Heather Aube photo
Eddie MacDonald going for third straight win on the Magic Mile
LOUDON, NH – A full field of American Canadian Tour Late Model competitors will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Saturday, September 23 for the Ninth Annual running of the ACT Invitational with over $76,000 on the line.
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Mass. – driver of the Hancock Electric/Exit Realty No. 17 – looms as the man to beat.
South Hadley, Mass.’s Wesley Johnson (right) celebrates his win in the 33rd M&M Beverage Enduro 200. (Alan Ward photo)
Barre, Vt. – South Hadley, MA’s Wesley Johnson emerged victorious in the 33rd M&M Beverage Enduro 200 at Barre’s Thunder Road on Sunday, August 6. The 30-year-old topped a field of 105 entries to pocket $3,000 for his victory in front of a capacity crowd at the Barre high banks.
Johnson found his way into the top-three around the halfway point of the event, and at one point found himself in a three-way battle for the lead with Granitville’s Frank Putney and Monson, Mass.’s Bill Davis. While Putney eventually was forced to pit with problems and Davis encountered a pair of on-track skirmishes, Johnson held steady and was the only driver to complete all 200 laps.
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald scored a 12th place finish in the K&N Pro Series East’s United Site Services 70 at NHMS on Saturday, July 15. The K&N series returned to the Loudon track for the annual NASCAR Cup weekend.
Eddie Mac posted a 15th place start in qualifying but was moved to the 20th position after sustaining an infraction in tech. The Grimm Construction Chevy moved into the 12thposition despite fighting a loose condition. Eddie Mac never got the caution he needed to bunch up the field that quickly spread out after the only caution on lap four. The 70 lap feature took only 39 minutes and forty-five seconds to run leaving no opportunity to make any significant progress.
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald returned to Thompson Speedway Motor Sports Park for Saturday’s Busch North Throwback 100 after an eight year series hiatus to post a thirteenth place finish. The Grimm Racing Team honored legendary Busch North driver Andy Santerre by displaying the Aubuchon Hardware paint scheme for the race. While the period wrap was a huge hit with Santerre and Busch North fans, the desired outcome was not achieved.
Eddie Mac started the 100 lap feature event in the 15th position and appeared to have a competitive car early on but the car developed a loose condition by lap 20 with the Rowley veteran saying, “It felt good early in the race and I was able to pass cars but then it really started getting loose so we decided to pit on the lap 31 caution for a minor adjustment. Even that little bit just flipped it and it was too tight. We made another pit stop but the car never got to where we needed it to be. In hindsight, we probably should have left it alone but we were trying to make something happen.”
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
When the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East announced the race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 8 would be named the Busch North Throwback 100, Eddie MacDonald’s first thought was to honor the driver who meant so much to the series and a young impressionable driver. K&N series official’s encouraged current teams to adopt a former Busch North team’s paint scheme. Both Eddie Mac and team owner Rob Grimm quickly decided to wrap the Grimm Construction Chevy in the Aubuchon Hardware paint scheme made famous by their legendary driver, Andy Santerre.
“This is very special that we are able to do this to honor one of the truly great drivers anywhere,” said Eddie Mac while preparing the car for the Thompson race. “I have always looked up to Andy as a driver and as a person. What made him so great just wasn’t just his incredible driving ability but the way he treated everyone. Andy would go out of his way to help anyone even though he was competing against that driver. He wanted everyone to do well and knew that made the series stronger. If there was one driver to emulate, it was Andy.”