MAKING SOME HAY IN KANSAS: CARSON MACEDO TENDS TO A BIG ORDER OF BUSINESS IN THE TALLGRASS TUSSLE EVENT HELD AT 81 SPEEDWAY GAINING 18 SPOTS AND CROSSING THE FINISH LINE WITH A FOURTH PLACE FINISH!

PARK CITY, KANSAS (March 28, 2026) – Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) team arrived at 81 Speedway on Saturday for the last scheduled race in March with big smiles on their faces. On Friday night the team earned their first win of the 2026 season over in Missouri at US 36 Raceway in the KC Classic. The team looked to continue digging for speed and success in “The Sunflower State” of Kansas on Saturday night. The 81 Speedway is located just North of Wichita. It is a refined 3/8-mile dirt oval that produces exciting racing action from start to finish. There were 38 race teams parked throughout the pit area preparing to entertain the fans from the state that is home to the Kansas Jayhawks. It was another race day – World of Outlaws style – at 81 Speedway for the Tallgrass Tussle event!

Following Race//Ready Hot Laps, the drivers began to line up in the staging area for Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying. There would be two separate groups based on the car count. Time trials are such an important part of the show because how quickly a driver goes around in circles really sets up their night of competition. The better they are, the easier their path becomes and vice versa if they do not show any speed. The order in which each of the drivers would hit the track for their two qualifying laps was established by random pill draw when they register at the World of Outlaws Command Center. That positioned the driver of the Tarlton and Son/Kistler Racing Engines/Team Jack Foundation #41 Maxim in the 9th slot in the Flight B qualifying order. It would be two cars out for qualifying so Carson was joined by Garet Williamson in the Fischer Motorsports #23 on the track. Carson was ready to go for his two lap joy ride around 81 Speedway. When he raced under the flagstand the numbers on the stopwatch started to roll by quickly. Carson’s goal was to minimize how quickly they turned by racing as fast as he could. When he stopped the clock after the first lap the numbers read 13.327 seconds. The California racer stayed on the loud pedal looking to make more speed the second time around. When he blasted off turn four he saw the waving black and white checkered flag to end his time trial session. That same clock measure lap two in 13.302 seconds. The quickest of his two attempts stood 14th quick overall in Flight B when time trials ended. David Gravel in the Billion Automotive #2 had the fastest hotrod of the night making his way around 81 Speedway in 12.877 seconds to add another Simpson Quick Time Award to his racing accomplishments. His lap time also set a New Track Record (NTR). The quickest driver in Flight A was Donny Schatz with a time of 12.934 seconds.

Things were not going to get any easier as next up on the race card were the four Heat Races for the night. There were only five transfer positions available in each race, so it was time to pedal down and boogey for all the competitors. The further back a driver was in the starting order, the bigger the hill to climb. Based on his qualifying lap, Carson would start far back from the inside of row four (seventh) in The Greatest Show on Dirt Heat Race #4 with Koby Werkmeister #31 sharing the real estate in that row with him. The remaining field featured Cole Macedo #2c and Ryan Timms #10 on the front row with Ryder Laplante #88R and Daison Pursley #9 in the second row and Ashton Torgerson #1a and Emerson Axsom #27 in the third row. Conner Morrell #28M was alone in row five.

It was time to stand on the gas off turn four the next time around. When they arrived in the final turn at slow pace, polesitter Cole Macedo in the TwoC Racing entry powered up off the bottom taking the point position ahead of Ryan Timms and Daison Pursley through the first set of turns. He was still out front at the end of lap one and starting to pull away as the field. The action was now fast paced with Carson running in the sixth spot aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Pro Powder Coating (PPC)/Sam I Am #41.

Carson had his eyes focused on tracking down the Shark Racing #1a. At the halfway point of the race, he was closing but never got close enough to threaten Torgerson for the better spot, and critical transfer position, on the scoreboard. The eight laps flew by with Cole Macedo securing the win ahead of Ryan Timms, Daison Pursley, and Ryder Laplante with Ashton Torgerson locking down the fifth and final transfer position.

After not gaining a transfer spot through his qualifying race, Carson would start from the outside of row three (sixth) in the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown (LCS). There were only four transfer positions available and 12 laps to earn one. Landon Crawley #12x and Gage Pulkrabek led the field from the front row with Blake Hahn #52 and Jace Park #28 behind them. Scotty Thiel #16C pulled to the inside of Carson in row three as the yellow lights turned off. The green flag was out with Blake Hahn immediately moving into the lead with Carson gaining two crucial spots to move into the fourth and final transfer position at the end of the first lap.

The next time around though the yellow flag, soon followed by the red flag, came out for a seven car melee in turns one and two that included Jace Park #28 who spun in front of the field collecting Kasey Jedrzejek #6, Spencer Bayston #17, Scotty Thiel #16C, Ricky Peterson #98, Matt Covington #95, and Jason Martin #36. All the drivers were ok.

The engines began to re-fire as the field lined up for the restart. When the drivers went back to racing Carson gained another spot and was now running in third place. The high speed was again slowed when Koby Werkmeister wheelied off turn two and spun to a stop on the backstretch.

Blake Hahn lowered his right foot again and the action was back up to speed. Carson moved by Landon Crawley to take over the runner-up position on lap 3. Blake Hahn was running out front in clean air setting the pace with Carson in second trying his best to keep him within striking distance. Hahn would lead the remainder of the race to take the win with Macedo, Crawley, and Covington locking down the final three transfer positions out of the LCS.

The 27 car field, which included three provisional starters – Spencer Bayston, Emerson Axsom, and Kasey Jedrzejek – were set and it was now time for the 30-Lap Tallgrass Tussle feature finale. The starting spots in the first four rows were earned through the Toyota Dash. Buddy Kofoid in the Roth Motorsports #83 and Ryan Timms in the CITGO/Hampel Oil #10 pulled into the front row starting spots with Donny Schatz #15 and Kerry Madsen #55 in row two. David Gravel #2 and Bill Balog #17B were together in row three with Cole Macedo #2c and Sheldon Haudenschild #18 right behind. Carson had some even bigger business ahead of him as he was set to start from the outside of row eleven from the 22nd starting position in the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Durst/High Performance Lubricants #41 Maxim.

After the four-wide parade lap to acknowledge and celebrate these incredible fans who braved the colder temperatures and wind to watch the best in the business do their thing, it was time to go racing at 81 Speedway. Ryan Timms did not waste any time as he drove into the lead ahead of Kofoid and Schatz on the opening circuit with Carson picking up six positions early running in 16th place. He was not done as there was still work to do.

Ryan Timms was still out front on lap 3 when the red lights turned on around the track for Ryder Laplante #88R who flipped as fire erupted under his car. He climbed out and was ok. Also involved in the turn one accident was Austin McCarl in the Country Builders Construction #88. Officials used the unexpected race stoppage to call and “Open Red” so the teams could top off their fuel and work on their cars while track officials cleaned up the accident scene and tended to the leaked fuel.

The yellow lights around 81 Speedway eventually were turned on and it was time to get back to work with 27 laps remaining in the Tallgrass Tussle. Ryan Timms and Buddy Kofoid would be side-by-side on the front row when they came back up to speed with Carson restarting the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 with Brent Marks #19 back in row seven.

When the green flag waved it was Buddy Kofoid into the lead over Timms with Carson gaining two more spots as he was now running in 12th place. He was fast and “zigged when they zagged” as he explained during the Open Red interview to pass cars. Whatever it takes I guess, but he was moving forward, and he was fast.

The race for the lead was not over by any means though as Ryan Timm reclaimed position one on lap 5 moving back by Kofoid. Carson’s drive forward was not over either as he gained another spot and was now running one spot out of the top ten with 25 laps to go. He had his sights set on tenth running Kerry Madsen and on lap 8 hustled by him for the last spot in the top ten.

Ninth running Bill Balog #17B was now the next target. On lap 9, Carson hustled his Maxim Racing machine around the Alaskan-born native and was now running in 9th place with a lot of the race remaining. The North Pole Nightmare was not going to him up that easily though and reclaimed the position the next time by the flagstand. Carson kept the pressure on, and the next official lap moved back by for position. It was a great race between two gritty speed athletes.

At the halfway point of the race, Ryan Timms was still out front showing the way in front of Buddy Kofoid, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo, and Sheldon Haudenschild. Carson was still digging as he gained another position on the scoreboard when he moved by Garet Williamson for the eighth spot. The Shark Racing #1s of Logan Schuchart was running right in front of Carson now and the next time by the Californian moved by the Pennsylvanian to take control of the seventh position with 14 laps remaining in the race.

The climb now would become much more difficult as Carson was up front racing for lower numbered positions with the cars in the lead pack. David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2 was running sixth with 10 laps to go, but Carson was sniffing around looking for an opportunity to move by. Six laps later he had one as Macedo moved by both Gravel and Haudenschild and was now scored in fifth place behind race leader Timms, Kofoid, Schatz, and his younger brother Cole with four laps to go.

The Macedo brothers were on the move as Cole Macedo hustled by Schatz into the show position with the laps winding down. Carson was closing in on the ten-time WoO champion too. Would he have time to steal the fourth position? Only time would tell, and it was about to get exciting in the lead group of cars.

The white flag came out with Ryan Timms in the lead over Buddy Kofoid with Cole Macedo sitting in third. Donny Schatz was running fourth with Carson Macedo breathing down his neck. Entering turn three the race for the lead was on with Kofoid getting a good run down the back straightaway and sliding up across the track in turn three to rip the lead away from Timms exiting turn four. Buddy Kofoid made the last lap, last corner pass stick as he raced to his second WoO win of the season with Ryan Timms and Cole Macedo rounding out the podium. Carson Macedo drove a heck of a race and made the last lap pass on Donny Schatz to finish fourth picking up a whopping 18 positions on the track along the way to earn KSE Hard Charger honors. What a race!

The traveling tour series and stars will not be racing next weekend as they observe the Easter holiday. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series and teams will be prepared and back in action on April 10 and April 11 at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in Pevely, Missouri for the Spring Classic. All the action will be streamed live on DIRTVision. Do not miss it if you cannot be in attendance!

Cutting through the Tallgrass Tussle Field of Competitors in Kansas to Earn KSE Hard Charger Honors! Photo Credit: Kelten Weaver

JJR’s Valued Sponsorship Partners for 2026: Albaugh, LLC; Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Border International; Scott Boyd Family; Saich Family; Tarlton and Son Inc.; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Durst Inc.; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Kistler Racing Engines; Maxim Racing; Sander Engineering; Bandy & Associates Accountancy Corporation; Boltz Family; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Xtreme Body and Paint; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads; AutoMeter; Bell Helmets; Ben Cook Race Car Products; BlackBeard LTD; BMRS (Brown & Miller Racing Solutions); BR Motorsports; CASM Safety Products; Crow Enterprizes; CS Productions; Dale “Mickey” Snyder; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Greber Racing Components (GRC); Hoosier Racing Tire; ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K1 Race Gear; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy; Motor State Distributing; Mr. Jim’s Racing; Prime Composite Innovations; PWR Advanced Cooling Technology; Saldana Racing Products; Sam I Am; Schoenfeld Headers; Smiley’s Racing Products; Smith TI; Vortex Racing Products; Walker Performance Filtration; Wilwood Racing; and Winters Performance Products.

To stay connected with Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) and Carson Macedo go to www.jasonjohnsonracing.com.

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