ON THE BOARD AT OSKALOOSA: A STRONG EFFORT THROUGHTOUT THE EVENING AT SOUTHERN IOWA SPEEDWAY RESULTS IN A SOLID PODIUM FINISH FOR THE FORTY-ONE IN THE 26TH ANNUAL FRONT ROW CHALLENGE

OSKALOOSA, IOWA (August 9, 2021) – With mercury pushing up inside thermometers throughout the day, some of the competitors in the area braved the heat as they made their way to Southern Iowa Speedway in Mahaska County to race in the 26th Annual Sage Fruit Front Row Challenge.  There were 25 410 sprint car teams parked in the pit area off the backstretch. One of those teams was the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) entry with Carson Macedo behind the wheel. With fans streaming into the infield and grandstands to start the party, it was time to go racing at this big half-mile fairgrounds speedway 410 sprint car style.

After hot laps concluded, it was time for each driver to race solo around the track twice against the clock in time trials. Carson would be the 14th driver out on the track aboard the Liquid Trucking/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution/Chalk Stix Torsion Bars #41. He was confident with the rocket Philip Dietz, Clyde Knipp, and Nate Repetz gave him to compete and as his engine fired on the push off lane he dropped his right foot on the gas to take the green. Never lifting, the Lemoore, California racer made quick work of his first lap turning a lap of 15.574 seconds. He kept his elbows up wearing his black and orange Durst Inc. K1 Race Gear fire suit turning in an even better lap at 15.471 seconds the second time around to secure second quick overall behind quick time Giovanni Scelzi who ran his bet lap at 15.392 seconds.

With an inversion of six, Macedo would get rolling from the outside of row three in the Tarlton and Son/Complete Parts & Equipment/Meyers Constructors #41 Maxim with Shane Stewart to his inside. Tim Kaeding and Scott Bogucki paced the field from the front row and were followed by an all-Pennsylvania row two made up of Brent Marks and Anthony Macri. Marcus Dumesny and Riley Goodno rounded out the starting grid in row four. The track was still a bit narrow which made passing very difficult at this stage of the night. When the green lights came on it was Kaeding racing into the top spot with Stewart and Macedo dueling for the fifth position on the racing surface. It did not take long for things to settle in as each of the drivers fell into their starting positions and raced single file. Kaeding took the win over Bogucki with Carson bringing home his entry sixth.

Earning enough points to be one of the eight drivers to earn a spot in the King of the Hill dash, he climbed into the cockpit of his Maxim Racing entry and buckled into his red Crow Enterprizes safety belts. For the first round, he would be in the second dash of four cars with the top two finishers advancing onto round two when the checkers flew. Carson would start second with Brian Brown on the pole. Daryn Pittman and Anthony Macri paced behind in row two. The track was still quite narrow, so the inside line was the preferred one. When the green was displayed, Brian Brown drag raced Macedo down the frontstretch with Pittman glued to Brown’s rear nerf bar on the bottom. Through the first set of turns Brown gain control of the lead as he slid up across Macedo’s nose allowing Pittman to scoot by into second. Carson settled into the third position in the Border International/Team Jack Foundation/Waco Metal #41. The race was only two laps with Brian Brown taking the win over Pittman and Macedo with Macri coming home fourth.

With his efforts throughout the night and his finish in the dash, he would start the 30-lap Front Row Challenge from the sixth position with Giovanni Scelzi to his inside. Brian Brown was on the pole flanked by Kasey Kahne in the Roth Motorsports #83. Row two was comprised of Daryn Pittman and Kyle Larson with row four being made up of Shane Stewart and Anthony Macri. A $21,000 check awaited the winner at the end of 30 laps around Southern Iowa Speedway, or just simply Osky as it is known throughout the racing community. With the field set, they saluted the fan with a four-wide salute and then raced back into their two-by-two starting lineup. When they engines roared at the start it was Brown to the lead with Carson wheeling the Durst Inc./Factory Kahne (FK) Shocks/C&R Racing #41 Maxim into the top five.  The drivers were up on their wheels as Daryn Pittman was pressing Brown for the lead with Kahne, Larson, and Macedo closing in to join the battle. A yellow slowed the field mid-race, and on the restart things got shuffled at the front of the pack. Kyle Larson was now knocking on Brown’s door with Kasey Kahne right in the mix. Carson drove by Pittman into fourth and Anthony Macri now was into the top five. The leaders were fast and raced their way to the back of the field. As Brown started to navigate lap traffic. Larson was poised to take his spot. He did so using an inside move to drive by Brown who had Kahne, Macedo and Macri close behind. Another late caution flew when Riley Goodno slowed and tried to exit the track on the inside but was not far enough off of the racing surface so a caution flag was thrown. Larson led, but Brown was not about to give up. Kahne was fast and perched in the show position. Macedo was eager to see if he could carry his late race speed to a win. The green flag waved again with 6 laps to go and Larson and Brown were in an all-out dogfight for the lead. Carson used the restart to use his Kistler Engines horsepower to drive into the third position with a slider on Kasey Kahne in turn one following the restart. Despite Brown’s courageous attempts, Larson took the win and won the belt and the money, Brown came home second, and Macedo secured the final step of the podium in third, as Macri and Kahne rounded out the top five at the conclusion of the 26th Annual Sage Fruit Front Row Challenge.

Carson Macedo Drives the Liquid Trucking #41 Maxim to A Third Place Finish at Osky! Photo Credit: Cameron Saich

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.