CLOUD NINE: Carson Macedo Nets Ninth World of Outlaws Win with Jackson Nationals Title

$25,000 Payday Marks 50th World of Outlaws Win for Jason Johnson Racing

JACKSON, MN - August 20, 2022 - The 44th annual AGCO Jackson Nationals offered the lowest of lows to highest of highs for one team within a span of seven hours.

Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing lost the Saturday afternoon show in heartbreaking fashion with a last-lap pass from Logan Schuchart. They returned to the pit area down and dejected, but still determined with more racing ahead in Saturday's $25,000-to-win nightcap.

As day turned to night, Macedo turned from zero to hero as he went from the worst King of the Hill time to easily the best Feature car. The Lemoore, CA 25-year-old wheeled the Albaugh #41 from eighth to first in the 35-lapper and outlasted a different Shark Racing teammate, Jacob Allen, to score a redemption-filled ninth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win.

The win not only puts him back atop the pedestal as the winningest driver on tour in 2022, but it also makes Macedo the winningest driver (20 wins) in JJR's short, but storied history with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It was a fitting moment as the team earned their 50th World of Outlaws win at Minnesota's Jackson Motorplex, the site of Jason Johnson's final victory on June 9, 2018.

"Losing that one earlier stung a lot, so it feels extra good to find some redemption in the one that counts," Macedo said in Victory Lane. "It's incredible to stand up here with nine wins this season. I hadn't won even five races prior to joining JJR, and now we're able to click off wins and execute as a team when it matters most. When I was a little kid I thought the World of Outlaws was the most amazing thing in the world, so this is all still a dream come true for me."

Macedo's latest breakthrough, which returns the claim of the winningest team on tour to JJR, was mainly accredited to revered crew chief, Phil Dietz. The #41 timed in dead last during the King of the Hill and things looked bleak ahead of the big dance, but then the wrench came out and Dietz turned his magic up.

"I can't brag enough on Philip," Macedo spoke on his crew chief. "We were horrible in that King of the Hill and I came in complaining, and he just went right to work. He did what he does best and put an incredible setup on this deal. I could go anywhere I wanted in that race. One thing we've learned more than anything this year is that it truly does take a team. Every piece of the puzzle matters here, especially my guys Clyde Knipp and Nate Repetz."

Once officially in the lead on Lap 17, Macedo never looked back and cruised to a 2.757-second margin of victory at the checkered flag. However, his path to the top spot, included a dogfight with Allen's #1A as the young duo swapped command on multiple occasions before Macedo's high-side momentum ultimately paid off.

In pursuit of a third consecutive Jackson Nationals title for Shark Racing, Jacob Allen paced the opening 16 circuits before Macedo seized control. The Hanover, PA native was chasing the richest win of his career at $25,000 but instead settled for another impressive runner-up result as he continues to shine aboard the Pells Tire Service, Low-E Insulation entry.

"I'm thrilled with our performance today," Allens said after another podium effort. "A third and second is nothing to hang your head about against these guys. It feels awesome to contend for these wins. I felt like my pace was good on the bottom, but I just flat-out lost that race to Carson on the top. He's a fantastic driver and that entire JJR team is top-notch, so I know I didn't lose to a slouch by any means. It's a lot of fun working with my crew during stretches like this."

David Gravel closed out the podium in third place aboard his Big Game Motorsports, Billion Automotive #2. The Watertown, CT native started from the outside pole in the 35-lapper but faded back to fifth early on before rallying and returning to a podium spot at his car owner's home track.

"I felt like we had a good car, but we just came around too late to make anything happen," Gravel said following his 14th podium of the season. "I really want to get this Billion Automotive car into Victory Lane. We deserved one at Huset's and I think we were close tonight."

After challenging for the top spot early on, James McFadden slipped back to finish fourth aboard the Roth Motorsports #83. The Australian was joined in the top five by leading rookie contender, Spencer Bayston, who recovered from a rough afternoon program by driving to fifth in the CJB Motorsports, TrueTimber #5.

Rounding out the top-10 in the Jackson Nationals finale was Knoxville Nationals champion Donny Schatz in sixth, KCP Racing's Giovanni Scelzi in seventh, championship leader Brad Sweet in eighth, Pennsylvania standout Anthony Macri in ninth, and Sheldon Haudenschild with another KSE Hard Charger Award for driving from 21st-to-10th.

UP NEXT (Fri-Sat) – The Second Leg of the Northern Tour takes The Greatest Show on Dirt back to North Dakota next weekend. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will stop at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, August 26, and then at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, ND on Saturday, August 27. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) - 1. 41-Carson Macedo [8][$25,000]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][$10,000]; 3. 2-David Gravel [2][$7,000]; 4. 83-James McFadden [4][$6,000]; 5. 5-Spencer Bayston [7][$5,500]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$5,000]; 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [5][$4,500]; 8. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$4,000]; 9. 39M-Anthony Macri [14][$3,500]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [21][$3,000]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$2,500]; 12. 24-Rico Abreu [10][$2,400]; 13. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [15][$2,300]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [19][$2,200]; 15. 20G-Noah Gass [12][$2,100]; 16. 21-Brian Brown [11][$2,000]; 17. 7S-Robbie Price [17][$2,000]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno [23][$2,000]; 19. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [22][$2,000]; 20. 10-Matt Juhl [13][$2,000]; 21. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24][$2,000]; 22. 24T-Christopher Thram [20][$2,000]; 23. 3-Tim Kaeding [16][$2,000]; 24. 17X-Kevin Thomas [18][$2,000]. Lap Leaders: Jacob Allen 1-16. Carson Macedo 17-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+11]

THE MAN TO BEAT: Logan Schuchart Wins Jackson Nationals Opener with Last Lap Pass

Shark #1S Chases Third-Straight Jackson Nationals Title Tonight on DIRTVision

JACKSON, MN - August 20, 2022 - Logan Schuchart and Shark Racing already knew that all eyes were pointed towards them entering the 44th annual AGCO Jackson Nationals, and they certainly gave the people something to watch in Saturday's afternoon opener.

After leading the opening 16 laps, the Hanover, PA native all of a sudden saw the lead slip from his grasp when Carson Macedo snuck below him and took the top spot away with eight laps left. The DuraMAX Oil, Drydene Performance Products #1S quickly adapted from defense to offense and charged back at the Jason Johnson Racing #41 on the final restart.

It came down to the 25th and final circuit when Schuchart timed lap traffic perfectly and stormed around the outside of a boxed-in Macedo on the bottom. He made it stick for another two corners and beat the Lemoore, CA racer to the stripe by 0.435-seconds, earning his fourth-career win at Minnesota's Jackson Motorplex.

His second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season comes at a crucial time as Schuchart pursues a record-setting third consecutive title at the Jackson Nationals tonight on DIRTVision. He made it clear that the #1S is the car to beat with $25,000 on the line this evening.

"I'm just glad we were able to get that one back," said a relieved Schuchart. "The #41 is one of the best cars out here, so it's always rewarding to beat them heads up like that. These races are won in the garage, and it's so much better when you show up at a place and can unload with so much confidence as we do here. I feel like we have the car to beat tonight, the driver just needs to do his job."

Ahead of tonight's main event, Schuchart capitalized on the opportunity to both protect and attack at the Jackson 3/8-mile surface.

"You just have no idea where to go when you're leading like that," he added. "I felt like I was a sitting duck and thought we were gonna lose another win while leading. It's good to be running about fourth or fifth when the rubber comes into play. I just knew I needed to try something different so I started running it harder into turns one and two. Carson is too smart to mess up, so I knew I had to be extra aggressive if I wanted it."

Earning the short end of the stick in the thrilling finish on Saturday afternoon was Carson Macedo, who saw his ninth World of Outlaws win of 2022 slip through his fingers on the final circuit. His 17th podium of the year aboard the Albaugh #41 did allow the 25-year-old to sneak back into title contention as he sits -96 points behind Brad Sweet.

It was a case of what goes around comes around for the Lemoore, CA native, who was on the opposing end of last-lap glory two weeks ago with his own late-race heroics at I-55.

"A lot of people on DIRTVision are probably wondering why I didn't try to move up or block that lane with the lapper, but I just felt so locked down that I thought I was making good enough laps to hold on," Macedo noted as explained his thought process. "If I would've moved up top and he drove by me in the rubber, then I would've been an idiot, too. It is what it is. We definitely had a car capable of winning and I was every bit as good as him, but he made the right move when it mattered most. We'll give it another shot tonight."

Scoring his fifth podium of the season and putting two Bobby Allen-owned entries inside the top-three was Jacob Allen aboard the Pells Tire Service, Low-E Insulation #1A. The Hanover, PA native fell from first to fourth by Lap 4 but rallied late in the running by sneaking around Donny Schatz to earn his 17th career podium with the World of Outlaws.

"You obviously want to win these, especially from the pole, but I'm glad it could be Logan if it wasn't me," Allen spoke on his teammate. "My car was great all day, but I just had a bad start and could never be conservative enough with my tires. I was definitely nervous because I felt like I found the rubber first and I was crossing my fingers a tire wouldn't let go."

Closing out the top-five at Jackson was Donny Schatz in fourth place aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance #15, and Sheldon Haudenschild in fifth place aboard the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.

Rounding out the top-10 on Saturday afternoon was Fresno, CA's Giovanni Scelzi in sixth, Watertown, CT's David Gravel in seventh, Alice Springs, NT's James McFadden in eighth, Dillsburg, PA's Anthony Macri in ninth, and Higginsville, MO's Brian Brown in tenth.

NOS NOTEBOOK (Jackson Motorplex, 8/20/22)

Logan Schuchart's second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the season makes him the 11th driver with multiple wins in 2022. It's the 32nd win of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

Carson Macedo opened the day with a NEW TRACK RECORD in My Place Hotels Qualifying, circling Jackson Motorplex in 12.572 seconds. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 has earned nine of 47 QuickTimes this season, compared to only eight QuickTimes through the first 298 starts of his World of Outlaws career.

Winning NOS Energy Drink Heat Races on Saturday afternoon were Carson Macedo (77th career), Logan Schuchart (101st career), Giovanni Scelzi (22nd career), and Jacob Allen (45th career). Allen topped the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, earning his third pole position of the season.

Tim Kaeding, of San Jose, CA, earned his first KSE Hard Charger Award of the year with a 24th-to-12th drive aboard the Lunstra Motorsports #3. Brady Forbrook, son of Hall of Fame crew chief, Guy Forbrook, made his World of Outlaws debut and quickly qualified for his first-career Feature.

Championship leader Brad Sweet (11th) missed the top-10 for only the seventh time this season, allowing David Gravel (-60 points) and Carson Macedo (-96 points) to close the gap with only 23 nights remaining this season.

UP NEXT (TONIGHT) – A busy day of racing continues this evening at Minnesota's Jackson Motorplex as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series host the $25,000-to-win Jackson Nationals. The program is slated to begin with Hot Laps at 7:30pm CT and a unique format to follow. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (25 Laps) – 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$10,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [4][$6,000]; 3. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$2,500]; 6. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [6][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [10][$2,200]; 8. 83-James McFadden [11][$2,100]; 9. 39M-Anthony Macri [18][$2,050]; 10. 21-Brian Brown [7][$2,000]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [9][$1,600]; 12. 3-Tim Kaeding [24][$1,400]; 13. 7S-Robbie Price [19][$1,200]; 14. 9-Kasey Kahne [8][$1,100]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu [20][$1,050]; 16. 7-Justin Henderson [15][$1,000]; 17. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [14][$1,000]; 18. 20G-Noah Gass [23][$1,000]; 19. 5F-Brady Forbrook [13][$1,000]; 20. 24T-Christopher Thram [22][$1,000]; 21. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [16][$1,000]; 22. 17X-Kevin Thomas [12][$1,000]; 23. 5-Spencer Bayston [21][$1,000]; 24. 10-Matt Juhl [17][$1,000]. Lap Leader(s): Schuchart 1-16, 25; Macedo 17-24. KSE Hard Charger Award: 3-Tim Kaeding[+12]

NEW Championship Standings (After 52/75 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (6,598); 2. David Gravel (-60); 3. Carson Macedo (-96); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-138); 5. Donny Schatz (-170); 6. Logan Schuchart (-202); 7. James McFadden (-350); 8. Spencer Bayston (-396); 9. Jacob Allen (-600); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-694).