KICKING OFF THE DIRTY SOUTH SWING: ROLLING ON THE MISSISSIPPI GUMBO AT MAGNOLIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY, MECHANICAL ISSUES BREAK MACEDO’S MOMENTUM RESULTING IN A 21ST PLACE FINISH ON THE BLACK ICE

COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI (March 12, 2021) – The JJR #41 team, the motley crew made up of a native Louisianan (Philip), Californian (Carson), Missourian (Clyde), and Pennsylvanian (Nate), navigated their Border International truck and hauler through the southern states after leaving Florida to Mississippi’s Magnolia Motor Speedway. Johnny Stokes and his team welcomed the World of Outlaw teams to the beautiful, state-of-the-art facility that features a 3/8-mile gumbo dirt oval. Once settled in the pit area, the team dropped the door of the trailer and rolled out their Durst Inc./Jansen Transportation #41 Maxim Racing machine ready for their driver to get up to speed on the place affectionately called The Home of the Black Ice. They were joined in the pit area by a talented field of competitors with a total of 34 drivers registered to race under the Friday night lights.

When the Slick Woody’s Qualifying lineup was posted, Carson Macedo would roll out 13th for his two laps at speed. The competitive driver sat patiently in the cockpit of his high speed machine awaiting his turn to makes his two solo laps around Magnolia Motor Speedway. This was a new track on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Sprint Car Series schedule, so communication and adjustments following hot laps would be critical so the proper changes could be made to maximize setup, performance, and speed on the rapidly changing surface. Philip Dietz, co-owner and crew chief of the JJR #41, made the final adjustments with his wrenches before the Kistler Engines/Engler Machine & Tool power came to life under the Indy Performance Composites (IPC) hood. He lower the K1 Race Gear GTX-1 Nomex Shoe on his right foot and took the green flag. He bolted through the first set of turn and exited down the backstretch preparing his entry into the final set of turns. When he crossed under the waving white flag, his first lap was recorded at 12.408 seconds. In this game that combines speed, technology and courage, the talented chauffeur stayed on the loud pedal and his second lap came in slightly slower at 12.809 seconds. The faster of his two laps was 6th quick overall in time trials.

Next up were the four 10-lap Drydene Heat Races. The Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Schoenfeld Headers/Sam I Am #41 would start from the outside front row beside Sheldon Haudenschild in the second heat race. With all of the talent lining the pit area each of the heat races were loaded with talent. Jacob Allen and Scotty Thiel settled into row two, with Jason Sides, Kraig Kinser, Mason Daniel, Noah Goss, and Derek Hager completing the starting grid. Haudenschild would drive into the lead as Allen used the low side to power his way into the runner-up position. Macedo was in third when the passed the flagman, but entering turn one he split Allen who was running the bottom and Haudenschild who was up top entering turn one to take the lead. He would not look back as the surface continued to turn black with each passing lap to take the win by 0.831 seconds over Haudenschild who was followed across the finish line by Sides, Thiel and Allen as the top five transferred to the feature event.

Earning a spot in the 8-lap DirtVision Fast Pass Dash, Macedo drew the ‘2’ pill to put himself on the front row with Logan Schuchart. Aaron Reutzel and Brent Marks were in row two, with Sheldon Haudenschild and Sam Hafertepe in row three, as David Gravel and Donny Schatz rounded out the field. Schuchart wasted little time driving off the bottom from the pole position to take the early lead as he was followed closely by Haudenschild who blasted forward into the second position. Macedo got shuffled back to fourth in the early going and was working hard to find the right lines to maximize his speed. Schuchart took the win to earn the pole position for the feature event. Haudenschild came home second followed by Reutzel, Gravel and Macedo with Schatz, Marks, and Hafertepe completing the finishing order.

Ready to mix it up in Mississippi style in front of the fans in the packed grandstands, Macedo climbed into his High Performance Lubricants/Weld Wheels/Vortex Racing Products #41 for the 30-lap NOS Energy Drink feature. The California driver would start from the fifth position. Following all of the traditional pre-race festivities, Macedo was ready to continue his momentum in the Magnolia State. With the green flag waving overhead, Polesitter Logan Schuchart drove into the top spot at the start with Macedo navigating from the sixth position in the early going. A red flag on lap 5 for a multi-car accident involving Same Hafertepe with Brock Zearfoss and Scotty Thiel flipping paused the action. Macedo would restart from the inside row in the seventh position. When the racing action resumed, Schuchart still controlled the top spot with Macedo running comfortably in the top ten. They were racy around Magnolia Motor Speedway for a few laps before the yellow was displayed on lap 9. Unfortunately, this time it was for Macedo who rolled slowly to a stop on the frontstretch with mechanical issues. He headed to the work area where Philip, Clyde and Nate tried to address the issue, but with only two minutes they ran out of time and headed back to the trailer with their night ending with being scored with a 21st place finish. Schuchart continued to be relentless as the leader, but Sheldon Haudenschild made a bid for the lead on lap with 6 laps to go and got it. He raced to his first win of the season ahead of Schuchart, Sweet, Schatz and Kasey Kahne who rounded out the top five.

Moving in Mississippi Aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT) #41 Maxim!

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.