CARQUEST Fall Final 150
2008 CW East
Race 13 |
Stafford
Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT -
.500 mile
Sunday, October 12th |
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EDDIE’S FIFTH PLACE
FINISH AT STAFFORD
COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL SEASON |
Eddie MacDonald escaped
the mayhem at the conclusion of the CARQUEST Fall Final
150 at the Stafford Motor Speedway to post a satisfying
fifth place finish in the final Camping World Series
East race of the season. After struggling in practice
and qualifying 23rd on Saturday, the run was especially
satisfying for the team.
“It was exactly what we needed. We were hoping for a
little better but considering yesterday’s qualifying run
that was so bad, this was a good finish. Rollie and the
guys changed just about everything in the car last night
and this morning. The only thing that stayed the same in
the car was me. We didn’t know what to expect when the
race started but they did a awesome job,” said MacDonald
after the race.
When the green flag waved, the Grimm Construction/NEMO
sponsored Chevy began moving to the front. By lap 30,
MacDonald was in the 19th spot on the grid and into the
10th position on the lap 46 restart. At the halfway mark
MacDonald was in eighth place then a number of caution
flags near the end gave MacDonald the opportunity to
gain three more positions.
“It was just a little tight in the center and just a
little loose off the corners but we were able to avoid
all the wrecks and sneak our way up there,” said the
Rowley, Mass. driver. “It did get a little crazy out
there but it is always like that on these short tracks.
It gets real tight on the restarts at the end and it was
great we weren’t involved in anything.”
Crew chief Rollie LaChance said after the race, “I’m
very pleased. The car just moved forward all day long
and Eddie did a good job maintaining. We didn’t try to
set the world on fire. We picked them off sometimes one
at a time; sometimes we got a bunch on a couple of
restarts. They worked out well for us. I am real
thrilled with the run because we changed four springs;
two shocks, front and rear sway bars after qualifying so
bad. It was a lot of changes to throw at a car but it
worked out for us.”
With the two huge wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway,
six top five finishes, and scoring seventh in the points
race, the driver, crew chief, and owner all expressed
satisfaction with the season.
MacDonald said, “ It was fairly decent. We had a lot of
ups and downs. We had a lot of top five runs that were
great. We had fuel pump and engine issues that cost some
decent finishes and hurt us in the points but I am very
happy to finish seventh considering the problems we had.
This season is something to build on for next year. We
are planning on running the same thing next year and
hopefully we will find some more sponsorship over the
winter. I want to thank my sponsors and crew. They did a
great job throughout the whole year. We are so lucky to
have Ron and Becky Bennett from NEMO and it is nice to
have Rob Grimm as the team owner because he really
understands the whole thing. When things get bad, he
doesn’t get down. He just wants to find a way to fix it.
We have a super group of guys, especially with Rollie as
the leader. Hopefully we can come back a little stronger
next year.”
LaChance was quick to add, “I think it was a very
successful season. It was successful with the first
Loudon win and everything after that was a bonus. The
second Loudon win was nice because it backed up the
first win. It was not just a lucky win. We led the most
laps and we had the best car.”
The veteran crew chief is already gearing up for next
year saying, “We are going to go after it again next
year. It will be similar to this year. There s no big
sponsor in place but it is being worked on. We’ll spend
the fall trying to organize the structure here and
making the tools we have a lot more useful to us. Then
we’ll take some time getting the road course and the
back-up car done. We are taking the Loudon car to
Irwindale.”
Team owner Rob Grimm reflected on the day and the season
saying, “ I was not at all surprised we finished fifth
after our qualifying effort. I’ve learned that if anyone
can get it done, it is these guys. It is nice to end the
season on a high note and look forward to next season. I
am happy to be in the top ten in points in only our
first full year. It is a strong showing. I am looking
forward to improving next year. We really learned a lot
and we have the guys in place to make it happen.”
NEMO sponsor Becky Bennett shared her enthusiasm after
the race saying, “This is absolutely fabulous. It was
very exciting. Eddie is a great entertainer and I knew
he would do the best he could. This season has been
unbelievable and the Loudon wins were the frosting on
the cake.”
The team will now focus on improving on last year’s
fifth place finish in the Toyota All Star Showdown in
Irwindale, California in January. |
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