CONSISTENT MOVES AT ELDORA: THE ALBAUGH – YOUR ALTERNATIVE #41 TEAM AND CARSON MACEDO CONTINUE THEIR TOP FIVE STREAK WITH A 5TH PLACE RUN AT THE #LETSRACETWO OPENER AT THE BIG E
ROSSBURG, OHIO (May 3, 2024) – After a midweek stop in Illinois for some bullring fun at Jacksonville Speedway, where Carson guided the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) #41 to a fourth place finish, the team’s seventh top five in a row, the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) team continued heading East to Ohio for racing at Eldora Speedway. When track officials opened the gate to get across the track on the backstretch, the haulers drove down across the racing surface into the infield pit area. When the brake was set on the truck and the motor turned off, the crew jumped out and rolled out the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 Maxim for another intense night of competition, this time at Eldora Speedway. There was a total of 28 powerful 410 sprint cars lined up in the pit area. The excitement and energy started to build in the air at Tony Stewart’s incredible half-mile facility as the fans found their way to their seats for the opening night of the #LetsRaceTwo event – World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series style along with the USAC Sprint Cars!
After the four hot lap sessions concluded, the drivers going out early for their two time trial laps in Sea Foam Qualifying rolled into the staging area in the pit area. Carson Macedo would be the last of the 28 cars to hit the track as he rolled up the banking of Eldora in turn one. He gassed the Scott Boyd Family/Ben Cook Race Car Products/C&R Racing #41 Maxim up and was ready to put on a speed show. The Californian had a full head of stream as he raced under the flag stand on the frontstretch to start the clock for his first go ‘round. With the second hands moving quickly measuring his performance, Carson was using his instincts, twitch reflexes, and courage to create as much speed as possible on his first circuit. When he finished circling the half-mile on his initial lap, the stopwatch read 13.563 seconds. He was not done yet though. The Kistler Engines power under the hood of the forty-one was singing a beautiful song while trying to make more speed on lap two. Carson tried a different line and powered off the fourth turn and under the waving checkered flag to end his time trial session. This time he stopped the clock in 13.822 seconds. The faster of his two attempts around Eldora Speedway was good enough for second quick overall on the night. World of Outlaws point leader, David Gravel, completed one lap the quickest on the opening night of #LetsRaceTwo at 13.478 seconds to earn the Simpson Quick Time Award.
How fast each driver went in time trials mattered because the starting lineups for each of the three heat races are built on each driver’s fastest laps. When scanning each of the lineups, that meant Carson would get the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Sander Engineering/Schoenfeld Headers #41 Maxim rolling from the pole position in the Milton Hershey School second 8-lap heat race. Decked out in his Albaugh – Your Alternative K1 Race Gear race suit, he climbed into his office ready to work. He would pull to the inside of row one beside Kalib Henry from Sacramento, California in the #101 entry. Landon Crawley and McKenna Haase paced behind in row two, with Brady Bacon, Logan McCandless, Danny Sams III, Kraig Kinser, and Bill Rose making up the remaining rows in the field.
With cars all around, dirty air could be a factor, not an excuse, at this high speed joint. Everyone was dealing with the same conditions, so it was time to get gritty at Eldora Speedway. Off turn four, the tussle had begun with Carson wrestling the top position away at the drop of the green flag ahead of Kalib Henry. Macedo drove the forty-one through the middle of the track through turns one and two and he was off to the races.
With one lap in the books the top five was Carson leading Landon Crawley and Kalib Henry as they continued to build up their speed and momentum. There was 7.5 miles of racing left to go, but the field would begin to fan out with each completed lap. Carson had his right foot planted working the setup his crew gave him to perfection.
By the halfway point of the race, Carson had a sizable lead on second place running Landon Crawley, but he was still hard at work. He never looked back as he raced to a three plus second win over Crawley in the heat race with Henry, Kinser, Bacon and Haase securing the remaining transfer spots.
Making his way into his 12th Toyota Dash, Carson would get to test his shamrock skills again. When he pulled the pill out of the oversized NOS Energy Drink can it was Jaxx Johnson’s favorite number – 5. That would position him on the inside of row three beside Landon Crawley. David Gravel had the four-leafed clover as he drew the pole and would start alongside Donny Schatz on the front row. Sandwiched in between in row two were Sheldon Haudenschild and Emerson Axsom.
The green was out and it was a race to see where you would start the feature. Gravel got the early lead as he jumped on the accelerator at the chalk stripe. He would lead the first lap, but the ten-time World of Outlaws Champion, Donny Schatz, was fast and hungry. Schatz drove the Ford Performance #15 around the top and into the lead the next time around. Carson continued to work from the fifth position in the Scott Boyd Family #41.
Lurking directly behind the leaders, and coming quickly, was an Ohio native and buckeye favorite, Sheldon Haudenschild, in the NOS Energy Drink #17. He had speed and on lap three he drove by Schatz to seize the lead. It was Haudenschild, Schatz and Gravel upfront as Carson began tracking down Axsom in a race for the fourth position.
Sheldon Haudenschild would race to the dash victory ahead of Gravel, who made his way by Schatz late to gain runner-up honors. Donny Schatz came home third with Carson Macedo making a late race pass to finish fourth. Emerson Axsom was fifth with Landon Crawley being scored sixth.
With 24 cars locked into the starting lineup for the 30-lap #LetsRaceTwo feature, the pit crews checked the bolts one last time to make sure they were secured before backing their driver and car out away from the trailer. It was race day in Northwest Ohio at one of the premier racetracks on the schedule – Eldora Speedway.
Carson Macedo was buckled into his Crow Enterprizes belts and prepared to do battle with some of the best in the business. The Lemoore, California born racer would get started aboard the Albaugh – Your Alternative/March Burch Motorsports/All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads #41 from the fourth position in row two alongside Donny Schatz in the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) #15.
Sheldon Haudenschild and David Gravel would lead the field from the front row. The field was side-by-side as they worked their way down the backstretch anticipating the green flag when they hit the chalk stripe. Polesitter Sheldon Haudenschild stomped on the gas off turn four as he raced down the front straightaway ahead of Gravel and Macedo with Schatz right behind in fourth.
The leader was checked out early in clean air, but there was an entertaining show taking place between Gravel and Macedo for the runner-up spot on the track. Carson was maneuvering the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 low with David Gravel ripping the high line in the Tod Quiring owned Big Game Motorsports #2. They were both fast and racing each other cleanly lap after lap. Behind them seventh starting Cale Thomas has his #23J on the move as he passed Schatz and was running in the fourth position early.
On lap 10, Haudenschild was still ripping the top in the lead well ahead of Gravel and Macedo who were still battling. The leaders were flying and now were flawlessly dealing with lap traffic at speed. Giovanni Scelzi was on the move as he moved into the top five in the KCP Racing #18.
With 15 laps in the books it was Sheldon Haudenschild leading David Gravel and Carson Macedo with Giovanni Scelzi and Donny Schatz rounding out the top five. Scelzi had a fast race car and was making the bottom work to create his speed. He was in hot pursuit of Macedo and eventually caught up to the driver of the JJR #41. On lap 18, Scelzi took the show position from Macedo off turn four.
The next time around the high speed action was halted when Garet Williamson flipped the Fischer Motorsports #23 in turns one and two. The drama was about to percolate as second running David Gravel had a right rear tire going down while sitting idle on the frontstretch. The Connecticut native would head to the work area to replace the tire and would rejoin the field when he restarted at the end of the lead lap cars in the sixteenth position. Skylar Gee also had a tire going down, his left rear, and headed pit side to replace it before rejoining the field.
The restart order with 11 laps to go in the race was Sheldon Haudenschild, Giovanni Scelzi, Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz and Buddy Kofoid. Race leader, Sheldon Haudenschild, chose the outside lane for the double file restart putting everyone running in the odd running positions on the outside too. Haudenschild maintained the lead when the green lights came back on with Schatz using the inside lane to his advantage to move into second. Giovanni Scelzi was third with Carson Macedo in fourth.
Carson had the forty-one wound up and racing in the high lane trying to find his way back up the scoreboard as the laps were dwindling down. Haudenschild was in command at the front of the pack. Sheldon would race to his fourth World of Outlaws win of the year as he crossed the finish line ahead of Donny Schatz and Giovanni Scelzi. Logan Schuchart, who started 24th after changing cars due to mechanical issues, roared to a fourth place finish passing Carson with two laps to go entering turn one. Carson Macedo came home fifth, extending his top five streak to eight. Another good run for Macedo and the forty-one!
A Top Five Run for the Forty-One on Night One at Eldora’s #LetsRaceTwo Show! Photo Credit: Trent Gower Photography
JJR’s Valued Sponsorship Partners: Albaugh, LLC; Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Border International; Scott Boyd Family; Saich Family; Tarlton and Son Inc.; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Durst Inc.; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Kistler Racing Engines; Maxim Racing; Sander Engineering; Bandy & Associates Accountancy Corporation; Boltz Family; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); RaceDiecast.com; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Xtreme Body and Paint; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads; AutoMeter; Bell Helmets; Ben Cook Race Car Products; BlackBeard LTD; BMRS (Brown & Miller Racing Solutions); BR Motorsports; Buckwalter Trucking; CASM Safety Products; C&R Racing; ChalkStix; Crow Enterprizes; CS Productions; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Fuel Safe Racing Cells; Greber Racing Components; Hoosier Racing Tire; Indy Performance Composites (IPC); ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K1 Race Gear; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy; Motor State Distributing; Mr. Jim’s Racing; Premium Coach Group; Saldana Racing Products; Sam I Am; Schoenfeld Headers; Smith TI; Vortex Racing Products; Walker Performance Filtration; Wilwood Racing; and Winters Performance Products.
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