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Pro All Stars Series

MacDonald Snares 13th NHMS Victory in PASS Northeast Classic

The big-track ace went back-to-back in the Northeast Classic and earned his 13th career win across multiple series at the “Magic Mile.”

"The Outlaw" Eddie MacDonald was untouchable at the front of the field, driving to his fourth PASS-sanctioned win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Sunday's Northeast Classic. (STS/Jeff Brown)

Few drivers look forward to a trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway the way that Eddie MacDonald does.

But with thirteen victories at the “Magic Mile,” who can blame him?

MacDonald emerges victorious from his familiar red Chevrolet. (STS/Jeff Brown)

MacDonald turned in a dominant performance to win the Pro All Stars Series feature portion of Sunday’s fourth running of the Northeast Classic, earning yet another trophy at the track popularly regarded as the Daytona of the Northeast.

“These guys just gave me an awesome car,” MacDonald said in victory lane. “I wasn’t sure about it earlier in the day, or in practice yesterday, but Rollie [Lachance] and the guys just did an awesome job.”

Sunday’s race, proactively delayed a day for weather, dodged the raindrops of last week’s season opener at Thompson Speedway, where MacDonald faltered on a late-race restart after a strong run.

The Rowley, Mass. veteran started fifth and was content to ride early, while D.J. Shaw, Mike Hopkins and Canadian visitor Cory Hall diced for the lead out front.

Sixteen laps in, Hopkins and Shaw left the inside lane open, with “The Outlaw” sweeping past Shaw and riding the momentum past Hopkins to take the lead.

Fate, though, would not make MacDonald’s run for the checkers easy.

MacDonald took the lead on lap 16 and held it through a series of mid-race restarts through the end. (STS/Jeff Brown)

Four laps later, Trevor Sanborn and Dennis Spencer, Jr. collided while racing for position, with Sanborn’s car veering hard into the turn-two wall. The three-time PASS North winner walked away, but his Richard Moody Racing mount was battered severely.

After a brief red flag for cleanup, MacDonald powered into the lead on the restart, but trouble for Jimmy Hebert brought out an immediate yellow. Officials quickly decided to call a planned mid-race break for the lap-21 yellow, allowing teams to refuel and change tires. MacDonald led Shaw, Hall and Ben Rowe back to green with 29 laps still remaining.

D.J. Shaw finished second to open his PASS North title hunt with back-to-back runner-up finishes. (STS/Jeff Brown)

The field only made it another two laps before Josh King and Nick Lascuola got together, ending their days just shy of halfway.

MacDonald led the field back to the restart, once again distancing himself from second-place Shaw before the field reached turn three. As the field spread out, MacDonald kept Shaw at bay while Rowe closed in on the battle for second.

Debris in turn three brought out a caution with nine laps to go, but MacDonald would not be denied as he held the point for the final nine laps en route to victory.

Shaw, who finished second to Derek Griffith at Thompson, notched his second runner-up finish of 2024 to open his run for a sixth PASS North title.

Rowe fended off 2021 Northeast Classic winner Johnny Clark for third, but was stripped of his finish in post-race inspection, reportedly for an engine infraction. Clark was awarded third place after the disqualification.

Ben Rowe was strong from start to finish, but a tech-shed infraction cost him a top-five result, handing third to seven-time PASS North champ Johnny Clark. (STS/Jeff Brown)

Hall, who impressed in last year’s Northeast Classic, was fourth in the final rundown, with early leader Hopkins scored fifth.

Hickory Motor Speedway winner Ryan Moore, Bryan Kruczek, 2022 Northeast Classic winner Austin MacDonald, reigning champion Max Cookson and Brandon Barker rounded out the top ten.

Fifteen of the 26 starters made it to the finish, with Thompson winner Griffith and former champion Ryan Kuhn among those who retired early with mechanical failures.

Eddie MacDonald celebrates with parents Judy and Red MacDonald, the former owners of Lee USA Speedway. (STS/Jeff Brown)

MacDonald, meanwhile, continues to build his Loudon legacy. The biggest tracks on the schedule have always been MacDonald’s best, but NHMS rises above them all. In what was then known as the NASCAR Camping World Series East, MacDonald scored two wins in 2008 and a third in 2009 as one of the last New Englanders to run the series regularly.

When the American-Canadian Tour added an all-star race at NHMS in 2009, MacDonald won the inaugural event, going on to win five of the nine ACT Invitationals sanctioned at the track. In PASS’ NHMS debut in 2015, MacDonald led 48 of 60 laps to claim the checkers. Two years later, he added a win with the Granite State Pro Stock Series in the inaugural New England Short Track Showdown.

PASS returned to NHMS in 2019, replacing the GSPSS in the Short Track Showdown lineup. MacDonald won again, then won last year’s Northeast Classic in a late duel with Cookson.

Sunday’s victory gives “The Outlaw” a baker’s dozen of checkered flags at NHMS, including four of PASS’ six visits to the “Magic Mile.”

The PASS schedule resumes in two weeks at Oxford Plains Speedway, returning the series to a more familiar short-track lineup until October’s Sunoco World Series at Thompson. How MacDonald’s schedule looks between now and then remains to be seen. After narrowly missing the 2022 title, MacDonald only ran four races last year.

But Eddie seems content to favor quality over quantity.

Unofficial Results
Pro All Stars Series North Northeast Classic 50
New Hampshire Motor Speedway

1. (17MA) Eddie MacDonald
2. (60) D.J. Shaw
3. (54) Johnny Clark
4. (83) Cory Hall
5. (15) Mike Hopkins
6. (74) Ryan Moore
7. (5K) Bryan Kruczek
8. (13) Austin MacDonald
9. (39) Max Cookson
10. (88) Brandon Barker
11. (47) Gabe Brown
12. (18) Mike Scorzelli
13. (73D) Joey Doiron
14. (18L) Justin Larsen
15. (29) Austin Teras
16. (19) Rusty Poland
17. (12G) Derek Griffith
18. (39L) Nick Lascuola
19. (21) Josh King
20. (58VT) Jimmy Hebert
21. (44) Trevor Sanborn
22. (12) Dennis Spencer, Jr.
23. (20) Joe Pastore
24. (72) Ryan Kuhn
25. (01) Jet Decker
DQ (5R) Ben Rowe

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Jeff Brown is a contributor to Short Track Scene. A native of New Hampshire and a long-time fan of New England racing, Brown provides a fan's perspective as he follows New England's regional Late Model touring series.

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