RACING AGAIN AT ROUTE 66: THE WORLD OF OUTLAWS ARRIVED AT CHICAGOLAND READY TO PUT ON A SHOW IN THE ROUTE 66 SHOWDOWN WITH CARSON MACEDO RACING THE ALBAUGH – YOUR ALTERNATIVE #41 HOME IN THIRD PLACE

JOLIET, ILLINOIS (October 18, 2024) – After the racing action concluded last weekend in Pennsylvania at Lincoln Speedway, where Carson Macedo raced home in second place, Philip Dietz and his Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 team directed the team’s Border International truck back across Interstate 70 as they headed back to the central part of the country. After a few days at the shop in Missouri they followed the map to Joliet, Illinois, in the northern part of the state, for the two-day World of Outlaws Federated Auto Parts Route 66 Showdown at the DIRT Oval @ Route 66 in Chicagoland. It was the tours first visit back to this 4/10-mile track since 2017. In the past, this racetrack has produced some incredible races and these racing stars were looking forward to being back at the track to hopefully add their name to the winner’s list at the end of the first night of action. The skies were crystal clear with the sun shining overhead during the day in The Prairie State, but that would just add to the ambiance of the night of entertainment. There was a pit area full with 38 sprint car teams registered to compete against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competition. Every driver and team was here with the same goal – to entertain the fans of Illinois as they pursued the $12,000 winner’s share of the purse when the checkered flag flew at the end of the night. It was race day at the Dirt Oval @ Route 66 – World of Outlaws style!

After hotlaps, the show was ready to begin. When the order was set for Sea Foam Qualifying, Carson Macedo would push out fourth aboard the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Saldana Racing Products/FK Rod Ends #41 Maxim for his two laps in time trials as part of Group A. Carson would be joined on the racing surface in two car qualifying by Bryce Lucius #32 from Ohio. He buckled into his Crow Enterprizes safety belts and pulled on his K1 Race Gear gloves as he moved forward in the staging lane. When it was his time to shine in qualifying, Carson hopped on the gas as raced towards the waving green flag. When Carson arrived at the flagstand, the numbers started to roll on the stopwatch as he finessed his way around the track. After he completed his first timed lap in 13.789 seconds, the California driver stayed on the hammer and hit his marks throughout the second lap hoping to pick up some time along the way. When the recorded time for lap two popped up on the scoreboard it read 13.765 seconds. Carson quickest lap was a solid one that ended the night sixth fastest overall in Group A. Sheldon Haudenschild, with a lap of 13.605, who went out second in Group A, turned in the best lap of the night in qualifying at 13.605 seconds to earn the Simpson Quick Time Award. David Gravel was the fastest driver in Group B at 13.654 seconds.

The lineups were quickly completed and posted for the four 8-lap heat races. Carson would line the Mesilla Valley Transportation (MVT)/T-Fab Custom Metal Fabrication/Smith TI #41 up in row two in the third starting position of the Milton Hershey School second heat race.  He would pace alongside Garet Williamson #23. The front row would be made up of Danny Sams III #2KS and Skylar Gee #99. Behind in row three found Kelby Watt #17GP and Donny Schatz #15 with Rees Moran #22M, Creed Kemenah #15K, and Bobby Elliott #5E lining up behind them.

They were pacing slowly in their two-by-two starting formation when they reached turn four and blasted down the front straightaway. Carson Macedo entered on the low side of turn one and drove the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 around the inside and into the lead as he made his way by both of the front row starters.

He was on the gas and had a fast hotrod as he began to immediately build his lead. With each passing lap that lead grew, and grew, and grew even more. He stayed on the hammer and road the power his Kistler Engines was generating for him as he raced under the white flag. When he came off the final corner the last time, Carson raced under the waving checkered flags to take the win by a whopping 4.815 seconds ahead of second place finisher Danny Sams III. It was Carson and the JJR team’s series leading 32nd heat race win of the season. Skylar Gee raced home third followed by Donny Schatz and Garet Williams who locked down the final transfer position out of heat race two.

With the sun now down below the horizon and the temperatures dropping quickly, the heat race winners and runner-up finishers made their way to the front straightaway to draw for their starting positions for the 6-lap Toyota Dash. When all of the numbers were pulled from the oversized NOS Energy Drink can the starting lineup would find Chris Windom #55K on the pole with Aaron Reutzel on his outside. Row two found Danny Sams III and David Gravel #2, with Sheldon Haudenschild #17 and Carson Macedo #41 in row three, and Logan Schuchart #1s and Landon Crawley #7s in row four. When the green flag was out it didn’t take Aaron Reutzel long to seize the lead on the opening lap racing ahead of Chris Windom with David Gravel in third. Carson drove the Scott Boyd Family/High Performance Lubricants/Ben Cook Race Car Products #41 Maxim into fourth with Sheldon Haudenschild and Danny Sams III right behind. Aaron Reutzel though made quick and easy work of the Dash as he raced to the win to earn the pole position in the feature with Chris Windom coming home second. David Gravel, Carson Macedo, and Sheldon Haudenschild rounded out the top five with Danny Sams III, Logan Schuchart, and Landon Crawley completing the finishing order.

With all the qualifying in the books, the 24 car field was set and ready to roll as the horns sounded for the 25-lap World of Outlaws Federated Auto Parts Route 66 Showdown preliminary night feature at the Dirt Oval @ Route 66. The driver of the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) entry would begin his drive for the points and money from the fourth position starting to the outside of current point leader David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2. Aaron Reutzel and Chris Windom would lead the field from the front row.

Each of the drivers and teams worked tirelessly to get to this point of the night, but there was still important work to do in the money paying race. The drivers aligned to salute the fans in the traditional four-wide formation with their minds focus on success. They each had a slightly different game plan, but the common ground was they all wanted to be the first driver to the checkered flag. The field re-aligned back into the side-by-side starting formation with the front row starters slowing pacing the field to the chalk starting line laid down across turn four.

Aaron Reutzel jumped into the early lead as Carson Macedo worked to the inside of Chris Windom to take over the second position when the first circuit was in the books. Carson was fast and trying to keep pace with the leader with Windom and Gravel doing the same behind the forty-one.

The leader had put some space between himself and second running Macedo as he entered lap traffic on lap 6. That gave Carson an opportunity to close the gap a bit as he closed within striking range coming off turn four, but the yellow flag was thrown for third running Chris Windom #55K as he slowed to a stop off turn four.

It would be Reutzel leading Macedo, Gravel, Haudenschild, and Schatz back up to speed, but that all was thwarted when the red flag came out for a multi-car incident that occurred when third starting David Gravel and polesitter Aaron Reutzel made contact on the initial start. Sterling Cling #34 and Geoff Dodge #77 turned over with Zach Hampton #17X, Landon Crawley #7s, and others involved with minimal damage.

This time when the engines re-fired with 15 laps to go they would restart in single file order. When the green cloth was back out it was Reutzel out front dominating at the Dirt Oval @ Route 66. Carson Macedo was in second with David Gravel pressuring him for the better position.

On lap 12, the driver of the Jackson Motorplex #2 moved by the Albaugh – Your Alternative #41 and was now in control of the runner-up position. Carson continued to pursue and stay close until the yellow flag came back out on lap 18 for Danny Sams III who had caught the wall in turn four while racing with Giovanni Scelzi for position.

Race officials decided to use the race slow down as an opportunity to have an Open Red to refuel the cars as the cooler temperatures and speed were consuming methanol quickly. The two minute horn sounded for the crews to finish up their work as the engines were about to come back to life.

With 7 laps to go, Aaron Reutzel was looking to lock up the win, but David Gravel and Carson Macedo wanted to be spoilers. The green lights came back out and the driver of the Folken Brothers Trucking #87 blasted back into the clean air and built his lead up again. He was so fast he caught the back of the field with two laps to go. That allowed David Gravel to close in quickly and entering the last set of turns Gravel was challenging him for the win. Aaron Reutzel would not be denied though as he raced to the victory over David Gravel and Carson Macedo with Logan Schuchart and Sheldon Haudenschild rounding out the top five.

On the frontstretch after another podium finish, his 31st of the year with the World of Outlaws, Carson reflected on losing the runner-up position on the track stating, “ He (Gravel) was able to slide by me with a big run into turn one. And man, once somebody gets by you, the top has a lot of speed once you get up there leaning on it.” He continued, “It was going to be tough to get back by him. Seems like we really needed traffic to kind of mix things up. When we got there, it was one of those deals where a red or a yellow would come out.” With all that being said, it was another success race in the season for Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) team. They will be back at the Dirt Oval @ Route 66 on Saturday night to give it another go ‘round. If you don’t plan to attend the races in person, tune on to all of the action on DIRTVision.

Making His Way Around the Dirt Oval @ Route 66 During Preliminary Action! Photo Credit: Trent Gower Photography

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.