“WELL HELLO PENNSYLVANIA”: THE JJR #41 TEAM MADE A SURPRISE VISIT TO THE KEYSTONE STATE TO COMPETE IN THE FINAL STEVE SMITH SR. TRIBUTE RACE AT LINCOLN SPEEDWAY AS PART OF PA SPEEDWEEK WITH MACEDO BATTLING TO A SIXTH PLACE FINISH

ABBOTTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA (June 29, 2026) – With a two week holiday break ahead of them on the World of Outlaws (WoO) schedule, Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 team decided with permission from World of Outlaws officials, to head to Lincoln Speedway on Monday night for a special event. Their decision to come this way to support this event was in large part to honor and pay tribute to an absolute sprint car legend – Steve Smith Sr. “The Black Bandit” who made a name for himself right here in the Pigeon Hills. Plus, there was an additional incentive to travel the 1,068 miles after the waving of the checkered flag late Saturday night at the finale of the World of Outlaws Independence Spectacular event at Cedar Lake Speedway in Wisconsin where they raced to a sixth place finish . . . the $50,019 check and beautiful trophy that awaited the first driver to hustle across the finish line at the Final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute Race presented by Schmuck Lumber Company on the fourth night of Pennsylvania Speedweek. There were 50 competitive sprint car teams parked in the outer pit area at the Pigeon Hills’ racing venue. It was race day at Lincoln Speedway – PA Posse style – with more than a few visitors in the house to compliment the stout field of Pennsylvania regular competitors!

When the time trials order was posted at the pit shack, the invader from Lemoore, California was set to be the 14th speed athlete out on the track in the second group for qualifying. He climbed into his Maxim Racing high speed office snugly secured the Crow Enterprizes safety belts for his two quick laps around Lincoln Speedway’s 3/8-mile high banked oval. The track was changing quickly, so laying down a good time was important. Carson waited patiently in the staging lane for his turn to create speed. When T.J. Stutts #11T completed his timed affair, Macedo’s Kistler Engines power grumbled and woke up with assistance from a push truck as Carson rolled onto the racing surface in turn three behind the wheel of the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Smith TI/Boltz Family #41. He lowered his right foot as the engine began to roar as he rolled towards the electronic screen displaying the green flag hanging on the flagstand. Carson was on the clock and hustling to squeeze every thousandth of a second out of the clock during his laps. He completed lap one in 14.158 seconds and followed that up the next time around the Abbottstown dirt venue in 14.160 seconds. The quicker of his two laps was twelfth fastest overall in the second group with Ryan Newton #66 topping the charts in Qualifying Group 2 with a lap of 14.057 seconds. But Anthony Macri #39M stomped and steered his way around Lincoln Speedway recording the fastest lap of the night at 13.516 seconds out of the Qualifying Group 1 in time trials.

That fastest four drivers in each of the four 10-lap Heat races were inverted in this format. That put all the fastest drivers on the outside of row two in each qualifying race where all they had to do is secure a top five transfer position to make the redraw. They would join the qualifying race winners, but if one of the fastest four drivers could win their Heat race they would eliminate one of the redraw positions. The drivers in the first two qualifying races came out of the first qualifying group with those in the last two qualifying races assigned to one of the last two races.

Carson would line the Complete Parts & Equipment Solutions/Winters Performance Products/Ben Cook Race Products #41 Maxim up on the outside of row three in the fourth race. Byrce Lucius in the Heffner Racing #27H pulled up alongside him with Cameron Smith #1a and Justin Whittall #G67 pacing slowly from the front row with Logan Schuchart #1s and Preston Lattomus #91 right behind in row two. Ryan Smith #69K and Lance Dewease #8E paired up in row four with Brick Zearfoss #3Z and Brandon Rahmer #88 together in row five. The last row, row six, featured Dominic Melair #19A and Dallas Schott #X.

There was work to do and the driver was ready for the challenge. When the green flag waved he pounded the gas and entered turn one on the high side. He used his momentum to carry him forward passing four cars in the process as he exited turn two in second place behind leader Cameron Smith in the Shark Racing #1a. Carson was in hot pursuit mode trying to track down the leader. He was able to close the gap slightly over the first half of the race but there was still about one second between them.

On lap 6, chaos ensued behind the front two drivers when Bryce Lucius #27H and Preston Lattomus #91 made heavy contact exiting turn two sending the driver of the ninety-one hard into the backstretch catch fence. The red flag was out. The driver was ok, but the track crew had to do extensive repairs to the catch fence before racing resumed.

It would be a single-file restart with Cameron Smith bringing the field back up to speed with Carson hoping for an opportunity to move by to take the lead. Logan Schuchart was in third place followed by Justin Whittall and Bruce Lucius. Smith entered turn one high with Carson peeking underneath him through the first set of turns. He was close but not close enough as the driver of the Jacob Allen owned car carried his speed off turn two and back into the lead.

Cameron Smith would lead from start to finish with Carson coming home second after his bold opening lap move. Logan Schuchart finished third with Justin Whittall and Ryan Smith locking in the final two transfer spots.

The starting lineup for the A-Main was now set for night four of PA Speedweek. The cars began to stage. The engines began to fire. There was $50,019 stashed away for the winner in victory lane. It was time for the 35-lap Final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute Race presented by Schmuck Lumber Company feature that was about to go down in the Pigeon Hills of Pennsylvania.

Steve Kramer Smith, born in Hialeah, Florida, had some friends by the name of Richard Lupo and Bobby Allen who he elected to follow north to Hanover, Pennsylvania, moving in 1969. The draw was racing and “The Black Bandit” loved speed. Steve Smith went on to have a prolific career that defined him as one of the best in the sport landing him in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF) in the Eleventh Class of Inductees in 1990. He recorded 259 feature wins, including an incredible 150 right here at Lincoln Speedway, 32 at Williams Grove, 28 at Susquehanna (now BAPS Motor Speedway), 14 at Hagerstown, 5 at Wayne County, 4 each at both Port Royal Speedway and Reading Fairgrounds, 2 each at Tri-City and Penn National, and a single win at Bedford, Lernerville, East Windsor, Skyline, Savannah, Trail Way, Oakshade, Pittsburgh, Chillicothe, Conneaut, Sharon, Smithton, Selinsgrove, East Bay, Silver Spring, Path Valley, Jax, and Hickory. He then became an integral part of helping his son, Stevie Smith, launch his successful racing career resulting in the younger Smith eventually joining his father in the NSCHoF as part of the Thirtieth Class of Inductees in 2019, the same year as Jason Johnson was inducted and honored.

This tribute race was for “The Black Bandit” as the racers and fans honored his numerous contribution and legendary status in the sport at his “home” track – Lincoln Speedway. It was time to get down to business in Pennsylvania.

The twenty-four starters pulled into their assigned position on the starting grid side-by-side. After the redraw, the drivers on the first four rows began to pull into their lucky draw positions with an all-Pennsylvania front row featuring Freddie Rahmer #51 and red hot Chase Dietz #23 showing the way out front followed by two invaders, James McFadden in the Tarlton and Son #21 and Brady Bacon #20, right behind in row two. Australia wheelman Ryan Newton #66 and Cameron Smith #1a slid into row three with Doug Hammaker in the J&S Classics #22 slated to be on the inside of row four with T.J. Stutts #11T joining him on the outside.

Primed and ready to get rolling from his tenth starting position aboard the Albaugh – Your Alternative/Tarlton and Son/CS Productions #41 Maxim, Carson pulled on his K1 Race Gear gloves before flipping down the shield of his Bell Helmet as his engine came to life. The racer born and raised in Lemoore, California absolutely loves to compete. It certainly was an honor to make this field against a formidable field of sprint car competitors. Brent Marks pulled in beside him in the #19M. It was now time to go racing at Lincoln Speedway.

Race officials turned off the yellow lights above the speedway. The engines rumbled in anticipation of the green flag waving. The drivers gripped their steering wheels. Out of turn four the driver’s right feet lowered on the power button as their eyes and hands coordinated to deliver speed. The Final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute Race was on at Lincoln Speedway with Freddie Rahmer jumping into the early race lead in front of Chase Dietz #23 and James McFadden #21 on the opening lap. Carson got boxed in on the low side entering the first set of turns and fell back to the 11th spot early.

Carson raced back by Logan Rumsey #71 to move back into the top ten during the second lap before the first caution flag of the night flew for James McFadden who spun between turns three and four after tangling with Brady Bacon while racing for position.

Freddie Rahmer hustled the field back up to speed when the green flag came back out with Dietz, Bacon, Smith, and Newton all dicing for positions behind him. These sprint car stars make it look like choreographed, controlled chaos at speed. What an adrenaline rush! Running in the ninth spot, Carson focused on his next target, Kerry Madsen in the TK Concrete #55. He caught the talented racer and made the pass for position on lap 12, the same lap Chase Dietz took the lead when he maneuvered around Rahmer for the top spot.

On lap 15, the yellow flag was back out, this time for fifth place running Brent Marks who came to a stop over in turn four with Chase Dietz still out front followed by Rahmer, Bacon, Smith, and Newton with Carson holding down the eighth spot.

Carson restarted from the seventh position right behind Ryan Newton and Logan Schuchart with twenty laps remaining. Chase Dietz continued to show the way around the Pigeon Hills venue with the dust flying. Carson rolled by Ryan Newton for sixth place, but behind him and coming quick was twenty-second starting Danny Dietrich in the speedwaycars.com #48 who raced his way up to the ninth spot.

By lap 20, Dietrich had made his way to Carson’s back bumper and was making speed around the bottom of the track. Dietrich ducked under the forty-one entering turn three to take over the lower numbered position on the scoreboard. The next time around Lincoln, Ryan Newton followed the same script as Dietrich relegating Carson back to the eighth position with 14 laps remaining.

Carson kept his elbows up and stole back position seven on the twenty-ninth lap. The next time around the oval he gained another spot when he passed early race leader Freddie Rahmer for the sixth spot. Chase Dietz continued his 2026 dominance taking the big paying win by 1.480 seconds ahead of second place finishers Danny Dietrich who gained 20 positions over the course of the race. Cameron Smith raced home in the third position, Logan Schuchart fourth, and Brady Bacon held on to complete the top five.

Carson finished in sixth place with Ryan Newton, Freddie Rahmer, Logan Rumsey, and Kyle Moody rounding out the top ten. Another good run for Macedo and the forty-one team! Thank you Pennsylvania, Brian Leppo, the Smith Family, and Lincoln Speedway for welcoming us to this incredible event. We appreciate it.

Right after the race ended, the Jason Johnson Racing (JJR) #41 Sprint Car Team started their drive back to Rocky Mount, Missouri for a much needed mid-season break before getting back on track at Hartford Speedway in the Pure Michigan Showdown on Thursday, July 9th to kick off a remarkably busy month of July. Enjoy celebrating the 250th Anniversary of freedom and independence in the United States. Celebrate safely. Come out and catch some sprint car action. We are looking forward to seeing you at a track soon!

Honoring a True Legend of the Sport at the Final Steve Smith Sr. Tribute Race During Pennsylvania Speedweek at Lincoln Speedway! Photo Credit: Cameron Saich – CS Productions

JJR’s Valued Sponsorship Partners for 2026:  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); 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; Crow Enterprizes; CS Productions; Dale “Mickey” Snyder; Engler Machine & Tool, Inc.; Factory Kahne (FK Shocks); Fibreworks Composites; FK Rod Ends; Greber Racing Components (GRC); 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; PWR Advanced Cooling Technology; 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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