Apr 26, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by RPM 360
After posting the fastest time in practice on Saturday, Eddie MacDonald hoped to repeat his 2014 win in this year’s American Canadian Tour Exit Realty Governor’s Cup 150 at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday. When the checkered flag waved Eddie Mac crossed the stripe for a frustrating eighth place finish.
“We made an adjustment late Saturday that really helped us in the short run but killed us in the long run,” said the driver of the Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy. “The car was pretty fast on Saturday and we thought the change would help the car in the late stages of the race but it didn’t turn out that way. It was pretty frustrating knowing I didn’t have the car to win it. With all our family and friends here, it would have been great to win it on our home track.”
Eddie Mac posted a plus one in his qualifying heat to start 13th in the 32 car field scheduled to go 150 laps around the 3/8ths of a mile oval owned and operated by Eddie’s parents Judy and Red MacDonald who are celebrating their thirtieth year operating the track. The American Canadian Tour’s Governor’s Cup had to be rescheduled from an earlier date due to weather concerns. When the green flag finally dropped to open the Lee USA season, Eddie Mac was comfortable riding the Freddie Peterson owned #17 near the middle of the pack to conserve tires. ACT rules do not allow teams to change tires unless damaged.
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Apr 19, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway
photo by Norm Marx
Eddie MacDonald spent the weekend racing, literally, after posting an impressive eighth place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Pittlite 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night then flying into Boston on Sunday morning then race to Oxford Plains Speedway to score a third place finish in the ACT Tour’s Oxford 100 later that afternoon.
Nothing was easy for the Grimm Racing team beginning Wednesday evening when the lift gate on the hauler malfunctioned and unable to close with the car loaded in the top. With the gate stuck eight feet in the air, two ramp trucks and a construction forklift were called into service to free the car. One ramp truck was place on top of the other and supported by the forklift, the Grimm Construction/Multiple Sclerosis Chevy was rolled from the hauler on to the ramp truck and eventually lowered to the ground. The car and the equipment were loaded into two car trailers the following morning for the trek to Bristol.
“That was something you do not see every day,” laughed Eddie Mac. “We knew the weekend would be hectic making two races in Tennessee then Maine in two days, so to start out like this was definitely strange. Fortunately Rob (Grimm) knew the right people to call to get the car down and those guys worked until one in the morning. Then early the next morning Rob’s guys showed up to help us load the trailers for the trip. It was a huge relief to get to the track that night without anything else happening. Racing was easy after all that.”
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Apr 13, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Maine Race Tracks, Maine Racing News, More Maine Racing News, Oxford Plains Speedway, PASS, Touring Series News
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
The real race for Eddie MacDonald begins Sunday morning in Bristol, Tennessee when the team will race to Charlotte Airport in No. Carolina to catch a plane to Boston Mass. then drive to Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine in time to run in the ACT 100 later that afternoon. The beat the clock schedule is due to Eddie Mac running in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“It will be a crazy couple of days so we are hoping everything falls into place so we can arrive at Oxford for the last practice,” said Eddie Mac. “We did a lot of work on the Hancock Electric/Exit Realty Chevy so we hope to get some practice in to just check things out. Rollie has a pretty good set up for Oxford but there is always something that needs attention.”
Exit Realty Beatrice Associates has signed on again this year and will sponsor the #17 Ma. for the entire season with Eddie Mac saying, “Having Exit Realty on board for the full season is a huge benefit for our race team since we hope to try to compete in all the ACT races. We look forward to working with Derek Beatrice again this season. He helped us out last year in the ACT, K&N, and Cup races and we really appreciate all Exit Realty has done for us and will continue to do this season.
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Apr 12, 2016 | More Maine Racing News, NASCAR K&N
photo by RPM 360
By: Dick Casey
Eddie MacDonald and the Grimm Racing Team will open the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season in the 5th annual Pittlite 125 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 16. Eddie Mac will pilot the Grimm Construction/Multiple Sclerosis Chevy in the first of the five race partial schedule the team will compete in this season.
Eddie Mac has achieved great success on “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” posting a win in 2014, a seventh in 2013, and an impressive sixth place finish after recovering from a flat tire in last year’s race with the Rowley, Mass. veteran driver saying, “We love racing at Bristol and feel we have a chance to win every time we come here. We had a great car last year but got a flat (lap 49) to go a lap down but we came all the way from the rear to post a sixth place finish. Rollie (LaChance) has a great set up for Bristol so we hope we can run up front and be there at the end.”
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Apr 5, 2016 | American Canadian Tour, Lee Speedway, More Maine Racing News, NE Racing News
photo by RPM 360
Eddie MacDonald will take the green flag at Lee USA Speedway, his family-owned track, on Sunday, April 10 in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150 American Canadian Tour’s 25th season opener. As the 2014 Governor’s Cup winner, Eddie Mac would like nothing better than to start the season off with a victory on the track he honed his skills as a teenager.
“We are really looking forward to this race and hope to win in front of all our families and friends,” said Eddie Mac. “My parent’s, Judy and Red, will be celebrating their 30th season owning and operating Lee. It would be awesome to win this for them for everything they have done for me. They haven’t put any pressure on me to win other than my father expecting me to win every race, but I know it would mean a lot to them.”
Following last season’s finale in the Fall Brawl at Speedway 51 the #17 Freddie Peterson owned Hancock Electric/Exit Realty Chevy needed extensive body repairs with Eddie and the crew spending a lot of shop time getting the car back in shape with Eddie saying, “We had to replace all the body panels, nerf bars and just about everything else you could think of but it looks great and we think it will be fast once we hit the track. The guys worked hard getting everything done. Joe St. Jacques did a great job with metal and tin and John Tiernan did his usual great job with the paint and lettering. Rob Drandson took care of all the welding. Herbie Wing and Dick Casey were the guys taking everything apart and putting it all back together. Rollie and I have been putting the final touches in for the set up so we are ready to go.”
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