Eddie Mac Ninth “On the Road” at VIR

DSC_8478The K&N Pro Series East’s inaugural visit to Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia in the Biscuitville 125 on Saturday marked the first appearance for the series on a road course since Lime Rock Park in 2010. Eddie MacDonald struggled in practice and qualifying on the 2.25 mile, 17 turn track yet posted a satisfying ninth place finish. With his seventh top ten finish this season in ten races, both driver and team owner, Rob Grimm, improved to fourth place in the all-important point’s race.

The Grimm Racing Team arrived at VIR for a full day of practice on Friday and it became clearly evident the Grimm Construction/ Multiple Sclerosis Chevy was down in horsepower to deal with the long straightaways and uphill configuration of the track. When the series ran at Lime Rock many teams suffered the loss of the spec engines that were clearly designed to run oval tracks and not designed for the rigors of right and left hand turns. The #71 ran a “built” engine for durability then and ran the same engine at VIR this past weekend.

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Second Place Run for Eddie MacDonald at Iowa

DSC_8478From the first practice Eddie MacDonald battled his car then thirty-nine other opponents to post a hard-earned second place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series’ Pork Be Inspired 150 at Iowa Speedway. The race was the second of two combination East/West Series events held on the fast 7/8 of a mile speedway. The new Grimm Construction/MS Society Chevy gave the crew fits in the first practice but really came on at the end of the race while the competition faded.

“This is a great finish for us at Iowa. We really needed this for the team,” said Eddie Mac after the race. “It was a crazy day right from the beginning. We were black flagged for a serious tire rub in the first practice. The crew did an outstanding job cutting away the fenders where the tires burned through. We had to replace the composite body affected areas with sheet metal and rivets. It didn’t look pretty but it got the job done. I thank the guys for all their hard work. This new car is super but we keep learning things about it both good and bad.”

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Transmission Woes for MacDonald at Langley

DSC_8478The debut of the new #71 Grimm Racing Chevy in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Visit Hampton Va. 175 at Langley Speedway showed great promise until transmission trouble struck on a lap 52 restart. The 23 car field was set by points when rain wiped out qualifying on the .4 of a mile oval with Eddie MacDonald starting seventh then riding comfortably in the fifth position before problems arose. The Grimm Construction/National Multiple Sclerosis Society entry finished in ninth place after a green/white/checker extended the race to 177 laps.

“The new car was great and I really thought I had something to contend with for the win,” said the disappointed driver after the race. “Everyone worked so hard to get this car ready and it felt super during practice on Friday and then during our two practices on Saturday. The car had a lot of forward bite and really turned well in the corners so we were very optimistic for a top finish.”
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Sensational Comeback for Eddie MacDonald at Richmond

DSC_8478Thirty six NASCAR K&N Pro Series East cars took the green flag in the Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway on Thursday with Eddie MacDonald in the unenviable 33rd starting position. When the checkered flag waved at the end of the 100 lap (75 miles) race the Grimm Construction Chevy scored an impressive fourth place finish.

“We needed that finish after the last couple of races,” said a very pleased driver. “We had a terrible qualifying attempt. The front of the car was hitting the track and it was smoking quite a bit. We had to start the race that way since the cars are impounded after qualifying.”
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It’s Virginia and Vermont for Eddie Mac This Week

DSC_8478After last week’s races in Florida and New Hampshire, Eddie MacDonald and the Grimm Racing Team will take the green flags this week on Thursday at Richmond International Raceway and on Sunday at Thunder Road in Barre, Vermont.

For the third year in a row, RIR will host NASCAR’s K & N Pro Series East event in the Blue Ox 100 as part of the big Cup weekend at the banked .75 mile D-shaped track. When the checkered flag waves sometime Thursday night, the team will pack up for a return to the Newburyport, Mass. shop on Friday to get ready for a Saturday morning departure for the American Canadian Tour race at the historic “bullring” in the Green Mountain state.
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Double Duty for Eddie Mac in Florida and New Hampshire

DSC_8478In less than 24 hours Eddie MacDonald and the Grimm Racing Team competed in two races separated by 1500 miles. On Saturday night, MacDonald finished 15th in the NASCAR K & N Pro Series East race at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. On Sunday afternoon the veteran driver took the checkered flag in third place in the American Canadian Tour’s Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH in the season opener.

The Rowley, Mass. native started 23rd in the inaugural NAPA Auto Parts 150 on the half mile track in Florida and was headed toward the front when the handling went away. A mandatory ten minute break at the halfway mark allowed the teams to make adjustments and change four tires. The #71 Grimm Construction Chevy ran in the 12th spot with MacDonald confident of a good finish.
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