Eddie MacDonald Finishes 22nd at Memphis

     Eddie MacDonald and the Go Green Racing Team joined forces for the
first time to post an impressive 22nd place finish in the Nationwide Series'
Kroger On Track For The Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park. While a run in
the 22nd position would generally not attract too many accolades, what the
team accomplished to get to the finish was nothing short of remarkable.
Certainly, the David vs. Goliath comparison can be used in this instance.

     Archie St. Hilaire, owner of the Go Green Race Team headquartered in
Maine, decided a while ago that running in a Nationwide race was something
within his reach so he purchased a car down South, rented space in a shop in
Charlotte, installed a Roush engine, put together a crew, and found a
driver. The crew chief was Buddy Derocher and the driver MacDonald. Together
they would embark on a quest to qualify and finish on the demanding ¾ mile
oval of Memphis.

      Because it was the team's first attempt to qualify for the race, the
team was listed as "new" on the entry list. MacDonald had to make the race
on time. To make matters worse, 50 cars showed up for the 43 spots. To
complicate matters even further, among the "Go or go homers" were a number
of "start and park" entries that are only set up for qualifying, then run a
few laps in the race in order to collect the $15,000 or so starting money.

     It seems like a lot but it was the car's first run of the season and
MacDonald's first race on the unforgiving radial tires used in the series.
Throw in a crew that had never worked together and it would appear the team
was doomed before the car ever took the track. Of course, one thing you
learn in racing is "never say never". After the first hour and a half
practice on Friday the best they could do was 44th fastest, or slowest.
Derocher and the crew tried everything but the car was nearly a second
slower than the leaders. The #39 Ford Fusion could only post a fast lap of
23.828sec.compared to Mike Bliss' 22.908 sec. More changes for the second
practice yielded nearly the same results as the team posted the 41st fastest
time, not even close to making the race on qualifying time the next day. The
decision was made to throw the kitchen sink at it. Springs, shocks,
carburetor and track bar adjustment, and weight transfer were some of the
things changed on the car.

     Saturday morning, the day of reckoning arrived, with more than a few
concerned crewmembers hoping for the best. As the early morning sun began to
warm the track, the qualifying speeds began to drop as MacDonald prepared to
take the green flag in the 43rd position in the middle of the "Go or go
homers". As he so often does, MacDonald wheeled the car around the track on
the second lap in 23.312second good enough for the 27th starting spot on the
grid. There were smiles and huge sighs of relief afterwards back at the
hauler.

     MacDonald was relieved saying, "The crew made a lot of changes to the
car after the final practice and there were the right ones obviously. It was
so much better so I have to give Buddy and the crew all the praise. What a
fantastic job everyone has done. When you think of how little time everyone
has been together, it is amazing what we have accomplished so far. Now we
have to go out and have a good race. We wanted to qualify and we did; now we
want to have a good race and be there at the end to finish. I can't thank
Archie enough for giving me this opportunity. He is really a great guy."
Derocher was pleased after the qualifying saying, "This feels great. We did
change a number of things but Eddie's got to get the credit. He did a lot of
it himself and just did an awesome job. We beat some good teams so I am very
proud of what we did. This is a pick-up crew. I had a couple of guys from
our East Series team and guys from the South who volunteered and we really
worked well together. I know we still have the race ahead but I would raise
a flag right now if I could."

     St. Hilaire was equally pleased after the run saying, "This is great!
I've wanted to do this for some time and things worked out well. Eddie did a
great job out there and he deserves a lot of the credit. We know he is a
great driver and we are looking forward to a good finish in the race.  I
know he can race with these guys."

     With the hood of the #39 emblazoned with the picture of an outhouse
with toilet paper trailing a guy exiting the facility, the car was
definitely distinctive. Sponsored by Blow Bros. of Maine with the motto, "We
are #1 in the #2 business" written on the paper itself, a little comic
relief was felt before the green flag was thrown to begin the carnage filled
race for nearly everyone in the field. Even the leaders were beating and
banging on one another with tempers flaring throughout the race. MacDonald
said afterwards, "It was like driving the bumper cars at Canobie Lake Park."

     Unfortunately for MacDonald, a loose oil line on David Reutimann's car
dumped a ton of oil in turn one on lap eight right in front of the #39. A
six-car pile-up resulted with MacDonald's car sustaining left rear fender
damage. The crew jumped into action for what would be the first of many pit
stops throughout the race to repair damage. After three visits to pit road
to repair the spoiler and beat down the damaged trunk lid, the car was able
to stay on the lead lap. For a group that never worked together before,
their work was unbelievable. Spotter Tony Micale did a fantastic job
considering the number of wrecks going on all around the car also sponsored
by Hancock Electric and A&B Vending.

      The second of many caution flags to follow fell on lap 24 when a
number of cars got collected including MacDonald who only received minor
damage this time and remained on the lead lap compliments of a "lucky dog".
As the caution flags continued to wave, MacDonald restarted in positions
ranging from 19th to 28th. The real trouble began for the Go Green Team on
the lap 130 restart after pitting for tires and a track bar adjustment.
After getting the "lucky dog" MacDonald was in 21st on the lap 130 restart
when the #24 of Eric McClure deliberately drove into the #39 in turn one
just using the car as a backstop. McClure used the old adage that "eight
tires are better than four" as he sent MacDonald spinning up the track. It
was a bonehead move by a supposed veteran racer. Later in the race on lap
165, McClure pounded the outside wall hard after trying another bonsai move
and had to be taken to the infield care center.

      The damage caused by the McClure incident flat spotted the tires and
the left rear finally blew on lap 154 while the team was waiting for a
caution to come in to change the tires. Unfortunately, MacDonald was the
caution. After the stop the #39 returned to the track battered but was able
to race with the leaders through lap 227 when another yellow slowed the
action. A green/white/checker finish mercilessly ended a race that left few
cars unscathed. Most looked like enduro cars after a 150 lapper.

      Even though Brad Keselowski won the race and we got to see Steven
Wallace flip out, the real excitement was at the Go Green hauler. Despite
the torn up racecar that was not a result of anything the driver did, the
owner, crew chief, and crew were pleased with the 22nd place run and knew an
even better finish was possible had it not been for the rough driving by the
series veterans. Overall, the success of the team left St. Hilaire and the
team with the desire to do it again sometime in the near future. From what
this writer has seen, this team can be competitive in this series. Go Green!

     Amanda Leach from Mainely Motorsports chronicled the event and will
televise her piece on Time Warner channel 9 on Wednesday at 8:00pm.
Replays of the show will be played at various times during the week so
check
listings for time and day. For those unable to access Time Warner, you may
go to Mainelymotorsportstv.com to see the show and interview with Archie and
Eddie. The station plans to cover snow cross, ice racing, the Busch Sport
Scene charity snowmobile ride and other winter activities after the racing
season.