photo by Norm Marx
By: Dick Casey
Second Place ACT Finish for Eddie MacDonald at Oxford Plains Speedway
For the fourth time this season Eddie MacDonald has posted a second place finish, this time in the American Canadian Tour’s Dave’s Small Engines/Ferris Mowers 100 at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday, August 27. The action was relentless from green flag to checkered flag as Eddie Mac battled eventual winner Scott Payea and Brad Babb for much of the race.
The Exit Realty/Hancock Electric Chevy posted fast times in the three brief practices and scored a plus two for his second place run in the heat after starting fifth. Eddie Mac started in the sixth position for the 100 lap feature as part of the Oxford 250 weekend. It did not take the Rowley, Mass veteran long to move into contention when the green flag waved over the 26 car field. The Freddie Peterson owned ride jumped to third place as a result of some heads-up driving by the veteran shoe.
Eddie Mac fell back a couple of positions early as the early leaders were battling for position before making his move to the front again. By lap 28 Eddie Mac rode in third behind Babb and Payea moving up the track to the outside groove when the #17 Ma became tight going into the flat turns of Oxford. From that lap on the three racers battled for position while distancing themselves from the rest of the field. The crowd was treated to a spectacular race as the three raced door-to-door and nose to tail until the #15 faded late in the race. Eddie Mac battled Payea for the lead and the restarts were close but Eddie Mac could not overcome the tight condition and used up tires to take the lead.
“The car was tight in going into the corners and loose of the turns and I used up the tires driving on the outside for much of the race. I tried everything but Scott was just too fast and drove a great race,” said Eddie Mac. “We did gain a few points in the championship race but we were hoping for the win to give us a big boost but we are in a decent position only sixteen points behind Nick Sweet and fourteen behind Payea with two races left. These two guys are tough and we are going to have to post a win to catch them. We are going back to Beech Ridge in a couple of weeks and then to Thompson for the final race of the season so we will have to get great finishes at those tracks.”
“I have to thank the guys on the crew for all their hard work on this hot day,” said Eddie Mac. “Rollie (LaChance) and I would not be able to do any of this without Tom Rice, Rob Drandson, Ryan LaChance, and Dave “Logger” Ricker. Laura LaChance made it to the track to spot after dropping daughter Rachel off to begin her college career. You can always find our car owner Freddie Peterson cleaning the car after every practice. It is no wonder Peterson Auto Body in Peabody is such a successful business. Derek Beatrice from Exit Realty brought a bus load of Exit people to the race and I hope they had a good time. Kenny and Scott Thompson from Hancock Electric have sponsored our efforts for years and we can’t thank the enough. Of course, our K&N team owner Rob Grimm makes this all possible and we are proud to carry the National Multiple Sclerosis logo on our car. HMS, Stilo, Schroth Racing, A&B Vending help us in a number of ways and we are thankful. A shout out to Jolene Drandson who handles our social media and keeps everyone informed to what is happening on the track. Special thanks to my girlfriend Kelyn Harrell for all the support and encouragement.”
The American Canadian Tour will return to Beech Ridge Motor Speedway for a two day event beginning with practice and qualifying on Saturday September 17 and the Fall Foliage 200 lap feature on Sunday.