DIGGING IN THE IOWA DIRT: PHILIP DIETZ BRINGS THE JJR TEAM BACK TO THE SPRINT CAR CAPITAL OF THE WORLD FOR THE PREMIER CHEVY DEALERS CLASH OPENER WHERE CARSON MACEDO WHEELS TO A FOURTH PLACE FINISH

KNOXVILLE, IOWA (June 13, 2025) – Philip Dietz, Carson Macedo, Robby McQuinn, and Adam Zimmerman were looking forward to getting back to Knoxville Raceway after getting caught up in a crash here back in April resulting in a disappointing finish. They were all hoping for better results this time around and excited to be part of an entertaining, action packed night of racing at Knoxville Raceway – World of Outlaws style – to open the weekend. Many of the best teams from around the country traveled to “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” to race at the famed half-mile oval, which is nestled on the Marion County Fairgrounds, as they wanted to get some exposure and track time before the next big visit in August for the 64th Annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. From daily maintenance to new setups, each of the race teams actively worked on their equipment throughout the day in the parking lots surrounding the track preparing to conquer the field when competition commenced. It felt a little like August with energy in the air. Another incredible and quite impressive field of cars number wise was on hand Friday night with 64 race teams lined up in the numbered stalls throughout the pit area ready to race for the win in the opener of the second round in the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash. It was race day in “The Hawkeye State” at Knoxville Raceway!

After drawing a number randomly when signing into the pit area at the Eloy Gutierrez Pill Draw, drivers were ordered from low to high based on the random number they selected and assigned to one of two qualifying Flights for time trials. They each would get a chance to go out for their speed performance measurement with another driver as they showed off their skills and talents around the black zook clay, half mile racing surface.Carson climbed into his Fibreworks Composites carbon fiber seat with a customized Sharp Advantage insert for comfort and safety before buckling his Crow Enterprizes belts. He headed to the staging lane to await his turn to show off the always well-presented black and green Albaugh – Your Alternative/Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Durst Inc. #41 Maxim. He would be the twenty seventh driver out on the track. Donny Schatz, a driver who knows this place pretty well to say the least, driving the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) #15 would join Carson out on the track in two car qualifying. When the Kistler Racing Engines rumbled and woke up under the hood of the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41, Carson knew it was his time to shine. With a smile on his face, the affable Californian started to make speed. Carson raced towards the waving green flag and was trying his best to outrace the numbers on the stopwatch during his first circuit. When he stopped the clock on lap one, the numbers read 15.520 seconds, which put him tenth quick after the first lap. He carried his speed through the first set of turns again passing the Dennis Albaugh Suite Tower and was on the move down the back straightaway. The Lemoore-born star was digging off turn four with lap two coming in much better at 15.262 seconds. The quicker of his two attempts positioned him second quick overall in Flight 1. The fastest driver in that session was Tyler Courtney in the NOS Energy Drink #7BC with a lap of 15.240 seconds. Ryan Timms #10 topped the speed charts in Flight 2 with a time of 15.637 seconds. Courtney’s lap was much better and earned him the Simpson Quick Time Award out of first Flight after ripping off a lap in 15.240 seconds.

The fastest cars in time trials locked down one of the ten starting spots in one of the four 8-lap scheduled Heat races. The remaining cars would compete in the two non-qualifier races for a chance to tag the rear of one of those races. When the lineups were completed, the Scott Boyd Family/Winters Performance Products/FK Rod Ends #41 Maxim would be in the Real American Beer Heat Race #2 where Carson would get his four-mile journey started from the pole position on the front row. He would roll to the inside of Giovanni Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18 ready to make his moves at speed. Kasey Kahne #9 and Logan Schuchart #1s paced from row two with Brenham Crouch #5 and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid side-by-side in row three. Moving in row four were Knoxville regular competitors Scott Bogucki #78 and Sawyer Phillips #3P with Donny Schatz #15 and Kaleb Johnson #6K together in row five. After finishing second in the first non-qualifiers race Cole Macedo driving the TwoC Racing #2c joined the field in the eleventh spot.

The field was slowly pacing as they made their way through turns three and four. When the front row starters arrived at the chalk striped the drivers all lowered their right foot on the power button as the pace started picking up. Carson got up to speed quickly in the Albaugh #41 driving low into turn one and then moving up across the track ahead of Giovanni Scelzi and Logan Schuchart through the first set of turns.

Carson would lead the first lap as Schuchart looked underneath Scelzi for the runner-up position. The driver of the Aspen Aire #18 held off the speeding Shark Racing #1s to maintain second place. Carson though used the opportunity to allow the Kistler Engines horses stretch their legs as he began to build his lead over the field.

The forty-one was fast and Carson was coordinated lap after lap around the big half mile oval. The Californian would race to the win by 2.681 seconds over Giovanni Scelzi with Logan Schuchart coming home third. The final two drivers to secure transfer positions out of the second qualifying race were Michael “Buddy’ Kofoid and Brenham Crouch.

Earning a starting spot in the 6-lap Toyota Dash, Carson drew for where he would start as one of the eight eligible drivers. When the redraw was done the lineup would find Austin McCarl in the Country Builders Construction #88 and Giovanni Scelzi in the Logan Constructors Supply, Inc./Precision Underground Utilities #18 on the front row with Kerry Madsen in TK Concrete #55V and Rico Abreu in the Swan Island Sheet Metal Works #24A right behind in row two. Row three showcased Ryan Timms in the Liebig Motorsports #10 and Carson Macedo in the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 with David Gravel Big Game Motorsports #2 and Tyler Courtney aboard the Clauson Marshall Racing (CMR) #7BC looking ahead from row four. These sprint car speed athletes were racing for the best starting position in the evening’s feature finale. Game on.

Carson was ready to mash the gas in the Border International/T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication/Factory Kahne Shocks #41 when they were given the signal to step it up off turn four. The green flag was out with Austin McCarl lowering his right foot and driving into the lead ahead of Giovanni Scelzi on the opening lap. Carson was running in sixth behind Ryan Timms with Tyler Courtney and David Gravel hounding him from behind. Macedo and Courtney would slide by Timms when the driver of the Hampel Oil/West River Trailer Sales & Service #10 got out of shape on lap two. The next time around Giovanni Scelzi stole the lead away from McCarl and was setting a rapid pace out front. Scelzi would race to the win with Kerry Madsen making a last lap pass for the runner-up spot with Austin McCarl coming home third with Rico Abreu scored fourth. Tyler Courtney passed Carson for the fifth spot off turn two with Ryan Timms and David Gravel completing the finishing order in the Dash.

The twenty-four drivers who earned one of the coveted starting spots in the 25-lap Premier Chevy Dealers Clash opening night feature, as well as an additional five who elected to use provisional starting spots, began to climb into their cockpits as the eight-minute horn sounded throughout the pit area. The crews were busy buttoning up their final setups as the cars began rolling into the staging area. Dash winner Giovanni Scelzi #18 and second place finisher Kerry Madsen #55V would start on the front row and lead the field. Austin McCarl #88 and Rico Abreu #24A made up row two.

Carson would get his checkered flag pursuit started from row three aboard the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Team Jack Foundation/Ben Cook Race Car Products #41 Maxim racing machine. Macedo pulled into his sixth starting position beside Tyler Courtney’s #7BC as he flipped the shield down on his Shifty Illusions custom painted Bell Helmet. Poised and ready to go, Carson went into “race mode” when the yellow lights turned off around the track.

Knoxville flag signaler, Justin Clark, had the green cloth rolled up in his hand and when the front row starters peaked out of turn four, he unfurled the flag as the cars roared down the frontstretch with the sound of 410 engines echoing off the towering grandstands. Polesitter Giovanni Scelzi was the first driver to reach turn one with Kerry Madsen and Rico Abreu all over him. He maintained the position as the leader at the end of the first circuit with Carson gaining two positions on the track running fourth.

This were heating up all throughout the expanded field as the race leaders tracked down the cars at the back by the seventh lap. That gave Kerry Madsen the opportunity he was looking for to close in on the rear nerf bar of Scelzi. On lap 9, he was close enough and drove by the KCP Racing #18 to take over the race lead. Rico Abreu followed him by Scelzi as Carson was closing in on the top three.

By lap 11, Carson was closing in on Scelzi for the show position with David Gravel quickly closing on both in the fifth position. The defending WoO Champion and current series point leader powered off the low side of two underneath Macedo to take the fourth position doing the same to Scelzi through the last set of turns. He gained the two positions and mounted a charge towards Abreu for the runner-up position.

The next time around, Carson moved back into fourth as he hustled by Scelzi for the spot. There was great action everywhere, but all eyes were on Gravel as he continued to use the grip on the low side and did a masterful job technically to keep his speed up.

On lap 18, the driver of the Huset’s Speedway.com #2 drove by Abreu and began closing in on Madsen who was dealing with slower traffic. Carson was running fourth but closing on the top three. A few laps later, with six laps to go, Gravel roared by Madsen into the race lead with Abreu and Macedo racing in positions three and four.

No one was catching David Gravel as he took the race win by 2.793 seconds over Kerry Madsen with Rico Abreu coming home third. Carson Macedo scored a fourth-place finish with Corey Day rounding out the top five on the opening night of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway. The team’s will be back at it gain on Saturday night in the finale.

Racing Home with a Top Five Finish at Knoxville Raceway in the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash During the World of Outlaws June Visit! Photo Credit: Trent Gower Photography

JJR’s Valued Sponsorship Partners for 2025: 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; CASM Safety Products; C&R Racing; 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; ISC Racers Tape; Jansen Transportation; K1 Race Gear; KSE Racing Products; LogoDaddy; Motor State Distributing; Mr. Jim’s Racing; Prime Composite Innovations; 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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