MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: CARSON MACEDO MAGNIFICENT AT THE MARION COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS AS HE COLLECTS THE WIN AT KNOXVILLE RACEWAY IN THE OPENING NIGHT OF THE BROWNELLS BUG GUN BASH

KNOXVILLE, IOWA (June 11, 2021) – With the temperatures rising around the country as the summer months are now in full swing, so is the racing action on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule. The teams headed to The Sprint Car Capital of the World on Friday for two consecutive nights of racing action in the Brownells Big Gun Bash. The heritage at this historic racing facility runs deep with racing lure as some of the best to ever wheel these sprint cars have competed and won here as they etched their names into the raceway’s history books. From Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, and David Gravel to our very own Jason Johnson, their names will forever be tied to Knoxville Raceway as winners of the prestigious Knoxville Nationals. This multi-day event on the famous half mile oval is the precursor to this year’s 60th Annual Knoxville Nationals for each of the drivers and teams. On this night, there were 39 teams situated throughout the infield ready to get their tires digging into the black clay surface.

Following the completion of hot laps, the evening would get started with each driver taking two laps with another competitor in a race against the clock in Slick Woody’s Qualifying. Each driver’s quickest lap in time trials helps build the starting lineups for the heat races. For time trials the field would be split into two separate groups with 39 cars lining the pit area. Each team randomly draws for their place in the time trial order and group. The one-lap track record here was recently set by Brian Brown back on May 22, 2021, with a lap of 14.351 seconds. Carson Macedo would be the fifth driver to hit the track in Flight B aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Border International/Factory Kahne Shocks #41 Maxim. He flipped the shield down on his Bell Helmet that Shifty Illusions emblazed with Durst Inc. as he pushed off onto the frontstretch. His Kistler Engines power fired and he pushed his right foot towards the earth and took off as he gripped his steering wheel with his K1 Race Gear gloves. He came out of turn four and sped under the waving flag from Justin Clark as he triggered the time to start rolling on the clock. He was searching for a line to carry his speed around the big half-mile oval as he entered low on entry to turn one. He completed his first lap in 15.581 seconds. He was focused on finding more speed the next lap around Knoxville Raceway. Carson ran a consistent, but slightly slower lap the next time around as the clock reading 15.739 seconds as he headed back to the scales in the pit area. When the last set of drivers completed their time trial laps, the quicker of Carson Macedo’s two laps was fourth quick overall in Flight B, with Logan Schuchart setting fast time in the group with a lap of 15.440 seconds.

The 8-lap Drydene Heat Race lineups were posted for the four heat race events to be contested with the top five moving on to the feature event from each. Even though this is a big and racy track, there is very little room for error when competing here as it is so technical, so you have to be on your game from the drop of the green carrying and hopefully have a four leaf clover with you too! Carson climbed into the Tiger Towing/High Performance Lubricants/Walker Performance Filtration #41 Maxim as he prepared for the battle at Knoxville Raceway where he would start from the outside of the front row with Kerry Madsen on the pole in the fourth and final heat race. Matt Juhl and Parker Price-Miller were in row two with Wayne Johnson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Austin Miller, Kraig Kinser, and Presley Truedson completing the starting grid. When Madsen and Macedo crossed the chalk stripe in turn four, Madsen drove the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) #14 into the lead with Macedo and Price-Miller chasing. Carson was able to keep the TSR entry in striking distance early, but as they laps continued he started to put some space between himself and the Lemoore, California driver wheeling the JJR #41.Madsen would take the win over Macedo by 1.847 seconds with Price-Miller coming home third as Haudenschild and Kinser completed the top five and locked down the final transfer spots.

Carson would be the last driver to draw his starting spot for the 6-lap DirtVision Fast Pass Dash, leaving absolutely no suspense as to which number he would select as there was only a ‘2’ pill left in the oversized NOS Energy Drink can. For formality sake to make it official he pulled the pill and headed back to the hauler. The talented driver of the forty-one would again start on the front row in the Tarlton and Son/Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/Meyers Constructors #41 Maxim with Kerry Madsen, affectionately nicknamed the Madman, with Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet in row two, Logan Schuchart and Ayrton Gennetten in row three, and Brian Brown and David Gravel in row four. When the green flag dropped, Madsen used the low side to take the lead as Macedo darted to the top to try to build some momentum and take the lead. Meanwhile, Donny Schatz stayed low and used his speed to drive by Macedo into the runner-up position. Madsen was in command in clean air and working to perfection. The three mile dash race ended with Madsen crossing under the checkered flags first followed by Schatz and Macedo with Sweet, Schuchart, Brown, Gravel, and Gennetten rounding out the finishing order.

Carson Macedo Making the Winning Pass in the Waning Laps on Kerry Madsen Entering Turn One at The Sprint Car Capital of the World! Photo Credit: Trent Gower

The field was set for the 25-lap NOS Energy Drink Brownells Bug Gun Bash feature. The fans were back in the stands on the edge of their seats. Knoxville Raceway did a tremendous job as always getting the track ready for racing. The 8-minute horn sounded and the crews finalized their work. Carson climbed into his Fibreworks Composite seat with a Sharp Advantage custom fitted insert and prepared for the high speed battle that lied ahead. TSR teammates, Kerry Madsen and Donny Schatz, were perched on the front row with Macedo settling into the third starting spot beside Brad Sweet. After saluting the fans in the stands the field aligned in their two-by-two starting order. When they exited turn four the next time around the sweet sound of 410 sprint cars filled the air in the small, sprint car loving  town of Knoxville, Iowa. Madsen drove into the lead with Macedo sticking to the low line. Carson had speed and used the preferred line to make the pass on Schatz to take ownership of the second spot. Madsen had his TSR #14 moving and at times during the early stages of the race was able to build a sizable lead on Macedo. But Macedo was not going anywhere. When the leaders approached slower traffic nine laps into the race things started to get interesting. Macedo drew closer to Madsen. Schatz pulled in on Macedo’s bumper. And now the top three were all within striking distance with slower cars to navigate. These professional athletes were doing an amazing job with Macedo now close enough to Madsen to attempt a pass for the lead. The Californian was good on the low side, but slower cars filled that lane too making it hard to pass the leader. He was right there though and had the speed to make the pass, but bumper to bumper traffic continued to thwart his progress. The seasoned Australian-born racer at the front of the pack used his knowledge, skills and track position to his advantage and again started to put some space between himself and the driver of the JJR forty-one. The laps were clicking down and time was running out. A caution flew for another talented Australian-born racer, Scott Bogucki, who spun in turn three that regrouped the field. It was Madsen leading Macedo and Schatz with Schuchart and Sweet now in the mix. When they passed the orange restart cone on the frontstretch they raced into turn one. It was Madsen ahead of Macedo with Schuchart nosing under Schatz for the show position. Macedo exited turn two and used his Kistler Engines power to build a head of steam entering run three. He entered high with Madsen low and cruised around the cushion. Carson turned his Maxim Racing car down across the track exiting turn four and drove underneath Madsen challenging for the lead into turn one. Side-by-side they entered with Macedo exiting turn two with the lead. The clean air was now flowing over his Vortex Racing Products wings as he stretched the lead a bit. But, Logan Schuchart was fast and on the move after passing Madsen for the runner-up position. Justin Clark held the two sticks in the air signaling two laps to go. Macedo methodically maneuvered through the turns and down the straightaways as he took the white flag. He cruised through the last half mile to take the win over the hard-charging Schuchart, with Madsen coming home third and Schatz and Giovanni Scelzi completing the top five. The top three all came through the second flight of qualifying and Macedo and Madsen fought for position for the third time this evening. Macedo collected his fourth World of Outlaws (WoO) win this season, fifth overall as he won an All Star race at Volusia at the DIRTcar Nationals back in February too, as he crossed the scales and rolled into Knoxville Raceway’s victory lane yelling in celebration underneath his helmet. He climbed out and hugged owner and crew chief Philip Dietz before climbing atop the tail tank with Jaxx Johnson to celebrate winning night one of the Brownells Big Gun Bash. He pounded on the Liquid Trucking logo placed on the topside of the wing with a smile growing from ear-to-ear. In his victory lane interview, the humble and grateful racer who recorded his tenth career WoO victory and first ever 410 win at Knoxville Raceway thanked his crew and sponsors as he wiped the sweat from his face. When asked he stated, “I am a little out of breath from yelling, I am so damn happy!” He continued, “Winning at Knoxville in the #41 is pretty special. This is one of the toughest tracks in the country. It is so technical, but I’m lucky to have this crew behind me. May car is so good that when even I as a driver made mistakes, it felt like the car could make the recovery for me. My confidence is extremely high right now.” Continued success at the famous half-mile oval is the goal, but celebrating progress and success along the way is critical, and well essential when building momentum towards your goals. A great run for the forty-one!

Carson Macedo Celebrating His Night One Win in the Brownells Big Gun Bash at Knoxville Raceway with Jaxx Johnson!

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.