PODIUM CLIMB: CARSON MACEDO AND THE JJR #41 TEAM PUT THEIR “BEST FOOT FORWARD” TO EARN A SOLID THIRD PLACE FINISH IN THE BIKE WEEK JAMBOREE FINALE AT VOLUSIA SPEEDWAY PARK

BARBERVILLE, FLORIDA (March 4, 2024) – There is an old and wise saying that simply states, “Never look back.” While that may be true, the past is important because it provides experiences for us to learn from as we move forward. After leaving Florida in the early part of February, Philip and Carson along with their JJR #41 team took the lessons they learned back to Missouri as they focused and worked extremely hard to make sure when they returned to Volusia Speedway Park for the two-day Bike Week Jamboree they were better prepared. With rain in the area on the first night as a late afternoon thunderstorm moved through washing out Sunday’s show, the team dropped the trailer door on Monday to roll out the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 Maxim as they prepared to compete again on night two at the fast half-mile oval dubbed the World’s Fastest Half Mile. While Bike Week celebrates the awesome machines with two wheels, Volusia Speedway Park was featuring the 900 horsepower World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. There were 19 eager teams parked throughout the pit area ready to put on a show for the fans in the stands and watching on DIRTVision.

After hot laps concluded, it was time to race against the clock in Sea Foam Qualifying for the drivers to showcase their speed and agility. The time trial order for the drivers was set by the luck of the draw when they pulled into the track. Carson Macedo, a native of Lemoore, California, would be the ninth driver to hit the track aboard the beautifully presented black, green and white Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/Tarlton and Son/Scott Boyd Family #41. He climbed into the cockpit of the Maxim Racing machine and buckled his Crow Enterprizes safety belts before heading to the staging area. When the official motioned for him to enter the track his Kistler Engines power came alive. Carson built up his speed and momentum up as he worked his way to the flagstand to take the green flag. When he arrived the numbers on the stopwatch were rolling by as he made his way through the first set of turns and down the back straightaway. He had two left hand turns remaining before racing back towards the flagstand to complete his first lap. He did so in 13.583 seconds. He stayed on the hammer hoping to pick up any speed that may have been missed. Carson made quick work of the second lap completing it in 13.522 seconds. The better of his two time trial laps was 8th quick overall. Buddy Kofoid sat atop of the speed charts when qualifying was over to earn the Simpson Quick Time Award with a time of 13.305 seconds.

There were two 8-lap heat races slated to run with the lineups for each established using each of the driver’s best lap time in qualifying. That positioned Carson Macedo on the outside of row two in the Milton Hershey School Heat #2 as he paced alongside Brock Zearfoss in his Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3z hot rod. Sheldon Haudenschild and Landon Crawley were rolling in the first row with Danny Sams III and Bill Balog in row three, Logan Schuchart and Kraig Kinser in row four, as Creed Kemenah was the lone starter in row five. The top two finishers would lock into the Toyota Dash with all the other finishers moving on to the Micro-Lite Qualifier race based on the limited number of entries on this night. The green flag was out with Haudenschild and Crawley battling through the first set of turns for the lead with the NOS Energy Drink #17 coming out on top heading down the backstretch. Carson moved the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 into the third position ahead of Bill Balog as Macedo began to close the gap slightly on second running Crawley. The laps were descending every 13 plus seconds each lap on this fast race track as the field began to spread out. The racing surface was still a bit narrow, but the speeds were impressive. Sheldon Haudenschild raced to the heat race win with Landon Crawley securing the runner-up spot to advance into the Toyota Dash. Carson finished third with Bill Balog and Brock Zearfoss rounding out the top five.

By virtue of his third place heat race finish, Carson would get started in the 10-lap Micro-Lite Qualifier race from the outside of the front row beside Giovanni Scelzi. David Gravel and Bill Balog were right behind in row two with Cory Eliason and Brock Zearfoss in row three. Corey Day shared row four with Logan Schuchart with Jacob Allen, Kraig Kinser, Ryan Timms, Danny Sams III, Ryan Harrison, and Creed Kemenah filling in rows five, six and seven. When the yellow lights dimmed around the track it was Giovanni Scelzi accelerating into the lead ahead of Macedo, Gravel and Balog. The track was beginning to widen out a bit, but it was lightning fast with passing still at a premium. The running order stayed the same at the halfway point with Scelzi leading Macedo, Gravel, Balog, and Eliason in the top five.

On lap 7, the high speed action was slowed when the caution flag flew for Ryan Timms as his CITGARD #5T slowed on the track before heading into the infield to end his run. The field would come back to the green in their single file restart formation with Scelzi leading Macedo and Gravel back up to speed. Scelzi quickly put some distance between himself and Macedo with the driver of the forty-one doing the same thing ahead of third place running Gravel. Scelzi raced to the win in the Qualifier race with Carson coming home second in the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 as those two high speed chauffeurs earned the last two spots in the Toyota Dash. David Gravel raced across the line third with Bill Balog and Cory Eliason rounding out the top five.

Buddy Kofoid and Sheldon Haudenschild would start on the front row in the 6-lap Toyota Dash with Donny Schatz and Landon Crawley right behind in row two. Carson Macedo, making his first dash of the year, would start sixth in the Sander Engineering/Engler Machine & Tool/Team Jack Foundation #41 with Giovanni Scelzi to his inside. These six drivers were racing for their starting positions in the main event later on in the evening. The green flag was out with Haudenschild blasting into the top spot ahead of Kofoid with Carson wheeling the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 from the sixth spot on the scoreboard. Haudenschild and Kofoid were waging a war at the front of the pack with Giovani Scelzi, from his fifth starting position, right behind waiting to pounce if an opportunity presented itself. No opportunities existed from start to finish with Sheldon Haudenschild racing to the win to earn the pole position for the main event with Buddy Kofoid coming home second, Giovanni Scelzi in third, Donny Schatz in fourth as Landon Crawley and Carson Macedo rounded out the finishing order to set the first three rows of the feature.

With the evening’s event listing almost to the end, the horns sounded to summon the drivers and teams to the track for the $12,000-to-win 25-lap NOS Energy Drink Bike Week Jamboree Sprint Car Feature. Carson Macedo climbed into his Fibreworks Composites seat and buckled in for this high speed adventure around Volusia Speedway Park where he would start from the sixth position to the outside of Landon Crawley. It would be Sheldon Haudenschild and Buddy Kofoid on the front row with Giovanni Scelzi and Donny Schatz close behind.

The caution lights were turned off and the green ones about to come on. Out of turn four the flagman was waving the green flag with Kofoid hustling into the lead ahead of Donny Schatz and Sheldon Haudenschild when the first lap was recorded. Carson Macedo wheeled the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 Maxim Racing machine into the fourth spot at the start just ahead of Giovanni Scelzi as the two talented racers began to battle for the position. Scelzi was relentlessly giving chase with Macedo flexing his muscles with his right foot mashed in the accelerator as he hit his marks.

With 5 laps in the books it was Kofoid out front with Schatz, Haudenschild, Macedo all giving chase around the half-mile oval. Two laps later the leaders had caught up to the back of the pack and now were artfully navigating through lap traffic at speed. There was no change in the running order at the halfway point of the race, but that was about to change.

On lap 13, the yellow flag was thrown for race leader Buddy Kofoid who was in command as he exploded a left rear tire entering turn one sending him spinning into the outside retaining wall ending his night. Donny Schatz inherited the lead that he had been pursuing before the yellow flag with Sheldon Haudenschild restarting second and Carson Macedo third. When they dropped their right foot again to come back up to speed it was Schatz out front ahead of Haudenschild, Macedo, Scelzi and David Gravel who now moved into the top five. Haudenschild was challenging Schatz for the lead as Giovanni Scelzi was all over Macedo for third. Carson holding Scelzi off to maintain the show position.

On lap 22, with Donny Schatz out front, the second yellow flag of the night came out, this time for Jacob Allen who also blew a left rear tire spinning hard into the outside wall to end his evening of racing. There were three laps remaining with the leaders prepared to go racing again in the single file restart order.

When they exited turn four it was Schatz back to the lead with Haudenschild and Macedo giving chase. David Gravel worked his way by Giovanni Scelzi and was now running in fourth hoping to chase down Macedo for a podium finish. Donny Schatz would not be denied as he collecting his 500th career sprint car victory (with 312 of them being World of Outlaws wins) crossing the finish line ahead of Sheldon Haudenschild with Carson Macedo coming home to secure the final step on the podium in third, the team’s first podium finish of the year. David Gravel finished fourth with Giovanni Scelzi completing the top five.

On the front straightaway with Connor Wade, Carson graciously reflected on the performance improvement since they left the DIRTcar Nationals stating, “We worked really hard. I think we were as good as the other two here in the feature. It’s just once we get strung out at this place it’s crazy. You kind of hit that air barrier and you can’t go any faster. All in all, we took those three weeks to do all we could. Luckily, Tim Engler and Paul Kistler, we were able to meet them at the chassis dyno and kind of do some work on our engine package. I feel like we’re getting closer and closer.” A good outcome and run for Carson and the forty-one team!

A Podium Run at Bike Week Jamboree for the Carson Macedo and the Forty-One Team! Photo Credit: World of Outlaws

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), 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.