Twelfth Place Finish for Eddie MacDonald at Oxford
Eddie MacDonald struggled with a loose handling car to post a 12th place finish in the 150 lap PASS race at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday, October 19. Adding to the problem was the over aggressive push from a competitor during the heat race.
During the first two of four fifteen minute practices, Eddie Mac’s EXIT Realty/Hancock Electric/Grimm Construction Chevy performed well on the old practice tires from the Oxford 250 but the handling and speed disappeared when the new Hoosier tires were bolted on the Freddie Peterson owned ride.
“I was happy with the car the first two practices on the old tires because it entered the corners great and cut the center and I was able to drive off, “ said Eddie Mac. “When we put the new tires on the car just developed a loose condition going into the turns and off right away. Rollie (LaChance-crew chief) made what adjustments he could in the short amount of practice we had but the loose condition just continued.”
With 41 Super Late Models on hand vying for starting positions in the feature a solid finish in the heat race was essential. Eddie Mac started eighth in the third of four heats with the top six from each heat making the feature. A caution flag on the third lap of the heat set the stage for more trouble. When the green flag waved to resume action, the #88 car just drove Eddie Mac into turn one without lifting and sent the #17ma sliding through turn two. By the time Eddie Mac regained control; he trailed the field to finish seventh and relegated to the consi race. Starting third in that 15 lap race, Eddie Mac finished second for a 26th starting spot in the feature.
Passing on the Oxford bullring is difficult but couple that with a loose racecar, it is nearly impossible to pass on the flat, quarter mile oval. Eddie Mac was mired deep in the field that ran side by side for much of the early going along with the fact no cautions until lap 122 made passing even more difficult. By lap 76, the leader passed Eddie Mac to put him one lap down. Through attrition Eddie Mac drove in the top 15 cars and was second in line for the lucky dog when he caution waved on lap 122.
Eddie Mac battled the #03 side by side for the next lucky dog position eventually losing the spot on lap 131 before only the second caution on lap 140 set the stage for the final ten laps. When the checkered flag waved, the Rowley, Mass. veteran crossed the line in 12th place.
“This was not the way we wanted to race and it is very disappointing to finish like this,” said Eddie Mac after the race. “We just missed the set up and we were surprised how loose the car was with the new tires. When I first went out on the old tires the car handled completely different. We thought we had the right set up for the race so it is frustrating to have the car react this way.”
“Thanks to Freddie Peterson, our car owner, for all that he does for us and hopefully we will have a better run for him next week at Seekonk,” said Eddie. “We appreciate the support of Derek Beatrice from EXIT Realty, Scott and Kenny Thompson from Hancock Electric, and Rob Grimm from Grimm Construction. Of course, none of this would be possible without our crew consisting of Tom, Craig, Warren, Ryan, Hoppy, and Laura for all their hard work.”
Next Saturday, Eddie Mac will return to Seekonk Speedway for the season finale Pro Stock/Super Late Model feature.
