EXPLORATION COMPLETE AT SILVER DOLLAR: A PODIUM FINISH ON THE FINAL NIGHT OF THE 68TH ANNUAL GOLD CUP RACE OF CHAMPIONS FOR CARSON MACEDO AND THE ALBAUGH – YOUR ALTERNATIVE #41 RACE TEAM

CHICO, CALIFORNIA (September 10, 2022) – After Carson Macedo raced the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 to his 13th overall win of the season in the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 in Friday night’s preliminary action, he earned a total of 390 points. That accumulated point total was third highest overall on both night two and after both preliminary nights of racing. Unfortunately, based on the Gold Cup format that takes the two highest point earners from each of the preliminary nights, Carson and the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 found themselves just outside the locked in positions and a guaranteed slot in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash. There was a total of 59 talented teams that competed throughout the two preliminary nights. Carson Macedo and the JJR #41 team would sit on the pole in the first heat race to start Saturday night. He still had a shot at making the dash, but would have to win his heat race. With the temperature still hot, but 10 degrees cooler than the last few days where the thermometer pushed past 104 degrees, the action was about to heat up on championship Saturday at the 68th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes NAPA Auto Parts.

The 40 top point earners that did not secure one of the lock in slots would be arranged and line up in four 10-lap heat races where the top four would transfer into the money paying feature event. Carson Macedo would roll into the inside of the front row in the first heat race aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/FK Rod Ends/High Performance Lubricants #41 Maxim with Californian Ryan Bernal to his outside. Sheldon Haudenschild pulled his NOS Energy Drink #17 into the third starting spot beside Sean Becker. Donny Schatz was on the inside of row three with Robbie Price in the Sides Motorsports #7s. Kraig Kinser and Landon Brooks were in row four with Tanner Holmes and Dawson Hammes in row five. Michael Ing, Brian Boswell and Ryan Lippincott field out the remainder of the field when scratches eliminated the non-qualifiers race. Thirteen cars. Ten laps of competition. Winner goes to the dash. Top four finishers go to the feature. The skies over the venue looked overcast, but the weather was good. Those dark skies were actually a result of the fires California is currently is experiencing and filled with smoke. The first heat race was lined up in their double file order and the green flag waved. Carson drove the Albaugh #41 into the lead over Haudenschild, Bernal and Becker. He was focused and hammer down as he used his KSE Racing Products to steer his way around the quarter mile oval. Carson never wavered and raced to the win by 3.026 seconds over Sheldon Haudenschild with Ryan Bernal coming home third followed by Sean Becker who secured the last transfer spot. By virtue of his heat race win, Carson would move on to the dash.

Unlike the traditional DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash redraw where there are 8 pills to select from, the locked in drivers from the first two nights would select for starting positions one through four with Saturday’s heat race winners choosing for starting spots five through eight. By the luck of the draw Jacob Allen would start on the pole sharing the front row with Brad Sweet. Row two was occupied by Ryan Timms and Shane Golobic. James McFadden would be on the inside of row three at the start with Carson Macedo’s Border International/Bandy & Associates/Greber Racing Components (GRC) #41. The last row, row four, was made up of Logan Schuchart and Spencer Bayston. The 8-lap dash was set and ready to get up to speed when the green lights illuminated. When the exchange happened it was Allen to the lead over Sweet with Carson driving into the third position after Timms and Golobic got together racing for position in turn two. Allen was relentless and drove his Shark Racing #1a to the win over Sweet and Macedo with Timms, Schuchart, Golobic, McFadden and Bayston completing the finishing order.

When the track prep was completed in order to give the drivers the best surface possible, the 8-minute horn sounded summoning the 24 car field to the track for the start of the race. The staring field for the 40-lap, $25,000-to-win 68th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes NAPA Auto Parts feature was set and rolling out onto the track to await their push off. The excitement could be felt throughout the grandstands as the fans were just as pumped as the drivers and teams for the marquee event. The fans were ready. The drivers were focused. It was time to go racing at Silver Dollar Speedway! Carson Macedo would get started aboard the Tarlton and Son/Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/Liquid Trucking #41 Maxim from the inside of row two behind Jacob Allen and Brad Sweet. The flagman waved the green flag twice to attempt to start the race, but each time it was replaced by the yellow flag. The first start was called off when Max Mittry when he bicycled entering turn one and spun to stop. The second one was negated when Blake Carrick and Andy Forsberg tangled in turn one. The third time was a charm and Carson took advantage of it driving into second behind Jacob Allen with Brad Sweet running in the third spot. They were flying on this surface and making tracks and not looking back. The only things that could slow the action was another yellow flag and that came out on lap 13 when Corey Day lost a tire and stopped over the banking in turn four. Jacob Allen was leading Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart and Ryan Timms. When they got back going, it was Allen maintaining the lead, but Brad Sweet raced by Carson into the runner-up position. Allen was racing around the top side and running in clean air. He was cruising until the next caution flag flew on lap 23, this time for Max Mittry again and Ryan Bernal who were racing for position when they made contact and spun right in front of the leader. It was still Allen showing the way over Sweet, Macedo, Timms and Schuchart when they went back to green flag racing. Macedo surrendered the third spot to Schuchart who raced by on the bottom on his way forward. They again were setting a good pace at the front and would soon catch the rear of the field and begin to navigate lap traffic. The green lights were replaced with yellow ones on lap 31 when James McFadden spun to a stop after contact with Ryan Timms while battling for the eighth position in the running order. With 9 laps to go, it was the Shark Racing teammates holding down the first two positions with Sweet, Macedo and Haudenschild right behind. When they went back to racing, Carson drove the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 back by Sweet into the show position. Sweet wasn’t going anywhere though as he and Haudenschild were challenging Macedo in a three-way battle for the third position. The final yellow flag slow down happen with 7 laps to go when Corey Day and Kerry Madsen were racing for a spot in the top ten and got together sending Madsen spinning over the turn four banking and Day into the frontstretch wall at the exit of turn four. Allen was still leading Schuchart and Macedo with Haudenschild, Sweet and the hard-charging David Gravel running just outside the top five. They came back to the green in single file order with Allen commanding the lead over Schuchart and Macedo. The restart format enabled the leaders to catch up to the back of the field quicker making the final two laps interesting. Schuchart and Macedo were closing on the leader Allen in what appeared to be shaping up as a three car battle for the win as they navigated lap traffic. Ultimately it came down to a Shark Racing showcase as Schuchart actually nosed ahead of Allen in the last set of turn before getting beat to the finish line by a mere 0.050 seconds with Carson having the best seat in the house to watch it unfold coming home third. Sheldon Haudenschild finished in the fourth position with Brad Sweet coming home fifth. A great race and well-deserved win for Jacob Allen.

Standing on the frontstretch after another podium run, Carson Macedo reflected, “This place was really racy tonight. My guys (Philip Dietz, Clyde Knipp, and Nate Repetz) gave me a car to win, but I just felt like every time we would get to the tail of the field a caution would come out. I needed more traffic to get up there with those guys. It was pretty cool to watch that photo finish right behind them at the line though.” Another great run for Macedo and the forty-one!

Finding Bronze on the Final Night at the 68th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions! Photo Credit: Trent Gower

Albaugh, LLC; Border International; Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT); Saich Family; Tarlton and Son Inc.; Boltz Family; Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions; Durst Inc.; Liquid Trucking; Bandy & Associates Accountancy Corporation; Buckwalter Trucking, LLC; Dissolvalloy Downhole Revolution; Jansen Transportation; Larry Davis Farms; Meyers Constructors Inc.; Mr. Jim’s Racing; RaceDiecast.com; Sam I Am; Team Jack Foundation; Mark Burch Motorsports; T-FAB Custom Metal Fabrication; Tiger Towing; All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads; AutoMeter; Bell Helmets; BMRS (Brown & Miller Racing Solutions); BR Motorsports; C&R Racing; Crow Enterprizes; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Greber Racing Components; High Performance Lubricants, LLC; Hoosier Racing Tire; Indy Performance Composites (IPC); ISC Racers Tape; K1 Race Gear; Kistler Racing Engines; KSE Racing Products; Maxim Racing; Motor State Distributing; Premium Coach Group; Pro Powder Coating (PPC); Saldana Racing Products; Schoenfeld Headers; Smith Titanium; Vortex Racing Products; Walker Performance Filtration; Weld Racing; Wilwood Racing; Winters Performance Products; and Xtreme Body and Paint.

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.