Triple-treat weekend
MacDonald gets set for three races
LOUDON, N.H. - Eddie MacDonald knew he was going to have his hands full this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The 29-year-old from Rowley, Mass., will be the only driver pulling triple duty by competing in three races in two days, beginning with today’s NASCAR Camping World Series East event.
MacDonald sparked talk of a potential trifecta when he turned a hot lap of 127.079 miles per hour to capture the second pole victory of his career for today’s Heluva Good! Fall 125. But MacDonald jumped into an open-wheel NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car belonging to Southern Modified Tour driver Andy Seuss and posted a subpar qualifying effort (125.302) that left MacDonald 28th in the 40-car grid for tomorrow’s New Hampshire 100.
MacDonald will wrap up his weekend in a 50-lap American-Canadian Tour event, the ACT Invitational.
“We just had a great car in practice and [crew chief] Rollie Lachance just really got the car going good,’’ said MacDonald, who last year swept both Camping World Series events at NHMS and finished sixth at the 1.058-mile oval in June. “He made a bunch of changes right before qualifying while I was practicing the Modified, so I didn’t really know what he was changing, but I had faith that he would get it going fast.’’
MacDonald, who trails Camping World Series East points leader Ryan Truex by 50 points, picked up some extra work in the Modified Tour event when Seuss, who ranks second in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, had a conflict with a race tonight at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.
Asked if his busy schedule made it difficult to focus, MacDonald replied, “No, I don’t think so. It’s a lot of fun to be able to race. I just got to keep remembering which car I’m in so I can drive it differently. The qualifying in the Modified wasn’t that great, but at least we got the pole in the Camping World Series East.’’
“The amount of support I’ve gotten is amazing, even from guys who aren’t on my team,’’ said Speed, in his first full season as the driver of the No. 82 Red Bull
Speed, who grew up in California, moved to Europe when he was 19, lived in England for a year, then Austria for four more years. He also said the smaller NASCAR teams allow for more hands-on involvement, something not possible in Formula One.
“Over there you’ve got 50 guys that have an influence on how that car performs on the weekend. It’s science, really, and pretty cool to see from up close,’’ Speed said. “Here, it’s just a handful of guys on the team, and you and your guys really feel like you can touch every part of it, you know everyone who has done a part to make that car go fast.’’
Newman, who qualified 10th for NASCAR’s 12-man Chase, couldn’t qualify his No. 7 Aggressive Hydraulics Chevrolet fielded by car owner Kevin “Bono’’ Manion because of a conflict with his scheduled Chase Media Day appearance in New York.
Park helped qualify Newman’s car with a lap of 125.753 m.p.h. It was good enough for the 25th starting position in the 40-car grid. Ryan Preece, an 18-year-old from Berlin, Conn., who attends Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Conn., won the pole with a 127.962 lap. Newman, however, will have to drop to the rear of the field at the start of the race.
Park, who qualified 14th fastest (124.272 m.p.h.) is no stranger to NHMS. He has developed some extensive track knowledge having competed in NASCAR’s three national touring series - Sprint Cup, Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series - in addition to the Camping World Series East and Whelen Modified Tour races here.
