Macenko made the jump from United States Speed Ass’n-sanctioned Kenyon Midget Series to the powerful non-winged 410 sprints cars of the 500 Sprint Car Tour.
he 19-year-old racer accepted the challenge and took the bull by the horns. His hard work led to rookie-of-the-year honors and sent notice that he’ll be a contender moving forward.
Macenko grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, running karts at a young age. His interest in open-wheel racing began from occasional trips to nearby Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway to watch sprint cars. At the time, Macenko had no clue he would eventually race them.
“Prior to this year, I’d been running Kenyon Midgets for four full seasons,” Macenko said. “The first three years the car was maintained by Don and Mel Kenyon. The final year I partnered with Brad Hayes Racing and had enormous success.”
Hayes had just purchased the USSA Midget Series from Eric Bunn and the Kenyons. He planned to use the series to develop young drivers and Macenko was one of the first drivers Hayes took under his wing.
“I never did get a USSA championship but midway through my final season in the Kenyon Midgets I was leading by something like 126 points,” Macenko recalled. “Then, in the next three races, I was involved in a racing accident in a heat race that took me out the rest of the night. Then, I made a mistake and crashed in the next race. The final race I got hit from behind and got a flat tire. I went from leading by over 100 points to trailing by 60 in three races.
“The guy who beat me for the championship, Dameron Taylor, was nice to me and always raced me clean and kept his nose clean. He always finished up front and did exactly what he needed to do when I made mistakes and things didn’t go my way.”
Prior to this season, the second-year University of Cincinnati student, who is studying marketing, was looking to do something different. He had seen several 500 Sprint Car Tour events since they were often run in conjunction with USSA Kenyon Midget Series programs.
“I was ready for something new and I was ready for a different challenge,” Macenko acknowledged. “As much fun and as much competition as there was in the midget series, I felt like I needed a breath of fresh air and a step up. My dad, Ken Macenko, and I approached Brad Hayes and his main crew chief, Tony Fox, about trying to find a possible sprint car ride. I was hoping he could put us in touch with someone who had a sprint car.
“There was never any talk about them buying a sprint car and me driving it,” Macenko added. “I had two or three more conversations with them and at the end of each conversation Brad would always say, ‘There is always a chance we could go out and get a car. It’s something Tony and I have always wanted to do.’
“Then one day Brad called and said: ‘Hey, we did it. Tony and I went out and bought a sprint car. Do you want to be the driver?’ It kind of went like that and came out of the blue.”
Macenko’s first sprint car race with the 500 Sprint Car Tour was at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway, a track where had run a midget numerous times.
“The thing I noticed most about the sprint car compared to the midget was when I first sat in it at the shop, is a lack of visibility,” Macenko reported. “I feel like I have only three inches of a window to look out of. I noticed the immense power it had the first time I drove it. The first time I hit the gas, my head shot back and I was looking at the sky going down the straightaway at Anderson.”
The rookie was impressive in his first night out. He finished 10th in the 500 SCT opener against the likes of Kody Swanson, Tyler Roahrig and Bobby Santos III. He didn’t finish outside of the top 10 other than a late-season crash at Anderson.
“There was a big learning curve for my team and myself this year. It was new to all of us,” Macenko said. “We knew going in there would be some hurdles. The way we worked together I think we really clicked. Since we’ve been working with each other in the midget series, I think we’re always on the same page. I feel like we’re always on the same wavelength and make a great team.
“I think our overall speed during races wasn’t truly shown by our finishing positions,” Macenko continued. “We could get a handle on the race setup well, but when it came to qualifying, we really couldn’t get a handle on that. A large part of that is on me. But as a team I think we got better as the year went on. I think we will be in great shape for next year with everything we learned this year. I’m really looking forward to 2024.”
FAST FACTS
Birthday: Feb. 18, 2004
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Series: 500 Sprint Car Tour
Sponsors: JTM Food Group, Jett’s Pizza, Brockman Signs, American Scaffolding, Ron’s Roost Restaurant & Bar, Robert Jones Plumbing, William Lang & Son’s Metal Roofing, Valco Wheels, ECORSA Motorsport Oil, Wilwood Racing Brakes, Advanced Racing Suspension, Victory Fuel
This story appeared in the Nov 1, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
