WORKING AGAIN IN WISKY: CARSON MACEDO AND THE JASON JOHNSON RACING (JJR) #41 TEAM REBOUND AT WILMOT RACEWAY DURING THE LARRY HILLERUD MEMORIAL WITH AN 8TH PLACE RUN IN “THE BADGER STATE”

WILMOT, WISCONSIN (July 10, 2026) – The pace of the schedule certainly was heating up for Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) team in July after a break to start the month. On Thursday night, the driver of the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 rallied back to an 11th place finish in the Maxim Racing machine after spinning mid-race in the loose stuff over at Hartford Speedway in the Pure Michigan Showdown. That race started a busy stretch of racing featuring 14 scheduled races over the course of the 23 remaining days during the month of July. Surely there is not a lot of time to rest, relax, or ponder the past, but these teams get to do what they love to do each night making a living. When the checkered flag flew over in Michigan, the JJR crew loaded up their hotrod and traveled to Wilmot, Wisconsin for the first of two nights of racing at the 5th Annual Larry Hillerud Memorial presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts and promoted by SLS Promotions. The pit area was bustling with 33 sprint car race teams all with their sights set on the same prize – the winner’s trophy and share of the purse at the end of the night. It was race day in America’s Dairyland – World of Outlaws style. Joining then on the race card was the Wisconsin Legend cars.

To start the night each driver climbed into the cockpit of their sprint car to make some laps around Wilmot Raceway in Race//Ready Hot Laps in their assigned group based on the time trial order set for Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying. Carson proved to be the quickest driver in hot laps earning the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night honors. This is the first look at the track surface for the drivers as they assess their setups for timed qualifying action. The order for time trials was established based on random drawing, putting Carson as the 26th driver out on the track behind the wheel of the Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/Bandy & Associates/Gerber Racing Components (GRC) #41 Maxim. When Brady Bacon #21H completed his timed attempts, Carson stood on the gas building up speed as he headed towards the waving green flag. He was on the clock. The Californian whipped through the first set of turns before powering his way down the back straightaway and through the last set of turns. The numbers on the stopwatch recorded Carson’s first lap in12.807 seconds. He stayed focused the next time around as he continued to pursue more speed. This time when he darted across the finish line to end his session, the lap time he turned in was timed at 12.649 seconds. The best of his two attempts at creating speed was the second one putting him twelfth quick overall in time trials for the night. The driver who mastered the speed test in time trials was Buddy Kofoid in the Roth Motorsports #83 circling Wilmot Raceway in 12.321 seconds to earn the Simpson Quick Time Award on night one of the Larry Hillerud Memorial.

The engines began to fire for the first of four 10-lapHeat races where the top five finishers in each qualifying race lock their starting spots in the feature event at the end of the night. When the lineups were posted, Carson would get his qualifying journey started from the third position in Golf Cart Services Heat Race #4 pulling the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Sander Engineering/Prime Composite Innovations #41 up alongside Chris Windom in the NOS Energy Drink/Sides Motorsports #7s in row two. They rolled behind front row starters Spencer Bayston #17 and Brady Bacon #21H and directly in front of Dave Uttech #68 and Matt VanderVere #10V in row three. Creed Kemenah #15H and Chris Klemko #70 were side-by-side in the fourth and final row for the race.

It was “no messing around time” for the drivers pacing around the Wisconsin racing venue. When the green lights turned on the drivers dropped their right feet in a Pavlovian response. The race was on with the first driver to turn one being Brady Bacon as polesitter Spencer Bayston bicycled after hitting a rut making and opening for Carson to drive the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 into the runner-up spot. But that was all for naught as the yellow flag waved when Chris Klemko slowed out of turn two bringing out the caution flag before the opening lap could be completed. It would be a complete restart.

They tried it again and this time Bayston drove the NOS Energy Drink #17 into the lead with Windom blasting around the top tucking in behind him followed by Macedo and Bacon. Carson was in fight mode as he was trying to track down Windom for the runner-up spot in the running order early in the race.

Spencer Bayston effectively and efficiently wheeled the NOS Energy Drink #17 to victory chased across the finish line by Chris Windom #7s. Both those drivers earned berths in the Toyota Dash with Carson racing home third followed by Bacon and VanderVere across the finish line to lock down the final three transfer positions into the A-Main out of the fourth Heat race.

The 24 car lineup was now set for the 35-lap 5th Annual Larry Hillerud Memorial presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts opening night feature race. Slated to start from the outside of row six was Carson Macedo in the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41/T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication/FK Rod Ends #41 Maxim. The Lemoore, California born racer would be joined in the sixth row by Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart #1s. After finishing first and second respectively in the Toyota Dash, Buddy Kofoid #83 and Cole Macedo #2c earned the honors to lead the field to the green flag from the front row with Spencer Bayston #17 and Chris Windom #7s behind them in row two. Row three was talent filled with Sheldon Haudenschild #18 and Garet Williamson #23 together as David Gravel #2 and Conner Morrell #28M tucked in behind in row four. It was time to entertain with speed at Wilmot Raceway!

The next time by the flagstand the green flag waved as the air filled with the sweet sound of 410 sprint car engines. It was Buddy Kofoid roaring into the lead on the opening lap in his Roth Motorsports/Mobil 1 #83 with Cole Macedo, Spencer Bayston, and Garet Williamson as the early race chasers at the front of the pack. Carson maintained his starting position on the initial circuit as he battled for more against Bill Balog, Logan Schuchart, and Brady Bacon.

Bacon would move by the forty-one to take over 12th place on the next lap, but Carson stayed calm and retook the lowered number spot back on lap 5. Two laps later the Lemoore, California racer gained another position when he raced past Conner Morrell to move into 11th place. Alaska-born native Bill Balog, who now calls Wisconsin home, was right in front of Carson now in the #20 with the #17B in the center of the zero to honor his late girlfriend Natalie Klemko who was a good racer herself and gone too soon.

Further up front in the field, race leader Buddy Kofoid was navigating through lap traffic with ten laps in the books, But Cole Macedo was closing in pressuring the leader for the top spot. The talented driver of the Rod End Supply/TwoC Racing #2c made the pass for the lead on lap 11 and led two laps before Kofoid ripped it back away.

Carson continued to race with Bill Balog moving into the top ten on the fourteenth lap. He maintained that position on lap 16 when the caution flag came out for an infield safety tire that ended up out on the racing surface to slow the action. Macedo would restart tenth and when Kofoid stomped on the loud pedal to get them back up to speed, Carson gained two spots passing both Emerson Axsom and Chris Windom and was now running eighth.

On lap 20, the yellow flag was back out for Emerson Axsom and Donny Schatz who tangled off turn two with the CJB #15 left sitting idle on the track. Buddy Kofoid was still out in front of Cole Macedo, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson, and David Gravel with 15 laps remaining.

The green flag was back out and the drivers were in business again. There was a lot of shuffling around throughout the top ten, but it was all behind the driver of the Roth Enterprises #83. Both Williamson and Gravel were able to move by Bayston on the restart and now running in the top five. Schuchart gained a spot and was now cruising in sixth while Balog gained a position too and was maneuvering from ninth place with Carson holding steady in the eighth spot.

Ten laps from the finish a red flag stopped all the action when Blake Nimee #79 flipped in turn two. The pause in action gave the drivers a minute to catch their breath and ponder their race strategy for the remaining ten laps of the race.

The yellow lights around the track began to warm up only to be relieved by the green ones as Kofoid stood back on the gas to lead the field back up to speed. He left no doubt he was the best on this night as he led the remaining laps, and 33 of the 35 laps, to take the feature win, the ninth of the year for this driver and team. David Gravel hustled home second with Sheldon Haudenschild finishing third after just inching ahead fourth place finisher Cole Macedo right at the finish line with Logan Schuchart finishing fifth. Carson raced home in eighth place crossing the line behind Garet Williamson and Spencer Bayston with Bill Balog and Brady Bacon completing the top ten. A good run for Macedo and the forty-one team!

With the cars now sitting at the back of their trailers post-race, the teams began to decipher the learnings from the night of racing so they could improve on Saturday night when they return to Wilmot Raceway for the $20,000-to-win finale of the 5th Annual Larry Hillerud Memorial – Badger 40 finale. Be sure not to miss a lap of action by tuning in to DIRTVision if your plans are not taking you out to the track. #HillerudMemorial

Wheels Up at Wilmot Raceway to Open the Larry Hillerud Memorial in Wisconsin! Photo Credit: Tyler Carr

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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