From Upside Down To Victory Lane: James McFadden, Macri Team Showed Their Tenacity

By JACK O’CONNOR

It would’ve been easy for James McFadden and the Macri Motorsports team to be down in the dumps prior to last Saturday’s Tuscarora 50 finale at Port Royal Speedway after the No. 39M ended up flipping on back-to-back nights.

However, there is no quit in the Australian wheelman, crew chief Joe Mooney, Anthony Macri and the rest of the team members and they prepared a different machine for the $59,000-to-win affair.

As the day progressed, their grit and determination would pay off in the best way possible as McFadden went from 11th to first in the 50-lap main event to finally check off a crown jewel  victory that eluded him all his career.

Long after the checkered flag fell, McFadden, still in his firesuit, signed autographs, took photos and even drank out of his shoe with fans while soaking in the moment.

“I’m definitely feeling a bit of relief because of how tough the first two nights were,” the Alice Springs, Northern Territory driver said as chants of “Aussie,” “Aussie,” Aussie,” ringed in his ears. “It wasn’t from a lack of effort; we were fast every night and in positions to challenge for wins.

“To cap it off like this is pretty special and to do it from 11th makes it even better because we had to pass really good cars. It’s been well documented that I finished second in six or seven crown jewel races and I would’ve been a little disappointed if I ended my career without one. It’s definitely an amazing feeling.”

McFadden got to the front ripping the lip around the 1/2-mile facility, which is what Macri is known for. However, Tanner Holmes was keeping him honest running the middle of the speedway.

“My car was really good early, but then the top got dirty. I don’t know if that was because of the rain or what,” McFadden said. “But it brought some the middle back in. I was running the top really hard and didn’t want to change what I was doing because I didn’t know how slippery the surface was going to be  because of the rain.

“I figured the only way I was going to do something was if I saw someone’s left front. I couldn’t see what was going on behind me, but the track changes so much and you have to judge where to be.

“Then once we got to traffic, most of the slower cars were running the middle, so I felt confident that even if someone was there, I could get away off the corner.”

With 13 laps to go, rain began to fall and from that point on, McFadden was just counting down the laps.

“I was waiting for that checkered flag. I just wanted to hit my marks, get to lapped cars at the right time and not wear myself out doing stupid stuff,” McFadden said.

“Plus, I was pretty nervous on that restart because I was going into the corner not knowing how hard I could run it. We were able to execute that and bring it home.”

On Thursday night, McFadden was battling for a spot on the podium with four laps to go when he washed up the racetrack in turns one and two and slammed the outside wall with the right rear, going upside down in the process.

The Macri team made the necessary repairs, which included welding on the machine and came back Friday. McFadden was just as fast as the night before, but would find himself staring down at the ground again, to no fault of his own.

At the start of the dash, Chase Dietz and Ryan Timms got together, sending Timms around in front of the field. McFadden, in eighth, struck the inside wall as he took evasive action and flipped again.

Once again, Macri Motorsports didn’t quit. Mooney said former crew chief Ryan Hand built him new shocks at 11 p.m. Friday night and Wing Dynamics assembled new wings that were delivered in time for racing Saturday.

As frustrating as Thursday and Friday were, McFadden knew he needed to block it out of his mind.

“You just turn it off and go again; that is my job,” said McFadden, who admitted he was feeling sore. “I mean you can mope and play the victim card, but it isn’t going to get you anywhere.

“I’m not feeling great physically and I was a little worried prior to getting started that I was going to second guess myself. But once I got out there, I was all good.”

Macri was first injured in April when he fractured the T4 and T5 vertabrae in his back in a flip at Williams Grove Speedway. While he recovered, Kasey Kahne was brought in to drive the No. 39M, winning his first career World of Outlaws race at Williams Grove in May.

Macri made his return in June, winning the Pennsylvania Speedweek title and Eldora Speedway’s Kings Royal for a second straight year.

However, he was once again derailed by injury last month when he sustained a broken clavicle and bruised lung in a crash during Knoxville Raceway’s Capitani Classic.

Wanting to have a car in one of the biggest events of the season, the Macri team sought the services of McFadden, who had a relationship with Mooney through his time spent at Kasey Kahne Racing. He made his debut with the team in last Monday’s Labor Day Classic at Port, finishing third.

“Joe and I have been friends for a long time going back to when I was at KKR,” said McFadden, who drove the No. 9 entry from 2019 to 2021. “He floated the idea to me a couple weeks ago and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity; this car is pretty special.”

McFadden was in the United States at the beginning of the season, running High Limit Racing events on the west coast in the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21. After picking up a March 21 win at Central Arizona Speedway, McFadden returned home to Australia, but came back to the states in June to race the entire summer.

McFadden plans to trek west to California to run with the World of Outlaws this weekend at Stockton Dirt Track in the Tarlton No. 21 and conclude his season in America.

“We’ll do a little bit of racing out there and see what happens,” McFadden said. “It will be hard to top this, but we’ve been fast with the No. 21 group, so it’d be cool to get another win.”