SEARCHING FOR GATORS AT THE DIRTCAR NATIONALS: A STRONG RUN ON THE SECOND NIGHT OF ALL STAR ACTION AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK PUTS CARSON MACEDO AND THE JJR #41 TEAM IN VICTORY LANE

BARBERVILLE, FLORIDA (February 4, 2021) – The JJR team was up early and back at work under the clear blue skies of Florida preparing for the second night of the 50th Annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC). After driving forward on the opening night of action to earn a seventh place finish, Carson Macedo and the crew were ready to continue building on their momentum. There were 32 cars back in the pit area ready to attack the track in time trials as each driver was searching for a gator at the end of the night.

The field was again split into four separate qualifying groups where they would time trial for starting position with the other participants slated for their assigned heat races. By the luck of the draw, the forty-one would be the very last car out on the track in Group D for their two laps against the clock. Not deterred, Macedo pulled on his K1 Race Gear gloves and buckled in for the high speed adventure around the half-mile oval. When Donny Schatz completed his two circuits, Macedo jump on the accelerator aboard the Tiger Towing/Meyers Constructors #41 Maxim and was off to the races. His Hoosier Racing Tires were gripping the surface connecting the horsepower from his Engler Machine & Tool/Kistler Engines and creating the speed he need to complete against the clock. That clock read 13.315 seconds after his first lap, and he improved the second time around with an even better lap of 13.281 seconds. Both laps were good enough for 4th quick overall and he was the quickest in Group D. 

The lineup for the fourth heat race represented a “who’s who” list of talent in today’s sprint car world with names like Schatz, Reutzel, Haudenschild, Macedo, Courtney, and Hafertepe to name a few. Macedo would line the Boyd Family/Durst Inc. #41 Maxim on the outside of row two with Sam Hafertepe Jr. to his inside, as Donny Schatz and Aaron Reutzel paced the field from the front row for the 8-lap qualifying race where the top five transfer to the A-Main. When the green flag was unfurled, Schatz drove into the lead as Macedo drove off the top side of turn four and into the show position entering turn one behind the leader and Reutzel. Schatz was in command as the fast lane was around the top of the speedway. He led from green to checkers to take the win over Reutzel and Macedo with Sheldon Haudenschild charging to a fourth place finish and Tyler Courtney hustling to gain the final transfer position in Mobil 1 Heat Race #4.

After selecting the Mobil 1 oil bottle with a “2” imprinted on the bottom for the second of two dashes, the Lemoore, California native would start on the outside of the front row beside opening night winner at the DIRTcar Nationals, Logan Schuchart. Macedo rolled the Tarlton and Son Inc./Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions #41 into his starting position as David Gravel, Jacob Allen and Kasey Kahne filled out the remainder of the starting lineup for the dash event. With four laps of high speed action in front of them, when the green flag dropped so did Macedo’s right foot on the accelerator. He generated speed using the outside groove on the track’s surface and took command of the lead at the start. Schuchart was right behind with Gravel running strong in third. Macedo would lead from start to finish to take the win over Schuchart and Gravel, as Allen and Kahne rounded out the finishing order.

By virtue of winning the second dash, Carson would share the front row with KKR’s Brad Sweet for the 25-lap A-Main event in the Southern Tour finale. Philip, Clyde, and Nate went to work to make some minor adjustments to the JJR Maxim Racing machine to give their driver the best shot at winning the prestigious gator trophy that goes to the feature winner each night at the DIRTcar Nationals. With the final horn sounding, Macedo wearing his new silver Tarlton and Son Inc. Frame-2-Finish K1 Race Gear race suit climbed aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation/Border International/Liquid Trucking #41 ready to do some gator hunting. After the four-wide salute to the fans, Macedo peered through the shield of his Shifty custom painted Bell Helmet and had his sights set on the start of the race. When the yellow lights dimmed eventually turning green in sync with the flagman waving the green flag, Macedo was off and into the lead over Sweet and Schuchart. He was running around the top and maintaining his momentum and lead over the first half of the race. He was fast and over that time had closed in on the back of the field. As he approached lap traffic on lap 11, he would be forced to change his line and get out of the preferred racing lane to make the necessary passes as Logan Schuchart was quickly approaching. Macedo strategically and patiently made his decisions and moves as he was disposing of the lap cars one-by-one. But Schuchart was tenacious and closing in on the leader as he was searching other lanes around the track to close the gap on the leader. Macedo stayed poised and kept the forty-one moving in fast forward with 5 laps to go. He was the leader of the race on lap 21 to earn the Sugarlands Shine Sip Wisely! Lap 21 Leader award. He was not about to surrender his P1 position and led the remaining laps to collect his first DIRTcar Nationals win in the Sugarlands Shine Southern Tour finale as he hunted down and successfully earned the prestigious gator trophy. He took the win over Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet, David Gravel and Danny Dietrich who completed the top five. The jubilant winner explained, “This team did an amazing job tonight and I am super thrilled with how things are going.” He continued, “We were able to put ourselves in great positions during the entire program and we really executed. I’m just super grateful to be part of this race team. To come out of the box and win the second night out is pretty incredible.” Incredible indeed. A great night for the forty-one team!  

Macedo Claims the Gator Award with a Victory in the 50th Annual DIRTcar Nationals!

Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Tarlton and Son Inc.; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Saich Family; Border International; Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution; Jonestown KOA; Durst Inc.; Maxim Racing; The Boyd Family; Liquid Trucking; Meyers Constructors Inc.; Tiger Towing; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Waco Metal; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Kistler Engines; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; All Pro Auto Reconditioning; K1 Race Gear; AutoMeter; Bell Racing USA; Blackbeard LTD; Brown & Miller Racing Solutions (BMRS); Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; C&R Racing; Chalk Stix Torsion Bars; Crow Enterprizes; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Fuel Safe Racing Cells; Greber Racing Components; Hoosier Racing Tire; ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; KSE Racing Products; Larry Davis Farms; Logo Daddy Graphics; Mr. Jim’s Racing; MSD Performance; RaceDiecast.com; Sam I Am; Schoenfeld Headers; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Vortex Racing Products; Walker Performance Filtration; Weld Wheels; Wilwood Racing; and Winters Performance Products.

To stay connected with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR), go to www.jasonjohnsonracing.com.

To stay up-to-date with Carson Macedo and his success journey on and off the track, as well as to purchase his gear and merchandise directly, visit www.carsonmacedoracing.com.