photo by RPM
When Eddie MacDonald takes the green flag to open his NASCAR K & N Pro Series East season at Bristol it will be as defending champion after posting the impressive win last year in the Pittlite 125. The Grimm Construction/Multiple Sclerosis Society Chevy piloted by the veteran racer started 13th in the event last season and had the crowd on its feet as Eddie Mac drove to the front in a door to door battle with Ben Rhodes to lead the final two laps for the win. The Rowley, Mass. driver is entering his 15th year in the series and will start in his 183rd race with hopes to repeat last year’s performance.
“The win last year at Bristol was huge for our team,” said Eddie Mac while preparing the #71 for the race in the Newburyport, Mass. shop. “It was definitely one of the highlights of my career to win there. The track is awesome in every way. You dream about racing there and to get a win there is definitely the icing on the cake. We knew we had a good car despite not qualifying all that well (13th) but Rollie (LaChance) had a great set up and it handled well right from the start. After the break I knew I had something for the leaders and it was a lot of fun to race for the win. That race really gave us the boost we needed to run well the rest of the season even though we ran a part-time schedule.”
The #71 Grimm Construction Chevy posted three top five’s and one top ten finish over the final four races with Eddie Mac saying, “We did not start the season off well and decided to focus our efforts on a limited schedule and it worked out well. The final four races were pretty strong efforts by the team (8th at Langley, 2nd at Loudon, 6th at Iowa, 4th at Dover). We plan to run around six races in the K & N Series this year with the focus on the bigger tracks. Bristol may be only a half mile but it is definitely a big track to us and we hope to have another great showing there in April. It is always fun to race as a companion to the Xfinity and Cup series. We run after the Xfinity 300 on Saturday so we should have a great crowd. It is tough to win in the K & N Series with all the talented teams and drivers and we always put on a great show, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Based largely on his Bristol performance as well as his success in the American Canadian tour, Eddie Mac was recently named Quarter Master Clutch Performer of the Year for 2014. “This award recognizes the hard work the crews for both series put in each and every race,” said the second time recipient of the award (2009). “I have really been lucky to have such dedicated and talented people with me. I am so appreciative Quarter Master presented this award to me. I accept it on behalf of all the people involved. Of course none of this would be possible without the fantastic support from our K & N team owner Rob Grimm. He and Karla have been fantastic since Rollie and I teamed up with them in 2007.”
All of the sponsors for the last few seasons will again support the Grimm Construction Chevy including Stilo, HMS Motorsports, Schroth Racing, Waymart Building Center, Peterson Auto Body, and Kustom Vinyl. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society logo will again be displayed on both rear quarter panels for the season.
“We are very confident we can run well at Bristol and compete for the win,” said Eddie Mac. “It is difficult to win at any level and especially in the K & N Series but we feel we have the car and the set-up to do it. We are excited to get started this year.”
The NASCAR K & N Pro Series East Pittlite 125 will take the green flag on Saturday, April 18 on the famed track billed as “The World’s Fastest Half Mile.”