DOUBLE TROUBLE IN MINNESOTA: WITH A SMALL FIELD AT SAUK RAPIDS, JJR TEAM FIELDS TWO CARS WITH AN ON TRACK INCIDENT SHORT-CIRCUITING A STRONG RUN FOR CARSON MACEDO AT GRANITE CITY MOTOR PARK
SAUK RAPIDS, MINNESOTA (June 5, 2021) – After rain washed out the event following qualifying at River Cities Speedway in North Dakota on Friday night, Philip Dietz and the JJR #41 team loaded up their racing equipment and crossed the border into Minnesota as they made their down to Granite City Motor Park located off Golden Spike Road in The Gopher State for racing action at the half-mile oval. Traveling up and down the roads across America, while continuing to perform at a very high level, for these competitors and teams is all part of the process and grind they regularly put themselves through as entertain as part of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. There were only 17 drivers originally listed on the entry sheet for the night of action at Granite City before the JJR #41 team and Shark Racing team both entered a second car to grow the field to 19 registered drivers. Clyde Knipp would climb into the cockpit of the second JJR entry for the night numbered 41J.
Double Trouble: Carson Macedo (left) Racing with JJR Car Chief Clyde Knipp (right) at Granite City Motor Park Photo Credit: Trent Gower
Clyde Knipp went out for his two laps just before Carson in the fifth spot and recorded two solid laps at 13.593 and 13.758 seconds. The faster of his two laps ended up 16th quick overall. Carson Macedo, who has one quick time this season already, would be the eighth driver out on the track in Slick Woody’s Qualifying. He wasted very little time once he drove onto the racing surface as got his Kistler Engines power up to speed and his Weld Wheels turning. He drove under the waving green cloth flag and was now competing against himself and the ticking of the clock on the tricky surface. The Lemoore, California native was movin’ and groovin’ in the Tarlton and Son/Durst Inc./Waco Metal #41 Maxim and clocked in the first lap at 13.336 seconds. Hammer down inside the cockpit, he stayed focused and attempted to pick up a little more speed the second lap. The clock read 13.181 seconds at the end of lap two. The quicker of his two laps was 12th quick overall, with the first car out for time trials, Brad Sweet, setting quick time at Granite City with a time of 12.401 seconds.
The WoO timing and scoring officials set the lineups for the 10 -lap Drydene Heat Races. Carson, aboard the Liquid Trucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/K1 Race Gear #41,would get started out of the sixth starting position in the second of two heat races. As only fate would have it, Clyde Knipp would be in the same heat race and get going from the eighth starting spot. Following opening ceremonies, the crews were making the final adjustments for their drivers before pushing them into the staging area for the qualifying races. Sheldon Haudenschild and Dominic Scelzi were on the front row with David Gravel and Jacob Allen pacing directly behind. Carson shared row three with Aaron Reutzel with Wayne Johnson joining Clyde Knipp in row four, as Tim Estenson rounding out the starting grid. When the green flag waved, Carson got a good start and was looking to gain some positions. But before a lap could be completed the red was displayed for Estenson who was upside down in turn two after clipping one of the inside tractor tires. There would be a complete restart and when they got going Macedo would get up on the wheel. On the second lap, the leader Sheldon Haudenschild got the front end up after making contact with the tractor tire too and headed pit side with the yellow bringing the field back together. Haudenschild returned and tagged the rear of the field. When they got back to racing the action was exciting. David Gravel moved into the top spot as Reutzel and Macedo were wheeling their race cars right behind. Gravel took the win over Reutzel and Macedo with Haudenschild fighting back for fourth and Scelzi rounding out the top five. Clyde Knipp finished in the eighth position.
With an alternate format to entertain and set the field, a 10-lap qualifier race was up next. Macedo would get rolling in the Liquid Trucking/All Pro Auto Reconditioning/Blackbeard LTD #41 Maxim from the outside of the front row with James McFadden on the pole. Clyde Knipp would get started from the outside of row five. When the green lights came on. Carson drove hard around the high line and exited turn two with the lead. He was making tracks and not looking back. He led wire-to-wire to take the qualifier race win over McFadden, Haudenschild, Brent Marks, and Dominic Scelzi. Clyde Knipp came home in 9th place.
With the qualifier race win, Carson moved the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Jonestown KOA/Pro Powder Coating (PPC) #41 into the 8-lap DirtVision Fast Pass Dash where he would start fifth beside James McFadden. They would get started behind the front row of Donny Schatz and Aaron Reutzel with Brad Sweet and David Gravel tin the second row. The finish of this race would set the starting order for the first three row of the feature. Donny Schatz quickly raced into the lead over Reutzel. Brad Sweet and David Gravel would racing side-by-side for the show position. James McFadden and Macedo were also in a tight battle for position behind them. The action was intense and exciting. Schatz took the win over Reutzel as Sweet, Gravel, and McFadden crossed under the checkers as Macedo came home with a sixth place finish.
After some final track preparations, the 8-minute horn sounded for the 35-lap NOS Energy Drink feature at Granite City Motor Park. Carson climbed into his office and pulled on his Shifty Illusions custom painted Durst Bell Helmet. He would get started from the outside of row three. His on-track teammate for the night, Clyde Knipp, would get rolling from the inside of row seven. The grandstands were packed with fans as the stars of sprint car went four-wide to salute them. After losing sprint car legend Steve Smith earlier in the day, the competitors honored one of their own with the “Missing Man” formation leaving the pole position open. When they got going in their two-by-two starting alignment it was Reutzel to the lead with Carson Macedo wheeling the forty-one from the sixth position. Reutzel and Schatz were leading the field early. Eleven laps into the race, Macedo would drop one position aboard the Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/Mr. Jim’s Racing/Sam I Am #41 to seventh when Sheldon Haudenschild raced by on the bottom to take the higher spot. Macedo would now be dicing for position with James McFadden. Two laps later while the forty-one was running in the sixth position, the yellow was displayed as Macedo and McFadden tangles in turn one and collected Dominic Scelzi. Macedo headed to the pit area to replace his front nose wing and rejoined the field. When they restarted the race, David Gravel took the lead for a lap before losing it to the hard-charging Haudenschild on lap 16. Gravel was relentless and took the lead back the next time around on the slick track. Gravel would lead the remaining laps to take the feature win over Schatz, Haudenschild, Reutzel and Sweet. Carson was able to drive back to secure a 12th place finish. Clyde Knipp pulled off on lap 10 and was scored with an 18th place finish. Not the night of results the team was looking for when they unloaded, but they will regroup and be ready to get back at it and complete for the win at Knoxville Raceway next weekend in the two-night Brownells Big Gun Bash event.
An On Track Tangle at Granite City Motor Park Derails the #41’s Strong Run and Results in a 12th Place Finish for Carson Macedo!
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; Bandy & Associates Accountancy Corporation; 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.