 |
The
Graham Tire 150 Iowa Speedway Newton, Iowa Saturday, May 19, 2012 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HOMETRACKS LIVE: K&N East At IOWA -
HERE For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| News & Notes: K&N East-West Meet in Iowa - HERE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Graham Tire 150 East-West Combo at Iowa Speedway - HERE |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HOMETRACKS LIVE: K&N East At GPS -
HERE For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News & Notes: East Opens 2012 At GPS -
HERE 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 - HERE 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: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 NASCAR TOURING SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE ON SPEED | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
HOMETRACKS LIVE: K&N East At BRISTOL -
HERE For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASCAR Home Tracks Stats - Active Series Career Leaders |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Wins Poles Top Fives Top 10s |
Laps
Completed Laps Led Starts |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
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. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
2012 K&N Pro Series East Schedule ReleasedSlate includes three new venues, six companion events |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
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: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
%20(1).jpg)
