Driving the No. 41 Jason Johnson Racing entry at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon S.D. Friday night, Carson Macedo won the 35-lap feature exactly four years to the day that Johnson lost his life in a sprint car crash at Beaver Dam Raceway in Wisconsin.
Notably, Johnson was racing for the lead four years ago when he flipped in Turn 3 and crashed through a billboard.
After 15 years of racing part time with the World of Outlaws, Johnson joined them fulltime in 2016 and was making steady progress, winning eight times in the two and half years before his death. His wife Bobbi kept the team alive, and it has changed ownership since, but Jason Johnson remained the team’s heart.
“I think I had a co-pilot in there tonight,” Macedo said in a press release. “Winning today on June 24th, four years after we lost Jason, is pretty special. He was an incredible man and built an incredible team, and I’m privileged to continue honoring his legacy with these guys.”
Starting fifth, it took a while for Macedo to race for the lead. Rookie driver Riley Goodno sat on the pole and led the first eight laps before he was overtaken by Brian Brown, who held the top spot until Lap 32.
“Once I got behind Brown, I was hustling extremely hard, probably too hard,” Macedo said. “I finally calmed myself down and set up that big slider on him in Turns 1 and 2. I know it was a big flyer to throw, but this is for a lot of money this week, so I had to try it. It feels good to just finally get a win at Huset’s after this place had my number for so long.”
The win was the 23rd of Macedo’s career and it closed him to within 12 points of championship leader Brad Sweet, who finished 11th Friday. The victory also locked Macedo into Saturday night’s $100,000-to-win, Huset’s High Bank Nationals that will close out the four-day show.
Brown hung on for second.
Friday night’s race was also characterized by another milestone. Over the last three nights of racing, a driver has earned his first podium each time.
Opening night featured a battle between Spencer Bayston and Kasey Kahne in which Kahne led 23 laps before scoring a career-best third.
On Thursday night, Buddy Kofoid scored his first victory in the Outlaws, which was also his first podium.
Friday night’s third-place finish for Goodno was his first podium as well.
Sitting 2nd in points, @Carson_Macedo has a good shot at the pole of tonight’s $100,000/Win High Bank Nationals through the King of the Hill.
He’s going for his seventh win of the season, and the richest win of his life tonight at @HusetsSpeedway aboard the @JJR41Updates ride. pic.twitter.com/YIAfAMkugk
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) June 25, 2022
