BUCKLING AT BAPS: THE FORTY-ONE TEAM WAS BACK AT BAPS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WHERE THEY EARNED THE KSE HARD CHARGER AWARD FOR THEIR DILIGENT EFFORTS RACING FORWARD IN THE 2ND ANNUAL BRICKER’S BASH

YORK HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA (July 24, 2024) – Philip Dietz guided the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 team eastbound after the Kings Royal at Eldora last weekend heading towards the Keystone State of Pennsylvania for some mid-week action at BAPS Motor Speedway on Wednesday night renewing the Outlaws vs. PA Posse rivalry in the heat of the summer. The paper-clipped shaped 4/10-mile, red clay oval is situated off Interstate 83 between Harrisburg and York. The Super Sportsman division races here regularly along with other divisions and the BAPS team always puts on great shows with the 410 sprint cars joining them throughout the season for selected events. This is only the fourth visit to the track for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series with Steve Kinser (1991), Stevie Smith (1992), and David Gravel (2023) holding the checkered flag at the end of the previous races. There were 33 eager teams parked throughout the pit areas located outside of turn one and off turn two and hallway down the backstretch. It was time to go racing at BAPS Motor Speedway in the 2nd Annual Bricker’s Bash – World of Outlaws style!

With overcast skies lingering over the speedway, following a brief rain shower, the track was still a bit heavy. The night would begin with each driver getting two laps around BAPS Motor Speedway in Sea Foam Qualifying. Time trials are such an important part of the overall show agenda for these competitors because a good lap against the clock can create a much smoother glide path to optimal performance. When the time trial order was posted, Carson Macedo would be the first driver out on the track aboard the Albaugh – Your Alternative/ISC Racers Tape/Winters Performance Products #41 Maxim. He buckled into his Fibreworks Composites seat with custom fitted Sharp Advantage inserts to prepare for his high speed affair. It was Carson’s turn to create some speed in Pennsylvania. He rolled up onto the track on the backstretch and pounded the fast pedal to get the Kistler Engines up to full song. He raced down the front straightaway under the green flag and the seconds began to be recorded. He was searching for grip in the surface as he completed his first lap in 14.775 seconds. Not knowing his lap time he continued his pursuit of a better lap. He hit his marks and this time when he exited turn four he saw the black and white checkered cloth hanging out of the flagstand. On lap two he stopped the clock in 14.892 seconds. The better of his two attempts at speed ended the night 13th quick overall. Pennsylvania regular, Chase Dietz, raced to the best lap of the night at 14.480 seconds to earn the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Next on deck were the four 8-lap heat races where the top two finishers in each would earn a spot in the Toyota Dash with the next three finishers securing the remaining coveted transfer positions to the feature event. The lineups were composed using each driver’s best qualifying lap in time trial with the quickest drivers positioned up front. Carson would get the Boltz Family/Pro Powder Coating (PPC)/FK Rod Ends #41 started from the fourth spot in the field. He would start alongside Cory Eliason in the RSR #8. That duo would follow front row starters Chase Dietz and James McFadden. Jacob Allen, Buddy Kofoid, Kraig Kinser, Jessie Attard, and Jeff Halligan filled in the remaining rows of the starting lineup.

The entire field was lined up correctly as the slowly paced down the backstretch. The engines were relatively quiet, but when the front row starters hit the chalk stripe in turn four they were awakened by the driver’s right foot pressing down on their accelerators. Chase Dietz blasted into the lead entering the first set of turns and exited turn two with the lead over James McFadden and Cory Eliason with Carson in fourth place.

Carson was under a lot of pressure for that position from Buddy Kofoid in the Roth Motorsports/Mobil 1 #83 who made his way by the next time around. Carson was now holding down the fifth and final transfer position but Hanover, Pennsylvania’s own Jacob Allen was putting on a full court press. Carson valiant attempts did not work as the Shark Racing #1a made the pass on lap 3.

Carson continued to battle back hoping to regain the spot, but the laps ran out as Chase Dietz took the win with McFadden coming home second. Cory Eliason, Buddy Kofoid, and Jacob Allen locked down the final transfer spots out of heat race #1 with Carson coming home sixth.

Missing out on an opportunity to race in the Toyota Dash, Carson and the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 team would have to earn their way into the feature through the 12-lap Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown. He would start from the pole position with Kody Hartlaub in the Trone Outdoor #39 to his outside. When the green flag waved, Hartlaub used the grip on the outside lane to propel into the lead with Carson right behind. The track was still fast so the drivers had to work for everything they got. Kody Hartlaub led from wire-to wire to take the win with Carson crossing the finish line second. Tyler Ross came home third with Aaron Bollinger racing home in the fourth and final transfer spot.

With all of the qualifying hard work behind them, the drivers and teams that earned spots in the $12,000-to-win, 30-lap 2nd Annual Bricker’s Bash feature were finishing up their last minute prep work before rolling their cars out onto the track. Philip Dietz, Robby McQuinn, and Adam Zimmerman care tremendously and work extremely hard to make sure Carson has what he needs car wise when they turn the performance responsibilities over to their driver. Carson would get the Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/K1 Race Gear #41 entry started from the 22nd starting position in the feature lineup. He would pull up beside LCS winner Kody Hartlaub. Giovanni Scelzi and David Gravel sat on the front row with Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden in row two.

The fans in the stands would soon learn who would earn the win in only the fourth World of Outlaws visit to the BAPS Motor Speedway speed plant. What a sight . . . twelve rows of some of the best national and local sprint car talent in the nation ready to complete against each other in a great rivalry.

When the field reached turn four, the green lights around the racetrack illuminated in sync with the waving of the green flag. Giovani Scelzi raced the KCP Racing #18 into the lead on lap one with James McFadden and David Gravel right behind in hot pursuit.

Carson was scored in 18th place after the first circuit around the 4/10-mile oval. He had the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 pointed forward as he raced for a better position on the scoreboard. By lap 4, Carson had raced into the 16 position and now had his sights set on Danny Dietrich and Bill Balog who were racing for position directly in front of him.

Two laps later the first caution flag flew for Mark Smith in Ron Rutherford’s #19R. The restart running order would be Scelzi, McFadden, Gravel, Haudenschild, and Dietz. Carson would get restarted from the 15th position. When they went back to green, Giovanni Scelzi ripped into the lead again driving his orange #18 with McFadden still dogging him. Carson gained a position and was running fourteenth as he made his way around Troy Wagaman Jr. in the Heffner #27 entry.

The racing was tight throughout the field and on lap 9 Carson got shuffled back to 16th. He was not deterred and just went back to work. On lap 14, he moved the Tarlton and Son #41 by Bill Balog to reclaim to move back into the top 15.

Up front the next time by James McFadden drove the Roth Motorsports/TRD #83SR by Giovanni Scelzi into the lead. Carson was still battling hard in the middle of the pack with 10 laps to go.

On lap 23, fifth running Brad Sweet lost his brakes and got into the back of fourth running Giovanni Scelzi sending the NAPA Auto Parts #49 hard into the turn three wall and flattening Scelzi’s left rear tire. Race officials declared an “Open Red” so teams could refuel enabling Giovanni Scelzi to go to the work area to make the necessary repairs to rejoin the field at the back of the cars on the lead lap when they re-fired.

James McFadden would lead David Gravel, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brock Zearfoss, and Chase Dietz back to the green with 7 laps to go. Carson restarted 13 and was hoping he could gain a few more spots before the race ended. McFadden stomped on the gas pedal and darted off into the lead as Gravel and Haudenschild were skirmishing for the runner-up spot. Gravel maintained it, but Haudenschild wanted it.

James McFadden would not be denied and raced to the win with David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild completing the podium. Carson raced home with a 13th place finish to end the night. His run forward earned him the KSE Hard Charger Award for the night.

With the Schoenfeld Headers still cooling on the forty-one after the feature, Carson debriefed with the team before the team loaded the car back into the trailer in one piece. They would head back to their race shop away from home and use Thursday to do their daily maintenance in preparation for the first of two nights of racing at Williams Grove Speedway in the C&D Rigging Summer Nationals on Friday. If you can’t make it out to the track be sure to tune into all of the action on DIRTVision.

Carson Macedo and the JJR #41 Team Battle in the Red Dirt at BAPS Motor Speedway! Photo Credit: Cameron Saich – CS Productions

JJR’s Valued Sponsorship Partners: 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); RaceDiecast.com; 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; Buckwalter Trucking; CASM Safety Products; C&R Racing; ChalkStix; Crow Enterprizes; CS Productions; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Fuel Safe Racing Cells; Greber Racing Components; Hoosier Racing Tire; Indy Performance Composites (IPC); ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K1 Race Gear; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy; Motor State Distributing; Mr. Jim’s Racing; Premium Coach Group; Saldana Racing Products; Sam I Am; Schoenfeld Headers; 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.

Check out ShopJJR.com to buy all your new Carson Macedo and JJR gear and merchandise.