boischatel, QC and Karl
Allard from Ste. Felicien, QC will join the rest of the champions.
Theetge will look for his third title in 2012 and Allard will
contest for his second beginning May 26, 2012 at the Castrol Series
opener at the 1/3rd mile speedway in Montmagny, QC, east of Quebec
City.
“This has to be one of the strongest opening day fields
of cars we have ever enjoyed. With all the championship talent
mentioned, we can’t forget about guys like former winner Joey
Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, Eddie
MacDonald, Rowley, MA, and new young star Austin Theriault
from Fort Kent, ME. I am sure there will be other surprises over the
April 15 weekend. Lee NH Gov. Cups have given us nine (9) different
winners in a row. With over forty teams expected to be at the
Governor’s Cup 150, a lot of unexpected things can happen. Fans are
in for a real treat to get the season started,” said Tom Curley,
President of the American Canadian Tour.
The opening event
for ACT at Lee USA will be the first event to qualify the winner for
the Bond Auto ACT Invitational to be held at the New Hampshire Motor
Speedway in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend,
September 22/23, 2012.
The NH Governor’s Cup 150 is scheduled
for Sunday, April 15 at Lee USA Speedway, in Lee, New Hampshire.
Gates will open at 10am. Admission is $25 Adults, $15 Junior 13-16,
and Kids 12
and under free. |
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The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150
Greenville-Pickens
Speedway
Greenville, SC
Sat. March 31 - 8 PM |
| Eddie Finishes
Fifth at Greenville |
Eddie MacDonald took the
green flag in his 145th start in the K&N East Series second race of
the season at the historic Greenville Pickens Speedway posting a
fifth place finish. After rain washed out the qualifying, the grid
was set by NASCAR points with the Grimm Construction Chevy starting
eighth in the Kevin Whitaker 150 on the flat, half mile oval with
the nickname “The old house of racing.”
The Rowley, Mass.
veteran maintained positioning in the top ten throughout the event
and was pleased with the run saying, “We really needed this after
the troubles at Bristol. You always hope you can do better but this
fifth place finish really feels good. Rollie (LaChance) did a great
job with the set up and I was able to keep it low in the corners.
This first turn is the key to a good lap around this place. You have
to be able to run your line to set up for the exit off of turn two,
and the car was perfect.”
On lap 50, the #71 was cruising
along in the ninth position and was not challenged by anyone with
MacDonald saying, “I knew that I just had to run easy for the first
part of the race and let guys burn up their tires if they wanted to
race with the leaders. This place is pretty rough on tires. I think
the last time it was paved was in the mid-eighties, so saving them
for the end is important. With the set up we had, I knew we were not
giving up anything with the tires and would be in good shape for the
final laps.”
At the halfway flag, MacDonald ran comfortably
in the seventh spot and maintained that position until lap 135 when
he made the pass to move to sixth. With only two laps remaining,
MacDonald passed Chase Elliott for the fifth spot. In tech after the
race Eddie Mac said, “I really wanted to get by Chase for the fifth
spot and I have to say he ran me clean. He is a good driver for such
a young kid. We had a lot of fun tonight. It really means a lot to
have this kind of run after the disappointment at Bristol. It is a
tribute to Rollie and the crew for all the hard work everyone puts
into this operation. Hopefully we have found something that we can
build on for our next race at Richmond. We had a terrible run there
last year so we definitely have something to prove at that place.”
Crew chief Rollie LaChance was equally pleased saying, “I am
very happy with our run tonight. The two things that pleased me most
were that the car held up and was sound all night and Eddie drove a
great race. This is really a tough series so to be competitive and
run fifth is a great feeling. We had a number of set ups to try in
practice but we hit on this one early and decided to go with it and
it worked out well. Hopefully we can build on this for Richmond.”
The K&N East Series will take the green flag next in the Blue Ox
100 at Richmond International Raceway on April 26. Speed channel
will air the Greenville race on May 3, at 3:00 PM.
The
MacDonald Motorsports race team will be in action on April 15th at
Lee USA Speedway, all part of the American Canadian Tour 2012 Season
Opener.
|
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|
| |
News &
Notes: East Opens 2012 At GPS
Series Returns To S.C. Track For Seventh
Annual 150
The first of two:
Greenville Pickens is one of two tracks that will entertain the K&N
Pro Series East for a pair of races in 2012 along with Iowa
Speedway, which has added a second combination race with the K&N Pro
Series West. GPS added a second date – which is on the Monday of
Labor Day weekend – for the first time in 2011. |
Statistical Advance:
Analyzing The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 At Greenville Pickens
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 63 top 10s in 145 career starts.
• Has an average finish of 11th and a best finish of third – in 2009
– in six career starts at Greenville.
• His six starts at
Greenville are the most among active drivers.
Up to Speed:
• The
2012 season is the 26th for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
• The 2012 schedule features 14
races at 12 different tracks across 10 states.
• The NKNPS East season opened with
the inaugural series event Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Nelson Piquet Jr. made a
spot-start in the event and won from the pole.
• Following the Kevin Whitaker
Chevrolet 150 at Greenville Pickens Speedway, the NKNPS East will be
idle until the Blue Ox 100 on April 26 at Richmond International
Raceway.
At Greenville Pickens
Speedway:
History
• Opened on July 4, 1946 as a dirt
track. The race surface was converted to asphalt in April, 1970.
• Held 29 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races from 1951-71, including the
first flag-to-flag televised event.
• David Pearson (1959) and
Ralph Earnhardt (1965, 66) are among the famed drivers that have won
championships at the track.
Notebook
• The NASCAR K&N Pro
Series East held its inaugural Greenville Pickens Speedway race on
June 6, 2006 and has returned every year since.
• There has yet
to be a multi-time winner in the first seven NKNPS East events at
Greenville, and Brett Moffitt is the only driver to capture two
poles.
• In the first seven events there have been two drivers
that have won from the pole: Joey Logano (2007) and Moffitt (2011).
Moffitt also set the track qualifying record in the first 2011
event.
• Logano, Austin Dillon (2008) and Darrell Wallace Jr.
(2010) earned their first career NKNPS East wins in events at
Greenville.
Greenville Pickens
Speedway Data
Race: #2 of 14 overall, #1 of 2 at GPS
Track Layout: .5-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 150 laps (75
miles)
• Banking/Corners: 5 degrees
|
| Preparing
for Greenville-Pickens - In the MacDonald Motorsports Shop |
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Photos by
Norm Marx |
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NASCAR, SPEED Announce 2012 Broadcast
Schedule For K&N
Pro and Whelen Modified |
Official Release -
March 30, 2012 - 1:09pm
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR
announced today the 2012 race season programming for the NASCAR K&N
Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on SPEED, including three
races that will air live.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race
at Richmond International Raceway on April 26 and the NASCAR K&N Pro
Series West finale at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday,
Nov. 10 will be live broadcasts, as will the fourth annual
combination race between the NASCAR Whelen Modified and NASCAR
Whelen Southern Modified Tours at Bristol will air live on Aug. 22.
The Richmond race night will also include live broadcast of the
Denny Hamlin Foundation Short-Track Showdown, a NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series Late Model division race.
The broadcast
calendar also includes 23 taped-delayed events for the NASCAR K&N
Pro Series – NASCAR’s top developmental series – which consists of
championships in the East and West. The races will air on Thursdays
at 3 p.m. ET, beginning April 12 with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
season-opener from Phoenix International Raceway, which was run on
March 3. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East opener on March 17 from
Bristol Motor Speedway will air on April 19.
The NASCAR K&N
Pro Series broadcast schedule includes both East-West combination
events at Iowa Speedway. Other highlights include inaugural K&N Pro
Series West events at Havasu (Ariz.) 95 Speedway and NAPA Speedway
in Sandia, N.M. as well as the K&N Pro Series East’s season finale
and first trip to historic Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.
“The
NASCAR K&N Pro Series features the next generation of top-level
NASCAR stars competing alongside accomplished veterans and SPEED’s
coverage of the series provides a great platform to showcase these
drivers,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional
and touring series. “We are also very fortunate to be able to bring
live coverage to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and its passionate
fan base.”
SPEED, in conjunction with NASCAR Media Group,
will air each NASCAR K&N Pro Series tape-delayed race as a one-hour
show. SPEED, with its popular and wide-ranging coverage of NASCAR,
is the nation’s first and only cable television network dedicated to
automotive and motorcycle racing, performance and lifestyle. |
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Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, TN
SATURDAY,
MARCH 17th |
 |
|
CRASH ENDS MACDONALD’S RACE
AT BRISTOL |
By Richard Casey - The first K&N East Series
race of the season, the Widow Wax 125, did not end well for the
Grimm Racing team. Eddie MacDonald was involved in a multi-car crash
on lap 117 resulting in severe front and rear end damage to the car
and a 28th place finish. MacDonald was not injured and expressed his
disappointment with events leading up to the crash.
“We
struggled with the car from the first practice to get it fast but it
just was not meant to be. It was not for lack of trying because we
did multiple spring and shock changes and even changed the truck
arms. Nothing seemed to work. We started 23rd and hoped we would be
able to make the car better at the mandatory caution on lap 70 but
we were part of the caution on lap 64,” said a frustrated MacDonald
.
“The biggest problem was we lost the front brakes. You
don’t use a lot of brake here but when the big wreck happened in
front of me with eight laps to go, I was pumping the brakes and they
just went to the floor and then I was in it hard. Just before that I
was wondering how I was going to slow down at the end of the race.
As it turned out, I stopped pretty quickly and destroyed a great car
in the process. The same guy that wrecked me earlier to lose the
brakes caused the final wreck I was in on lap 117. He did the same
thing to the car passing him on the outside as he did to me earlier
to cause the whole thing. A veteran driver needs to be better than
that. We had a terrible finish and totaled a car. I feel bad for the
guys who worked so hard to get this car ready. The sad part is, the
car was getting better near the end of the race and we probably
could have finished in the top 15. It was not the finish we were
looking for but it would have been a lot better than finishing where
we did, plus with a car that was destroyed.”
“We really
looked forward to coming here to race on the high-banks of Bristol.
This is a tough, competitive series with a lot of talent and Cup
related teams so we have to run the best we can and avoid the
wrecks. Our next race will be at Greenville at the end of the month
and we look forward to having a great run there. I just want to
thank Rob Grimm, our team owner, Rollie, the crew, and all the
people who help out in the shop. This race did not turn out the way
we wanted, but we are determined to get back on track at Greenville. |
|
|
News & Notes: East Opens 2012 At Bristol
First Series Appearance At “World’s Fastest
Half Mile” |
|
Sharing
the stage: The Widow
Wax 125 will mark the first of six companion events for the NASCAR
K&N Pro Series East with NASCAR’s national series this season. The
East will follow the NASCAR Nationwide Series on the Saturday race
card at Bristol. |
|
Statistical Advance: Analyzing
The Widow Wax 125 At Bristol Motor Speedway |
Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm
Construction Chevrolet)
• Has six wins, two poles and 63 top
10s in 144 career starts.
• Has finished in the top seven in the
final NKNPS East standings in each of the previous four seasons.
• Bristol will mark the 12th consecutive season he has made a start,
the longest active streak
in the series. |
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NASCAR Home Tracks Stats - Active Series Career Leaders |
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Wins
Brett Moffitt ... 7
Eddie MacDonald ... 6
Dale
Quarterley ... 6
Darrell Wallace Jr. ... 5
Sergio Peņa ... 3
Poles
Brett Moffitt ...
4
Dale Quarterley ... 4
Darrell Wallace Jr. ... 3
Eddie MacDonald ... 2
Three drivers
with ... 1
Top Fives
Dale
Quarterley ... 31
Eddie MacDonald ... 27
Brett Moffitt ... 20
Darrell Wallace Jr. ... 10
Ryan Gifford
... 9
Top 10s
Dale Quarterley
... 66
Eddie MacDonald ... 63
Brett Moffitt ... 24
Darrell Wallace Jr. ... 18
Ryan Gifford
... 11
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Laps Completed
Eddie MacDonald ... 18,386
Dale
Quarterley ... 18,131
John Salemi ... 7,694
Brett Moffitt ...
4,429
Ryan Gifford ... 3,652
Laps Led
Brett Moffitt
... 749
Dale Quarterley ... 706
Eddie
MacDonald ... 668
Darrell Wallace Jr. ... 393
Sergio
Peņa ... 215
Starts
Dale Quarterley
... 149
Eddie MacDonald ... 144
John Salemi ... 68
Brett Moffitt ... 33
Ryan Gifford ... 26
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GRIMM RACING PREPARES for K&N SERIES OPENER
at BRISTOL on MARCH 17th |
Eddie MacDonald and the
Grimm Racing Team are busy readying for the 14 race K&N Series East
schedule with the first race on the famed half-mile of Bristol Motor
Speedway on St Patrick's Day, March 17. This is the first race for
the East Series at Bristol and the excitement can be felt throughout
the shop.
"This is our Super Bowl of short track racing, just
like Daytona is for the top divisions." said Eddie MacDonald. "We
have been looking forward to this date since it was announced on the
schedule. Everyone in our organization is excited about racing at
Bristol. Personally, I can't wait to get out on that track on test
day in preparation for the race. NASCAR has the East Series
scheduled for the test day on Monday, February 27 and we are looking
forward to learning as much as we can."
Crew chief Rollie
LaChance echoes MacDonald's feelings saying, "This is the Mecca of
short track racing and Grimm Racing applauds NASCAR for its effort
to bring our series to Bristol. The schedule this year is demanding
but looks like a lot of fun but to start with Bristol is something
special. The testing day is huge for us since we do not have any
working knowledge of the place, so running there for an entire day
will give us a lot of information we can use to set up for a
successful race there."
Team owner Rob Grimm committed early
on to run the entire schedule and MacDonald is thankful for his
continued support saying, "None of this would be possible without
Rob. He continues to support this team and it is greatly
appreciated. He and his wife Carla treat us like family so to run
well and even get a win at Bristol would be a great way to say
thanks. There is a lot of work going on at the shop and we are on a
good pace to have everything ready for the season. Rob has given us
everything we need and continues to support us in whatever we need.
I also have to mention that a win on St. Patrick's Day would
certainly mean everything to my father."
LaChance is pleased
with the accomplishments of the team over the winter saying, "Things
have gone well getting everything ready. I am especially pleased
that our composite car that was virtually destroyed at Bowman Gray
has been completely repaired and it is almost ready to go for the
race at Greenville at the end of March. I have to thank Rob Grimm
for everything. With a 14 race schedule, it involves a lot of extra
traveling for us, especially since losing one of the Loudon races
that is almost in our back yard. We will also race twice in Iowa, so
this schedule will be challenging but we feel we will be very
competitive.
The series returns to Greenville and Iowa for
two races and will return for one race at Richmond, Bowman Gray,
Gresham, Langley, Loudon Dover, and Columbus. The series will return
to Raceway Park in Pa. after a long hiatus since the late '80's and
will return to famed Rockingham for the final race of the season.
The series did race there six times with their last appearance in
1992. |
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2012 K&N Pro Series East Schedule
Released
Slate includes three new
venues, six companion events |
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Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
December 23, 2011 - 10:00am
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR
announced today the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule
that features 14 races at 12 different short tracks and
speedways across the eastern United States.
The 26th season of K&N Pro Series
East competition will see NASCAR’s top developmental
division visit 10 states, and will be highlighted by three
additions to the calendar: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway,
Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pa., and Rockingham (N.C.)
Speedway.
“The NASCAR K&N Pro Series
continues to establish itself as a desired destination for
developing talent and the schedule has been designed with
that in mind.” said George Silbermann, NASCAR Vice President
of Regional & Touring Series. “With a diverse mix of
historic short tracks and speedway companion events with the
NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, the 2012 calendar
will provide competitors with the experience they need to
further their careers.”
The 2012 season will commence
with the inaugural K&N Pro Series East event at the “World’s
Fastest Half Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, on March
17 as part of the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend.
It will be the third event in series history in the
Volunteer State.
Greenville (S.C.) Pickens
Speedway is back on the schedule with both spring and fall
dates for the second year in a row. The first race at the
venerable half-mile is slated for March 31 with a return
engagement on Sept. 3 during Labor Day weekend.
Iowa Speedway has also added a
second date for 2012. The sixth edition of the traditional
spring combination event with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
returns to the schedule on May 19 and it will be
complemented with a second combo race on Aug. 3. Both events
at Iowa will be held in conjunction with the NASCAR
Nationwide Series.
In addition to Bristol and the
two Iowa races, the K&N Pro Series East will have three more
companion events in 2012 with NASCAR’s national series. The
East will return to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on
April 26, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on
Sept. 22, and Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept.
28.
The July 14 date at Raceway Park
will mark the third time the K&N Pro Series East has visited
the central Pennsylvania facility, and first since 1988. The
reconfigured facility now features a .625-mile layout.
The 2012 season will conclude
with the inaugural stand-alone race in K&N Pro Series East
history at Rockingham. It will be the series’ first visit to
the high-banked mile, since the East competed in combination
with the Nationwide Series at “The Rock” six times from
1987-92.
Additional 2012 schedule notes:
• In addition to Richmond, three other facilities that
welcomed the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for the first time
in 2011 have returned to the schedule. Historic Bowman Gray
Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., is slated for June 2,
Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va., returns for a June 23 race
and Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway’s event will be July 21.
• Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga., is on
the calendar for the third year in a row with a June 9 race
date.
• The event at New Hampshire moves from a
Friday in recent seasons to Saturday as part of a
doubleheader with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
•
The Rockingham date will be a doubleheader with the NASCAR
Whelen Southern Modified Tour.
• Bristol,
Clearfield and Rockingham will bring the total of tracks in
which the K&N Pro Series East has held stand-alone races to
43 since competition began in 1987.
• All 14 events
will be contested directly in - or in the coverage area of -
the top 100 media markets in the nation.
2012
Schedule HERE
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Previous Race Results HERE << |
