TOUGH BREAK AT GROVE: A STRONG RUN WHILE RUNNING SEVENTH IN THE FINALE OF THE SUMMER NATIONALS CRUMBLES ALONG WITH THE TOP WING IN A TURN THREE INCIDENT RESULTING IN A 24TH PLACE FINISH

MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA (June 23, 2022) – After a sixth place finish in the preliminary night of action, the “Month of Money” continued on Saturday night for Carson Macedo and the JJR #41 team in the finale of the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals. You could cut the humidity with a knife as the mercury in the thermometer had risen up to just under 100 degrees throughout the day. The temperature was fixing to rise even more as the action was about to heat up out on the track at Williams Grove Speedway in the finale of the Champion Racing Oil Summer Nationals. Philip, Nate, and Sean were working hard and busy preparing the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 Maxim for the evening of entertainment as the fans started to make their way into the famed facility to watch some of the best in the business take on the always tough Pennsylvania Posse who swept all of the podium positions on the opening night of action Friday evening. There were 35 stout teams lining the inside and outside pit areas ready to perform at Williams Grove Speedway’s paper clipped shaped oval.

After strong winds and weather moved in around the track during hot laps, the start of the show was delayed for almost two hours. With less than 38 cars, paired with another driver the field would time against each other as one group for time trials in My Place Hotels Qualifying. The order for each group was set by the luck of the draw when the teams selected their pill at the World of Outlaws official timing and scoring trailer before the night got started. The driver from Lemoore, California would be the seventh driver to get rolling against the clock in time trials aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Boltz Family/Walker Performance Filtration #41 Maxim. He would share the track with Lucas Wolfe as they both raced against the clock. Turning a good qualifying effort is always important, but on Williams Grove’s fast and technical half-mile it seems a bit more magnified – especially on a track surface that baked all day under the mid-summer sun. A good lap can set your team up favorably for the night, while a bad lap can dig a deep hole for the drivers and their teams to dig out of all night. When it was Carson Macedo’s turn, he was ready to do his best. He stomped on the accelerator and got his Hoosier Racing Tires digging and he headed to take the green flag. The clock was moving and so was the driver of the Albaugh #41. He had his elbows up and was focused on creating speed. When he raced through the timing strip to complete lap one he recorded a time of 17.584 seconds. Not done, he stayed on his game and was looking to see if there was anything left the next time around. When he took the checkers it was better as the clock read 17.455 seconds. The faster of his two qualifying laps ended the night as 5th quick overall. The fastest driver of the night though with a 17.288 second lap was the current leading feature winner in the country and PA Posse representative, Anthony Macri.

When time trials were completed, the World of Outlaws officials were busy working to compile the starting lineups for the four 8-lap heat races. The fastest drivers in time trials start up front with the others filling in behind them. The goal is two-fold: (1) ideally finish in one of the top two positions to earn a spot in the dash event later in the evening, and (2) if you can’t do that finish in one of the remaining top five positions, three through five, to lock your car into the purse paying feature event. Based on Carson’s best time trial lap, the Liquid Trucking/Team Jack Foundation/Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution #41 Maxim would line up on the outside of the front row with quick timer Anthony Macri to his inside on the pole. Donny Schatz and Lucas Wolfe were not too far behind in row two with Kraig Kinser, Daryn Pittman, Brent Marks, Kyle Moody, and Austin Bishop tucked in the lineup behind the first two rows. They were perfectly aligned two-by-two as they worked their way to the starting stripe in turn four. When they arrived it was Macedo picking up the accelerator as Macri spun a bit at the start from his inside row starting position. Macedo was leading, but by the time he reached the first set of turns the yellow lights came on. The reason for the race stoppage is the World of Outlaws officials called Macedo for jumping the start and docked him two positions on the starting grid. That moved Carson back to the outside of row two and Donny Schatz to the front row with Macri. When the green lights re-illuminated it was Schatz to the lead with Carson right on his bumper to claim the runner-up position with Macri and Wolfe hustling and in the mix. Schatz led the first lap, the last lap, and everything in between as he raced to the heat win over Macedo with Macri, Pittman and Wolfe locking down the remaining transfer positions to advance to the feature finale later in the evening.

Earning a spot in his 22 dash of the season, a 57.9% success rate, the qualifying drivers selected a pill to find out where they would start the 6-lap DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. Sheldon Haudenschild and Danny Dietrich had luck on their side as they selected the two lowest pills. Donny Schatz and Devon Borden would be in row two with Brad Sweet and James McFadden in row three. Carson Macedo would be on the inside of row four with David Gravel to his outside to start the race. The horn sounded to summon the drivers to the track to race for their feature starting positions. When the green flag dropped it was Haudenschild to the top spot with Dietrich and Schatz right behind. Carson was battling in the Border International/T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication/Engler Machine & Tool #41 Maxim with David Gravel and James McFadden being scored in eighth place on the opening lap. The next time by though he moved the forty-one by both of the competitors to claim the sixth spot in the running order. Macedo and McFadden would eventually make their way by Devon Borden to advance themselves up one spot in the running order. Meanwhile, Donny Schatz worked his way by Danny Dietrich to take over the runner-up position. It was all Sheldon Haudenschild for six laps as he took the win to earn the pole position. The talented Wooster, Ohio driver was followed across the finish line by Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet with Danny Dietrich coming home fourth. James McFadden made a clean last lap, last corner pass of Macedo work to claim fifth with Macedo coming home sixth, Borden seventh, and Gravel rounding out the finishing order in eighth.    

The track and WoO officials were keeping the program moving, so before a lot of time could pass following the completion of the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown (LCS), the horns were sounding for the 30-lap Summer National feature finale. Carson would get the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Buckwalter Trucking/FK Rod Ends #41 started from the outside of row three. Donny Schatz would drive into the lead early as he led Sheldon Haudenschild and the field for the first six laps before surrendering it to the hard-charging Haudenschild. For the first mile and a half of the race Carson was wheeling the Albaugh #41 from the fifth position just ahead of David Gravel and James McFadden. Those two competitors drove underneath Macedo the next time around to move him back to the seventh position. Under green flag conditions the field was spreading out. The leaders were approaching lap traffic and things were tightening up at the front of the pack at the halfway point of the race. Carson has a good cadence going and was right there running in seventh. On lap 18, while racing for position, eighth running Anthony Macri entered turn three hard and slid up across the track leaving Macedo nowhere to go up against the fence. Carson’s car flipped up and over the Macri Concrete #39 as Kyle Larson also got caught up in the melee. Macedo’s front axle was broken and his top and front wing smashed. With no time in the work area the crew was able to get the axle replaced and the front wing off. With a severely damaged top wing Macedo pushed off, but there was too much damage to continue short-circuiting his strong run resulting in a disappointing 24th place finish. Staying positive, the driver and team will repair their damaged racecar and refocus their energy and enthusiasm on being their best for the two-day Empire State Challenge at Weedsport Speedway next Saturday and Sunday night. Back on the track the engines re-fired. It was Haudenschild, Schatz, Sweet and Dietrich. Haudenschild maintained the lead but he had a trio of fierce competitors right behind him hungry for what he had – the lead. After Sheldon tapped the wall a few times on the exit of turn four, Sweet and Dietrich closed in on the leader. They both moved by Haudenschild for the lead using the bottom side of the racing surface with Brad Sweet taking the top spot, but Danny Dietrich was right there. Brad Sweet held off Dietrich to collect his first win at Williams Grove Speedway with Dietrich and Haudenschild finishing second and third as Donny Schatz and Freddie Rahmer rounded out the top five. While the JJR #41 team’s night did not finish well after a strong start, congratulations to Brad Sweet and the KKR #49 team on their win!

An Incident in the Summer Nationals Finale Ends Macedo’s Night Early! Photo Credit: Cameron Saich

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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.