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2012 K&N Pro Series East Schedule ReleasedSlate includes three new venues, six companion events |
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Jason Cunningham, NASCAR
December 23, 2011 - 10:00am DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR announced today the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule that features 14 races at 12 different short tracks and speedways across the eastern United States.The 26th season of K&N Pro Series East competition will see NASCAR’s top developmental division visit 10 states, and will be highlighted by three additions to the calendar: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pa., and Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. “The NASCAR K&N Pro Series continues to establish itself as a desired destination for developing talent and the schedule has been designed with that in mind.” said George Silbermann, NASCAR Vice President of Regional & Touring Series. “With a diverse mix of historic short tracks and speedway companion events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, the 2012 calendar will provide competitors with the experience they need to further their careers.” The 2012 season will commence with the inaugural K&N Pro Series East event at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, on March 17 as part of the spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend. It will be the third event in series history in the Volunteer State. Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway is back on the schedule with both spring and fall dates for the second year in a row. The first race at the venerable half-mile is slated for March 31 with a return engagement on Sept. 3 during Labor Day weekend. Iowa Speedway has also added a second date for 2012. The sixth edition of the traditional spring combination event with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West returns to the schedule on May 19 and it will be complemented with a second combo race on Aug. 3. Both events at Iowa will be held in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In addition to Bristol and the two Iowa races, the K&N Pro Series East will have three more companion events in 2012 with NASCAR’s national series. The East will return to Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on April 26, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sept. 22, and Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept. 28. The July 14 date at Raceway Park will mark the third time the K&N Pro Series East has visited the central Pennsylvania facility, and first since 1988. The reconfigured facility now features a .625-mile layout. The 2012 season will conclude with the inaugural stand-alone race in K&N Pro Series East history at Rockingham. It will be the series’ first visit to the high-banked mile, since the East competed in combination with the Nationwide Series at “The Rock” six times from 1987-92. Additional 2012 schedule notes: |
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The DOVER 150 Dover International Speedway Dover, DE FRIDAY, SEPT. 3O - 5:15 PM |
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| FOURTH PLACE FINISH FOR EDDIE AT DOVER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eddie MacDonald and the Grimm Racing Team closed out the K&N Pro
Series East schedule with an impressive fourth place finish in
the Dover 150 at the Dover International Speedway. After
“terrible” practice and qualifying sessions, the #71 Grimm
Construction Chevy fought its way from a 26th starting position
to post its second top five run in the final two events of the
season. “We were just terrible in practice so the crew spent all of Friday morning changing everything, including the radiator cap, and even though qualifying was not good, the car was a lot better,” said the Rowley, Mass. veteran. “I have to thank those guys for all their hard work. It is because of them, we had the finish we did. It feels great to run fourth on this track and we finally had some luck on our side for a change. There were guys in front of us that had flats, wrecks, or ran out of gas and that helped us get to the front.“ By lap 20 MacDonald was in 18th and on lap 37 took over the 10th spot on the “Monster Mile” and was able to gain two more positions before the caution flag waved on lap 71. With the leaders pitting, Eddie Mac restarted in the third spot when racing resumed on lap 83. Another caution on lap 100 gave the team an opportunity to pit for tires and gas. Even a flat tire came at the best time as the crew was able to send the Grimm Chevy back to the track with four new Goodyears with MacDonald saying, “We ran our first set of tires for nearly one hundred laps, so when we went back to racing we had to start near the rear but with the new tires we were able to pass a lot of cars on our way to the front. Guys really started having problems then, so that helped us even more.” With 25 laps to go, Eddie Mac was running in the 12th spot and moving quickly through the field. While running seventh with four laps to go, the leader Moffitt crashed hard into the wall to set up a green/white checker finish. Restarting in sixth, MacDonald passed two cars in the final two laps to finish fourth in the 152 lap event. “We had a tough season so it was great for everyone associated with this team to run fourth on a track that is as difficult as this one,” said MacDonald. “We have had a number of things go against us this year so it was fun to have things fall our way despite the bad start. To end the season on a positive note is a lot of fun for everyone. I really thank Rob and Carla Grimm for everything they have done. Our sponsors and fans have been terrific. Rollie and the crew have worked hard and it is great to finish strong. I hope everyone gets to watch the race on Speed.” With the run last week at New Hampshire and this week at Dover, Eddie Mac finished the season in seventh place in the point’s race, while Rob Grimm finished eighth in the owner’s race. The Dover 150 will be televised on Speed Channel at 7pm this Thursday, Oct. 6. |
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LIVE: K&N East At DOVER -
HERE For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
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News & Notes: September 30th
in DOVER -
HERE
Fast Facts |
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Statistical Advance: THE
DOVER 150 -
HERE Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Chevrolet) • Has six wins, two poles and 62 top 10s in 143 career NKNPS East starts. • Is seventh in the standings with six top 10s. Best finish this year is third at Iowa Speedway. • Has three top 10s in nine previous starts at DIS. Best finish is third in 2004. |
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The ACT Invitational 50 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, NH Sat. September 24th |
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 Photo by Chris Roy |
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| EDDIE WINS THE ACT INVITATIONAL AT NHMS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After battling Nick Sweet over the final fifteen laps, Eddie
MacDonald fought his way to the lead on the final turn of the 50
lap ACT Invitational to capture the event for the second time in
three tries after winning the inaugural. The “Outlaw” started
deep in the pack in the 25th position before taking the lead on
lap 32 of the 43 car field. The #17 Hancock Electric Pontiac was fastest in practice and is the same car that won the inaugural event three years ago. A faulty coil burned Eddie Mac’s chances of sweeping both ACT races this season when his day ended with 14 laps remaining in during the Indy race weekend. MacDonald and crew chief Rollie LaChance were not to be denied this weekend. The epic battle with Sweet over the last 15 laps had the crowd on its feet while the race was not settled until the final turn on the final lap. MacDonald appeared headed to a comfortable win after taking the lead with 18 laps remaining. However Sweet motored his way to MacDonald’s tail and the duo raced the final 15 laps door to door while swapping the lead four times. Two caution flags on laps 41 and 45 bunched the cars but it was the two leaders that set the stage for the incredible finish. The Hancock Electric Pontiac had the better restarts and was better in turns one and two but Sweet was very strong in turns three and four with MacDonald saying, “That car was fast. Every time I thought I had him cleared he was right at my door. Nick drove an incredible race.” Sweet took the lead for two laps on lap forty but MacDonald fought back on the outside. Eddie Mac regained the lead only to lose it again to set up the final lap with the two door to door all the way around the track. That is when the veteran driver made the move coming out of turn four to seal the win saying, “I didn’t know it was Nick in that car. I feel bad cutting him off but I wanted to do everything I could do to win. We were lucky at the end. I was so psyched to get my new sponsor Hancock Electric in victory lane. Kenny Thompson has been really great helping us out beginning this year in New Smyrna. It really feels good to be back in victory lane and I want to thank Rollie and the crew and our East team owner Rob Grimm for everything they have done. We are definitely going to enjoy this for a while. Our fans are the best and I am so happy we got this win for them to share with us.” |
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The New Hampshire 125 New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, NH Fri. September 23rd |
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Statistical Advance: New
Hampshire 125 -
HERE Eddie MacDonald (No. 71 Chevrolet) • Has six wins, two poles and 61 top 10s in 142 career NKNPS East starts. • Is eighth in the standings with five top 10s. • Has three wins, a pole and 10 top 10s in 22 career starts at NHMS. Was ninth in July. |
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The Kevin Whitaker Chevrol Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville, SC Mon. September 5th |
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| TOP TEN FOR MACDONALD AT GREENVILLE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The K&N Pro Series East finally returned to action after a month
long hiatus plus an additional week when rained delayed the
Labor Day event at Greenville Pickens Speedway to this past
Saturday. “The Old House of Racing” hosted the Kevin Whitaker
140 and hopes were high in the Grimm Racing pits after a first
practice run in seventh place for Eddie MacDonald, followed by
an eleventh place run in the second practice. The veteran driver
finished the race in the ninth position and moved up one spot to
seventh in the point’s race with two events remaining. A less than satisfying run in qualifying would start the #71 Chevy deep in the field in the 19th position with MacDonald saying, “I thought I had a good car and everything felt good but something happened in our one lap qualifying run. I don’t know if I slipped up the track or what happened but starting that deep in the field we knew was going to be a problem. There are just so many good cars, we knew we had to be patient and get some breaks.” At the halfway flag, MacDonald was running in the tenth spot and hoping to pick up some more positions saying, “The car was still going good but then I got stuck behind four cars that just covered the track and there was nowhere to go. This track is tight, flat and hard to pass on, so you end up using up the tires, brakes and everything else to get to the front. The long green flags did not help any either. By the time I finally cleared the lapped cars I could only move up to eighth. By that time we only had about fifteen laps left and I was trying to hold on without losing any more spots. The tires were pretty used up by then and I ended up losing one spot to finish ninth.” “Of course, we would liked to have a better finish and who knows what we could have done if not for the qualifying run but we will move on to Loudon for our next to last race and fight to have a good run there,” said MacDonald. “We are not pleased with the season so far so a good solid run there and at Dover will really help. We know we can run better and we have at times this season , so having two consistent runs to end the season will go a long way for our team.” The K&N Series will take the green flag next at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, September 23rd as part of the big Sprint Cup weekend. MacDonald has also been invited to participate in the American Canadian Tour Invitational that same weekend. Speed Channel will air the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 on Thursday, September 15 at 7 PM. |
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News & Notes: Labor Day Date In Greenville - HEREK&N Pro Series East Resumes Schedule In South CarolinaDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to historic Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway for the second time in 2011 on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5. The second event of the year for NASCAR’s top development series at one of its longest-standing sanctioned facilities was scheduled on Labor Day weekend to tie in with the popular South Carolina State Fair, and in the process the race will sit squarely in the middle of a late-season points battle. Following a six-week break in the schedule following the last event at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway on July 23, Max Gresham will look to the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 at Greenville Pickens as an opportunity to get one step closer to the championship. Race Notes Racing on a Monday: The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 140 is believed to be the first race in the 25-year history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East to be originally-scheduled to run on a Monday. Second event at GPS: The K&N Pro Series East has gone to Greenville Pickens Speedway each year since 2006, but this will mark the first time that the half mile has played host to the series twice in the same season. This will also be the first of the seven all-time events scheduled for 140 laps. |
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| Statistical Advance: Whitiker Chevrolet 140 - HERE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eddie MacDonald (No. 71
Chevrolet) • Has six wins, two poles and 60 top 10s in 141 career NKNPS East starts. • Is eighth in the standings with four top 10s. • Has an average finish of 11th and a best effort of third in five career starts at GPS. • The longest-tenured driver on the pre-entry list. This is his 11th year in the series. |
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LIVE: K&N East At GREENVILLE -
HERE For the Event Schedule, Entry List, Practices, Qualifying, Lap by Lap, & Results |
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.jpg) The Late Model All-Star Challenge |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway Loudon, NH Fri./Sat. August 12th/13th |
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| EDDIE NEARLY COMPLETES THE SWEEP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After posting two impressive wins in the ACT All-Star Challenge
at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Eddie fell 14 laps shy of
winning the final segment when an ignition problem ended his run
for the title. The Hancock Electric Pontiac started 35th after
the first 36 cars were inverted for the final 50 lap segment.
Eddie won the first 25 lap feature Saturday morning then lined
up 35th when one car could not take the green flag for the 6:30
p.m. start. Eddie moved through the pack into 14th place by lap 17, and then set his sights on the lead saying, “The car was really fast and I was able to pick my way through the field. I saw Brian (Hoar) on the move and knew we were going to be racing at the end. At least I thought we were. I was able to drive the car anywhere it was so good.” Eddie raced to the lead on the 23rd circuit and appeared headed for his second ACT win at the “Magic Mile” after winning the inaugural ACT Invitational two years ago. “I knew Brian was close behind me and it seemed we were both saving our stuff for the end. We were making our way through some lapped traffic and gearing up for the final laps. I knew he would be coming but my car felt great so I felt we had something for the end. I was getting ready for the restart with 14 laps to go when the motor stalled going into turn one. It would not re-fire and we ended up getting pushed in and that was it. It really stinks that something like the ignition put us out. We almost had it but that’s just racing. We had great runs in the heat and the first segment then almost finished it off but it was not meant to be.” “We will be back for another shot at it in September. I want to say thanks to Kenny Thompson from Hancock Electric for all his support this season. Hopefully we can get him the win next time we are here. Congratulations to Brian and his team for their win and hope we have a chance to race him for the win again in September,” said Eddie. |
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| EDDIE WINS SEGMENT #1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Eddie has taken the win in Saturday mornings first 25 lap
segment. The #17 was a few car lengths ahead of Brian Hoad but
almost a full straightaway ahead of Tom Carey, Joey Laquerre and
Austin Theirault.in 3rd through 5th. With the massive invert, Eddie will now start in 36th for the second segment at 6:30 PM today. |
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| EDDIE WINS POLE IN ACT RACE AT NHMS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By Richard Casey - Eddie, Rollie and the crew established
themselves as the team to beat with a spectacular qualifying run
to take the pole position for the third ACT Invitational at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway. Eddie will be looking to win for the
second time in three years after winning the first ever ACT race
at the “Magic Mile.” Eddie started 15th in the second heat of the day and raced to the lead on the 12th lap of the 20 lap qualifying heat. The Grimm Construction/NEMO Pontiac was able to hold off all contenders to take the checkered flag with a +14 finish, which was good enough to take the pole. The ACT Tour uses a plus/minus system to determine starting positions. Eddie said after the run, “The car was really good and fast and with the level of completion here this weekend we will have to be even better tomorrow. It really feels good to start on the pole because it means everyone is doing a great job on this car.” The first 25 laps will be run at 10:30 Saturday morning, and then the final 50 laps will be run at 6:30 in the evening. To complicate matters the first 36 cars will be inverted for the final 50 laps with Eddie saying, “It will be difficult for the top guys, and I hope I am one, to come from the back to challenge for the win in 50 laps. It may sound easy but there are a lot of good cars so the leaders will need to pass to get to the front. We will do our best to win the first segment then take our chances over the final 50 laps. It will be a tough day but it will also be a fun day.” |
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| GRIMM RACING AND UNOH TEAM UP AGAIN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test day at Greenville Pickens Speedway on March 10th with help from 3 UNOH students | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Grimm Racing Team and three students from the University of
Northwestern Ohio met at the legendary Greenville Pickens
Speedway in South Carolina for a day of testing Eddie
MacDonald’s car for the K&N Pro Series East season opener at the
track on March 26. The scheduled one testing day turned into two
when weather forced the team’s return to the half mile oval on
Friday March 10. After an eight hour ride from the University’s campus in Lima, Ohio, Cody Bland from Bloomington, Indiana, Kody Weisner from Muskegon, Michigan, and Kevin Hollenbach from Hillsborough, New Jersey met the Grimm team in Greenville. Last year two of the students worked with the team during the UNOH sponsored event for the K&N series and the Whelen Modifieds at Martinsville. UNOH’s College of Technologies offers training in its High Performance Motor Sports Department both in the classroom and in the field. President Jeff Jarvis said in an interview last year on the university’s involvement in placing students with race teams, “It’s great for the students because they get hands on experience sitting beside the professional. It is sort of an apprentice type situation that helps them further their career when they move on to get a job as a pit crew member, driver, owner, or whatever their passion may be.” Team owner Rob Grimm was pleased to continue the association with UNOH saying, ”When we first met with Vice President Steve Farmer to discuss sponsorship our first goal was to stress the importance of using this as a learning experience for the students. We established a commitment to give students the opportunity to work on the car in a professional situation. I could not have been happier with the professional, enthusiasm, and work ethic these students provided that day. I was very pleased we were able to do this again at Greenville. I was not there but I heard reports from Rollie, Eddie, and the crew that the three students were outstanding. We at Grimm Racing are committed to offering young men and women the opportunity to work with us. UNOH excels at preparing students and we hope to continue our relationship with them.” Even the best plans change rapidly when forces beyond control interrupt the best of them. Shortly after arriving after a long day driving in torrential rain, the “new” team traveled in the hauler for a late night dinner. An air brake failure forced the crew into immediate roadside repairs and it proved to be crew chief’s Rollie LaChance first opportunity to see the UNOH training spring into action. “I was very impressed at the way Cody, Kody, and Kevin joined in to help. It was truly a thing that racer’s do. Instead of throwing up your hands in frustration, these guys just said ‘what do we need to do to get this fixed so we can get to the track?’ That is how racers perform under the most adverse circumstances and I was pleased to see that. It really meant a lot. Another thing that really impressed me was the maturity and professionalism displayed both on and off the track. Sometimes it is easy for young guys to act up when away from their normal environment but these three knew they represented UNOH and Grimm Racing and they did it fabulously. We lost most of the first day to a wet track and decided to stay an extra day to test on Friday. All three jumped at the opportunity to do it all over again the next day and their performance both days was outstanding. I hope we get the chance to work with them again or any other students from UNOH.” Of course, the driver behind the wheel gets to see what is going on when the car is in the pits and Eddie MacDonald was quick to observe, “I was so pleased with the effort and ability all three guys showed in the pits. Kody, Kevin, and Cody were so well prepared they knew exactly what to do and didn’t need much instruction to get things done. They also had the ability to see what needed to be done next and just did it. The fact that they were willing to stay the extra day really impressed me. These guys just love racing and it showed. I know they will end up with successful careers in whatever form of racing they choose. They did a remarkable job for us and they are a credit to UNOH. I congratulate Jeff Jarvis and Steve Farmer and their faculty for all their hard work. Grimm Racing is here to tell you that it works.” The K&N Pro Series East opens its twelve race program at Greenville Pickens Speedway in South Carolina on March 26. For more about the university go to UNOH.edu. Specifically the Motorsports College Web. |
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