After two safe and solid races in Daytona and Phoenix, the MacDonald Motorsports team rolled into Las Vegas hoping to improve upon those finishes. Eagle Convenience Stores was once again on the No. 81 Dodge for the race along with new sponsor, IHOP. Donnie Neuenberger was back in the seat and confident for a strong run.
Handling issues plagued the team in practice and qualifying. After a lot of work on the No. 81 Dodge, the team was able to safely qualify the car into the field in 41st position. Now they could concentrate on the race and moving up through the field. They did just that throughout the race, despite two spins. Both times Donnie was able to avoid damage on the Eagle Convenience Stores/IHOP NO. 81 and continue on safely. When the checkered flag flew it was another solid finish for the team, 26th.
Three races into the 2011 NNS season, MacDonald Motorsports now sits 25th in the owner’s standings. If they can stay right there, they will be locked into the races after California in three weeks. This will be a huge weight lifted off of the team’s shoulders, and allow them to concentrate more on race setup during practice sessions.
After a long three race stretch travelling across the country and back, the team gets a much needed weekend off before making their way west to the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” The Scott’s Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway will air live on ESPN on Saturday, March 19th at 2 p.m. EST.
MacDonald Motorsports Press Release
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