KICKING IT OFF IN THE KEYSTONE STATE: FROM THE ROYAL PODIUM TO THE SPEED PALACE, THE JJR #41 TEAM CONTINUES THE SEASON’S JOURNEY FINISHING EIGHTH IN THE MID-WEEK SHOW AT PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY
PORT ROYAL, PENNSYLVANIA (July 20, 2022) – Following his podium finish at the 39th Annual Kings Royal last Saturday night, the busy part of the World of Outlaws schedule continued and brought Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 Sprint Car team to Central Pennsylvania for the summer swing. Their journey on Wednesday night found them at Port Royal Speedway, nicknamed The Speed Palace, which is a beautiful half-mile facility located right downtown on the Juniata County Fairgrounds property. It was the first time the WoO traveling tour of stars would be at the track during the summer months as in the past they have only hosted the Nittany Open in October of each year. Steve Stimely (@razor steve11 on Twitter) works extremely hard and takes great pride and care of the racing surface at Port Royal. He had it ready to go for the mid-week racing action on a blistering hot day. There were 33 teams registered and situated throughout the pit area located on the outside of turn four. It was time to go racing at The Speed Palace!
After the drivers buzzed around the speedway in hot laps, it was time to get the competitive portion of the night of action started in My Place Hotels Qualifying. The fastest lap here at The Speed Palace was set back on October 18, 2018 by Brian Brown at 14.868 seconds, just after Carson Macedo had broken the previous track record in the JJR #41 that same night. The drivers were all lined up in the infield awaiting their opportunity to turn left at speed around Port Royal. With the number of teams at Port Royal for the race it would be single group qualifying with each driver being paired up with another for their two laps at speed. The Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 was set to go out 19th with Carson behind the wheel as he was paired with Port Royal’s four-time track champion Logan Wagner. Decked out in his K1 Race Gear suit and safety equipment, he climbed into the cockpit of the Border International/High Performance Lubricants/Xtreme Body and Paint #41 Maxim ready to test his speed and talents against the racing thousandths of a second on the clock. When he pushed off he rolled onto the track in turn one and built his speed up heading down the backstretch. When he exited turn four he had his right foot buried headed towards turn one. He darted out of turn two and made his way through the last set of turns as he race back to complete lap one in 17.041 seconds. Not knowing his time, he stayed on the gas looking to find more speed the next time around Port Royal. He was consistent, but slightly slower, as the clock this time read 17.174 seconds in the measurement of lap two. The better of his two circuits ended up being seventh quick overall. Donny Schatz established the high bar on this night at The Speed Palace with a fast lap at 16.717 seconds.
With time trials completed, the lineups for the four 8-lap heat race lineups were set. Carson would start second aboard the Boltz Family/Jansen Transportation/AutoMeter #41 Maxim in the third heat race of the night beside the defending NASCAR champion Kyle Larson. Kraig Kinser and TJ Stutts paced behind from row two, followed by Logan Wagner and Steve Buckwalter with Tyler Bear and Ryan Taylor in the final row for the qualifying race. The field lined up side-by-side for the start of the heat race and when they exited turn four they floored it as they darted down the frontstretch. It was Kyle Larson on the inside with Macedo riding the high line. They entered one and Larson drifted up as Macedo turned underneath him exiting turn two to take the lead as he slid up in front of Larson in turn four. Carson would hold the lead, but the driver of the fifty-seven was not letting him get too far away. Larson was working on the bottom and closing the gap on the Albaugh #41. With three laps to go, Larson made the low line work as he worked back by Macedo exiting turn two with the lead again. Larson would lead the remaining laps to take the win over Carson Macedo as Logan Wagner came home third with TJ Stutts and Kraig Kinser rounding out the top five.
Earning a coveted spot in the 6-lap DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, Carson headed to the stage area for the dash draw to see where he would start as Philip Dietz was hard at work with the team trying to figure out this tricky track. When all the pills were pulled the starting lineup was set for the dash. Carson would line the Buckwalter Trucking/ISC Racers Tape/Winters Performance Products #41 Maxim on the pole beside Donny Schatz for the start. It was an all in the family row two with brother-in-laws Brad Sweet and Kyle Larson in row two. Jeff Halligan and Danny Dietrich were in row three with David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild in the fourth and final row. When they came to the green, the outside row of Schatz and Larson freight trained by Carson using the outside line. Last starting Sheldon Haudenschild was trucking too as he was on the rear nerf bar of the Albaugh – You Alternative #41. Both Haudenschild and Danny Dietrich made their way by the forty-one by the time they completed lap one. Larson was still leading Schatz at the front of the pack as Carson was navigating around the tricky and technical surface searching for traction. Kyle Larson collected the win to ear the pole position for the feature as Donny Schatz came home second followed by Haudenschild, Dietrich, Gravel, and Halligan with Macedo and Sweet rounding out the finishing order.
The summer edition at The Speed Palace was about to get started with the 30-lap feature event at Port Royal Speedway. Two stars of the sport, Kyle Larson and Donny Schatz, would lead the field when the green lights illuminated around the track as Carson Macedo would get the Tarlton and Son/Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/C&R Racing #41 Maxim going from the inside of row four with Brad Sweet to his outside. The engines fired and the talented field of sprint car stars circled the well-groomed half-mile oval at slow speeds. There was a $20,000 check awaiting the winner, so it was time to gas it and go at Port Royal Speedway! The flagman unfurled the green cloth as with Kyle Larson leading the field into turn one with Donny Schatz in tow. Before the leaders made it onto the backstretch the red flag came out for Logan Schuchart who tipped over gently on the inside of the front straightaway. When the drivers went back to green flag racing it was again Kyle Larson to the lead in clean air with Schatz, Dietrich, Haudenschild and Gravel following. Just three laps into the race and Carson had the Albaugh #41 in a three way battle with David Gravel and Anthony Macri for position on the track. Macedo and Macri made their way by Gravel, but the racing was still tight. Just a few laps later it was Anthony Macri again pressuring the driver of the forty-one for the sixth position in the running order and he got it. Carson was now running in seventh and looking to keep digging as they passed the halfway point of the race. Kyle Larson was checked out at the front of the field leading Pennsylvania Posse member Danny Dietrich and Sheldon Haudenschild. With 6 laps to go, Lance Dewease I the famous Kreitz #69k was now chasing down the Lemoore, California native and worked his way by Macedo. While Larson was in control of the top spot, the Pennsylvania Posse was on the move with Danny Dietrich running in second and Anthony Macri and Brent Marks right behind as they worked their way forward. Kyle Larson led from start-to-finish to take the win at Port Royal Speedway with Danny Dietrich and Anthony Macri locking down the remaining two podium positions. Brent Marks came home fourth with Sheldon Haudenschild bringing the NOS Energy Drink #17 home fifth. Jeff Halligan was sixth, Lance Dewease seventh, with Carson Macedo coming home eighth followed by Devon Borden and Brock Zearfoss to complete the top ten. A solid effort by Carson Macedo, Philip Dietz, Nate Repetz and Sean Dyson who was assisting in Clyde Knipp’s absence with the team on this night as he was back home in Missouri getting ready to welcome his new baby. Another good run for Carson and the forty-one!
If you can’t come out to the track to see the fantastic racing entertainment in-person, be sure to subscribe and catch all the action on DIRTVision as the best in the business continue their invasion of Pennsylvania this week as they head to Williams Grove Speedway on Friday and Saturday night for the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals.
An Eighth Place Run at The Speed Palace for Carson Macedo and the Albaugh #41 Team! Photo Credit: Cameron Saich
Albaugh, LLC; Border International; Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Saich Family; Tarlton and Son Inc.; Boltz Family; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Durst Inc.; Liquid Trucking; Bandy & Associates Accountancy Corporation; Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution; Jansen Transportation; Larry Davis Farms; Meyers Constructors Inc.; Mr. Jim’s Racing; RaceDiecast.com; Sam I Am; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Tiger Towing; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads; AutoMeter; Bell Helmets; BMRS (Brown & Miller Racing Solutions); BR Motorsports; C&R Racing; Crow Enterprizes; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Greber Racing Components; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Hoosier Racing Tire; Indy Performance Composites (IPC); ISC Racers Tape; K1 Race Gear; Kistler Racing Engines; KSE Racing Products; Maxim Racing; Motor State Distributing; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Saldana Racing Products; Schoenfeld Headers; Smith Titanium; Vortex Racing Products; Walker Performance Filtration; Weld Racing; Wilwood Racing; Winters Performance Products; and Xtreme Body and Paint.
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.