SHOWING SOME STRENGTH AT THE IRONMAN 55: A RESPECTABLE TOP TEN RUN FOR CARSON MACEDO AND THE JJR #41 CREW IN THE 13TH ANNUAL IRONMAN 55 AT FEDERATED AUTO PARTS RACEWAY AT I-55

PEVELY, MISSOURI (August 7, 2021) – After his fifth place run in the Night Before the Ironman at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on a technical and racy track, Carson Macedo and the JJR #41 team were back at the 1/3-mile, high banked oval for the 13th Annual running of the Ironman 55. This race is a demanding test of each driver’s skills, courage, grit and perseverance. The finale at the end of the evening is 55 green flag laps on a track that expects each driver’s “sustainable best” as they race with some of the best sprint car drivers in the country around a bullring. Each of the drivers are here racing because they are fierce competitors all wanting to win the coveted barbell trophy and $20,000 winner’s check awarded to the first one to the checkered flag at the end of the night. On this Saturday evening, there were 34 drivers and teams situated throughout the pit area located over the hill in turn two and just down banking of half of the backstretch.

The pill draw set the time trial order in Slick Woody’s Qualifying for the night. The Lemoore, California driver aboard the LogoDaddy Graphics/Weld Wheels/Larry Davis Farms #41 would head out 30th for his two qualifying laps. Last year, on May 22, 2020, Kyle Larson set the new track record with a sub-10 second lap at 9.995 seconds. He was situated comfortably in his Fibreworks Composites seat with a custom fitted Sharp Advantage insert awaiting his turn on the track. When Jake Neuman completed his two time trial laps, Carson’s Kistler Engines power came to life as he rolled up onto the I-55 track surface between turns one and two. He had the forty-one up to speed and raced under the waving green flag to start the time rolling. It does not take long to get around this fast and racy surface and when he completed the first lap the clock read 10.687 seconds. Hammer down, he kept digging and his second lap was recorded in 10.553 seconds. The better of his two qualifying laps was fifth quick overall on the night and almost identical to his fastest lap on Friday night, which was 10.554 seconds. Parker Price-Miler, aboard the Roth Motorsports #83 and the first driver out, was again the fastest driver of the night for the second consecutive night with a lap of 10.387 seconds.

World of Outlaws timing and scoring officials went to work building out the starting lineups for the four 10-lap Drydene Heat Races scheduled for the evening. When the lineups were posted, each of the heats were downright tough. Carson would scan the lineups to find the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Boyd Family/Vaportrail Clothing/Team Jack Foundation #41 in the first heat race where he would get started from the outside of the front row with quick timer Parker Price-Miller to his inside on the pole. Rico Abreu in the Rowdy Energy Drink #24 would start third, Wayne Johnson fourth, as Justin Peck, Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Bellm, Kevin Ingle, and Carson Short filled out the remainder of the starting grid. When the green flag waved over the first heat race, it was a drag race under the flagstand with Macedo on the outside and Price-Miller on the inside. They stayed that way, wheel-to-wheel through turn one, but the driver of the #83 carried his momentum up the track in turn two and seized the lead. Macedo regrouped in second with Abreu running in third. The track was lightning quick, but Parker Price-Miller’s lead began to shrink in the waning stages of the race as he caught up to lap traffic. Parker Price-Miller took the win by 0.635 seconds over Macedo with Abreu, Johnson and Peck locking down the remaining transfer positions.

The top two finishers from each heat race headed to draw for starting position in the DirtVision Fast Pass Dash. David Gravel and Parker Price-Miller would start from the front row. Donny Schatz and Sheldon Haudenschild would get rolling from row two. Kraig Kinser and Carson Macedo in the Liquid Trucking/Schoenfeld Headers/Walker Performance Filters #41 would gas it from row three. And, Spencer Bayston and Jacob Allen lined up in the fourth and final row for the start. With 8 laps ahead of them, the green flag waved and it was David Gravel powering into the lead over Donny Schatz and Parker Price-Miller, as Carson Macedo wheeled the JJR #41 in the sixth position behind Sheldon Haudenschild and Kraig Kinser after the first lap was completed. Gravel had the Big Game Motorsports #2 moving and he took the win over Schatz with Price-Miller, Haudenschild and Kinser rounding out the top five. Carson came home sixth with Bayston and Allen completing the finishing order.

With a lot of hard work behind them, there was still quite a heavy lift in front of the 24 drivers who qualified for the 55-lap NOS Energy Drink Ironman 55at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. Philip Dietz, Clyde Knipp, and Nate Repetz were busy as they focused on making their final adjustments in each of their areas of expertise. The capacity crowd in the stands, it was announced as the largest crowd in history at I-55, was ready to see the best in the business do their thing around the bullring sitting just off I-55. While they accurately call this sprint car racing, the Ironman 55 is also an endurance race at extremely high speeds that tests the mind just as much as the body. Carson would get started from the sixth position in the Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/High Performance Lubricants/Greber Racing Components (GRC) #41. He climbed into the cockpit of his fighter jet and flipped down the shield of his Shifty Illusions custom painted Bell Helmet as he prepared for action.

David Gravel and Donny Schatz brought the field to the green flag to start the Ironman 55. Gravel controlled the lead early. He led the first 5 laps before Parker Price-Miller passed him on the low side exiting turn four to take the lead on lap six. Macedo was battling with Haudenschild for position. Macedo was working the low side and keeping pace as there was now a three-way battle for third between Schatz, Haudenschild, and the California wheelman. Action though was slowed when Marcus Dumesny rolled to a stop in turn four to bring out the first yellow 12 laps into the race with Price-Miller leading Gravel and Haudenschild with Schatz and Macedo rounding out the top five. When they went back to green, Price-Miller was on the accelerator and making tracks leaving everyone behind. On lap 15, the leader though shredded a tire at speed after hitting debris in turn three and flipped ending his terrific run at the front of the pack.

David Gravel inherited the lead with Sheldon Haudenschild to his outside on the next restart with 40 laps remaining. Carson Macedo and Donny Schatz were side-by side in row two when the green flag waved again over the field. Gravel led Haudenschild, Macedo moved into third over Schatz, but a lap was not completed before Spencer Bayston made contact with Rico Abreu sending him into the turn four wall hard to bring out the caution. A complete restart with 40 laps to go, since they did not get a lap in this time they would restart in single file formation since there was contact, with Carson getting restarted from fourth. They went green again and this time Gravel used the clean air to sail into the lead. James McFadden was able to get by Macedo to take the fourth position with Carson now running in fifth. With 34 laps to go, Haudenschild took the lead from Gravel with a daring pass in turn one as they navigated traffic. A yellow again was shown, this time for a slowing Wayne Johnson who rolled to a stop on the bottom of turn one. Carson would get started from the fifth position with Brad Sweet beside him in the two-by-two restarting order. Green flag. Gravel to the lead. Carson dicing with Schatz for fourth. The two exchange the spot a few times before Schatz stamped his name on it. Carson slid backwards from there over the next six laps falling back to eighth. Sheldon Haudenschild tracked down Gravel and retook the lead on lap 33. A red flag for Kraig Kinser who flipped in turn two on lap 41 stopped the action. Officials called for an open red, which enabled the teams to go to work on their cars and put some fuel in the cars.

The air horn sounded to let the crews know they had two minutes remaining to finish their work under the open red. Haudenschild was leading. Gravel was stalking. And, Macedo was looking to regain some of the positions he lost in the remaining 14 laps. When they back to green, Gravel raced into the lead, but Haudenschild wrestled it back. Sheldon would not look back and race to another Ironman 55 win at Federated Auto Parts Raceway ay I-55 as he beat James McFadden, Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart and Rico Abreu across the line. Macedo raced forward when they went green, but faded back to tenth at the finish. Another respectable run for Macedo and the forty-one!

A 10th Place Finish in the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55!

Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Tarlton and Son Inc.; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Albaugh – Your Alternative, 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; BR Motorsports; 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; Smith Titanium; 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.