(Press Release from American-Canadian Tour)
Eddie MacDonald
After spending the 2017 season up to his “Outlaw” ways, Eddie MacDonald will be rejoining the American-Canadian Tour (ACT) championship battle in 2018. The Rowley, MA driver has filed a full-season entry for the ACT Late Model Tour and will pursue the $10,000 prize for winning this year’s title.
MacDonald last ran the full ACT campaign in 2016 when he finished third in the standings. He won two events last year as part of a limited schedule, giving him nine Tour victories in his career. In addition, he is a 5-time winner of the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and triumphed in the 2014 Vermont Milk Bowl.
“When the ACT schedule came out, a lot of the races interested us,” MacDonald said. “We always try to plan our season out with the races that we’d like to run, and most of the races on the ACT schedule were ones that we would enjoy going to anyway. So we figured we might as well hit a couple extra ones and do them all.
“We don’t usually worry about points,” he added when asked about his title chances. “Our thing is that we just try to go out and run the best we can every week, and everything else plays into that and however it works out. Our goal is still the same – to go out there and try to win every week. You know that’s not going to happen, but you still try to do the best you can and try to at least get a decent finish in the races that are more challenging.”
Like the rest the ACT Late Model Tour, MacDonald will begin his 2018 championship quest at New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway on Sunday, April 22 in the New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150. He was the 2014 Governor’s Cup winner at the track his parents Red and Judy MacDonald owned and operated for many years. The track was sold to Norman Wrenn II this past winter.
“We’re looking forward to going to Lee,” MacDonald said. “We don’t usually get to run the Test & Tune day beforehand, because usually that weekend we’re in Bristol. So we’re looking forward to being able to have that test day ahead of time. We’d really love to get a win at Lee. The track means a lot to me, and I always want to win that race, being the first one of the year. We were lucky enough to do that once before, and we’re going to put in all the effort we can to try and make it happen again this year.”
MacDonald will have plenty of competition at Lee and throughout the season. Defending ACT U.S. Champion Scott Payea of Milton, VT returns in search of a second straight title, while Williamstown, VT’s Jimmy Hebert and Lebanon, NH’s Rich Dubeau rate to be consistent challengers. Defending Thunder Road Late Model Champion Bobby Therrien of Hinesburg, VT has entered the Governor’s Cup as has Barre, VT’s Mike Ziter in a car prepared by Joey Pole Racing.
The 2018 ACT title hunt gets underway on Sunday, April 22 at 1:15pm at Lee USA Speedway. A full field is expected for the season-opening New Hampshire Governor’s Cup 150. The R&R Tool Store Late Model Sportsmen and Northeast Classic Lites round out the card. The pit gates will open at 8:00am and the front gates will open at 9:00am.
An optional Test & Tune Day for ACT and for Lee’s weekly divisions will be held Saturday, April 21. The pits will open at 8:00am with rotating practice sessions from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.
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