GROOVIN’ IN GRANITE CITY: THE JJR #41 TEAM AND CARSON MACEDO WERE AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY WITH THE OUTLAWS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS AND HUSTLED ALL NIGHT TO BRING HOME A FOURTH PLACE FINISH

GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS (April 28, 2023) – The schedule continues to pick up as the calendar nears the end of April with the World of Outlaws (WoO) tour heading to Tri-City Speedway on Friday night. It has been 15 years since the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series has been back at the 3/8-mile dirt oval that sits on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. The sun was shining overhead as Philip Dietz and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 sprint car team left their Missouri-based shop and headed east across Interstate 70 to Tri-City Speedway. They were excited to be back at the track after the last three scheduled races were canceled due to weather. They were ready to race along with 42 other formidable competitors chomping at the bit to get up to speed at the Illinois speed plant. It was race day at Tri-City Speedway for Carson Macedo and the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41!

The 26 year old racer from Lemoore, California would be the 11th driver out on the track for his two laps in Low-E Insulation Qualifying. The field was split into two groups, Group A and Group B, and it would be two car qualifying. Carson and the JJR #41 team have displayed some speed in time trials this year as evidenced by their 5 WoO quick times so far this season aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Engler Machine & Tool/Factory Kahne (FK Shocks) #41 Maxim. Peering through the shield of his Shifty Illusions custom painted Bell Racing helmet Carson finalized his qualifying strategy as he waited his turn to be pushed off. When the Kistler Engines power fired underneath the Indy Performance Composites (IPC) carbon fiber hood in the staging lane, Carson set sail towards the waving green flag. He was on track with Kevin Newton and was hustling his Maxim Racing chassis around the 10 degree banking in the turns and making speed down the straightaways. After he completed the first of his two laps his time was 12.175 seconds. Carson was hammer down the next time around searching for more speed. When he crossed the finish line at the end of lap two his timed lap was consistent, but slightly slower, coming in at 12.286 seconds. The better of his two laps was second quick overall on the night in Group B. Logan Schuchart had the fastest hotrod of the night as he set quick time, and a New Track Record (NTR), with a lap of 12.140 seconds in Group B.

The starting lineups were posted for each of the four 8-lap heat races staged for the night. Carson Macedo would line the Meyers Constructors/Premium Coach Group/Walker Performance Filtration #41 Maxim up on the inside of row one with Sheldon Haudenschild’s NOS Energy Drink #17 sharing the row. Tyler Courtney and Anthony Macri were in row two followed by Ryan Timms, Donny Schatz, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Zach Hampton, Kyle Bellm, and Kevin Newton in the starting lineup. It was go time and when the green flag waved Carson drove the Albaugh #41 into the lead as Anthony Macri was all over Sheldon Haudenschild for the second spot. Haudenschild held it as Macedo motored away at the front of the pack. The cushion in the turns was right off the base of the wall and these guys were rim riding each lap around Tri-City Speedway. Carson caught the back of the field and passed Kevin Newton to put him one lap down when the white flag waved. Carson completed the heat race mission as he collected the victory over Sheldon Haudenschild, both locked themselves in the dash, with Anthony Macri coming home third, Tyler Courtney fourth with 10-time WoO Champion Donny Schatz locking down the last transfer spot.

The Lemoore, California driver headed to the frontstretch to test his luck in the pill draw for the 6-lap Toyota Dash. On this night Carson was not so fortunate as he pulled the highest pill, the 8 pill, which put him on the outside of the fourth and final row for the race with Cory Eliason to his inside. Sheldon Haudenschild would get rolling from the pole position with quick timer Logan Schuchart to his outside. David Gravel and Parker Price-Miller paced from row two with Aaron Reutzel and Brad Sweet in row three. When the green flag waved, it was Logan Schuchart leading the opening lap followed by Haudenschild, Gravel and Sweet. Carson picked up two position on the opening circuit and was running in sixth aboard the Durst/WELD Racing/Schoenfeld Headers #41 Maxim. The driver of the Shark Racing #1s would lead from start to finish to earn the pole position for the feature event. The Hanover, Pennsylvania driver was followed across the finish line by Sheldon Haudenschild, David Gravel, and Brad Sweet with the last half of the finishing order being Parker Price-Miller, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel and Cory Eliason.

Carson climbed into the Tarlton and Son/High Performance Lubricants/Motor State Distributing #41 and ratcheted the Crow Enterprizes safety belts tight as he prepared for the 30-lap NOS Energy Drink feature at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois! The field lined up and went four-wide across the 70 feet of racing surface as they saluted the fans in the stands. The raced back into their side-by-side starting positions with Carson lined up on the outside of row three beside Parker Price-Miller for the start of the final high speed race of the night. This one was important though as it is the one where the drivers and teams earn their money for the night.

The field paced slowly around Tri-City Speedway and when they hit the chalk stripe in turn four the engines roared as they raced hard down the frontstretch and into the first set of turns behind leader Logan Schuchart. Schuchart was on the high side on the track as he led Haudenschild and Gravel who were working the low side in the early laps of the race as the field spread out a bit and got into their groove. Carson Macedo was rolling in the sixth positon as the first 5 laps were completed.

The fast action came to an abrupt halt on lap 7, when second running Sheldon Haudenschild got into the outside wall and flipped. The talented Wooster, Ohio racer was towed back into the work area where they were able to make all the necessary repairs to get him back onto the track. When racing resumed it was short-lived as another red was displayed when Chase Randall and Spencer Bayston made contact on the restart sending Randall into a wicked series of flips and Bayston turning over on his side. Both drivers were ok, with Bayston and the CJB #5 crew able to fix their car and get back out for the restart.

It would be Logan Schuchart leading David Gravel and Brad Sweet back to the stripe with Parker Price-Miller and Carson Macedo right behind. Schuchart was fast, but David Gravel was boogying in the Big Game Motorsports #2 especially on the exit of turn two. Meanwhile, Carson was battling for position on the track aboard the Albaugh #41 with fourth running Parker Price-Miller and Cory Eliason who was right behind.

David Gravel was working high and diving low into turn three as he worked on Logan Schuchart to wrestle the lead away on lap 16. He was in control of the top spot with Schuchart, Sweet, Price-Miller and Macedo trucking behind him. The race pace was slowed on lap 22 when Ryan Timms slowed to bring out the caution with 8 laps to go.

Gravel brought the field back up to speed with the top five unchanged. Carson Macedo though was dealing with some speed thieves that wanted to steal his spot in the top five. Giovanni Scelzi. Tyler Courtney and Aaron Reutzel all had really fast race cars and were pressuring the forty-one for position on the scoreboard. On lap 24, the yellow flag was back out as Aaron Reutzel had a right rear tire expire sending him pit side. Gravel still led with Schuchart and Sweet in the two remaining podium spots.

On the restart with 6 laps to go, Gravel charged off into the clean air as Macedo drove the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 as he went around the outside of the NAPA Auto Parts #49 of Brad Sweet to move into fourth. Parker Price-Miller was fast too as he maneuvered by Logan Schuchart into the runner-up position with three circuits to go. David Gravel would go onto to collect his fourth win of the season, and 80th WoO victory of his career – only the 12th driver in WoO history to accomplish that feat, as he was joined on the podium by Parker Price-Miller and Logan Schuchart.

Carson Macedo raced a patient and clean race for 30 laps to bring home a solid fourth place finish on the night at Tri-City Speedway. It was Carson and the JJR team’s 12th Top 5 of the season (a 70.59% success rate) and 17th Top 10 of the year in 17 races (a 100% success rate) to show how fast and consistent they have been. Another good night of competition for Macedo and the JJR #41 on the World of Outlaws circuit in 2023!

Macedo Hustles All Night at Tri-City Speedway to Bring Home a Top Five Finish in Illinois! Photo Credit: Chase Prather – World of Dirt

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; 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.