The motivation worked. Macedo built momentum as the season progressed, winning three more races throughout the year.
He broke into the top-10 once at Williams Grove in July. The best he could do otherwise was a 13th-place run in October at the half-mile track. However, Macedo said the best thing a person can do is fail, and then learn from those failures.
He did just that this month by winning the season opening race at Williams Grove. It was a feeling like no other, Macedo said. He now considers it one of the biggest wins of his career, because he had failed there so many times.
There are many others he attributes to helping him with his career, such as his parents, Tommy Tarlton – who he’s raced for several times – and two-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion Jason Meyers.
“I talk to [Meyers] a lot,” Macedo said. “He’s actually the one that got me hooked up with Tim Hamel. He’s been very good for me, because it’s always nice to talk to someone who’s walked a day in your shoes and experienced the same things.”
When it comes to the drivers he races against on a weekly basis, there’s not much support shared among the group. And there’s nothing wrong with that, Macedo said.
“That’s one thing I’ve learned pretty quickly with the Outlaws, is that nobody helps anyone,” he noted with a chuckle. “I mean, everybody is doing it for a living. You know, you want to beat the guy next to you. At the end of the day, if you win races and beat the guy next to you, you’re putting more money in your pocket. Your team is happier. Your job security is there. It’s all about beating each other guy.”
One of Macedo’s biggest attributes that have changed after a year with the Outlaws is his driving style. His go-to move would’ve normally been to throttle his way around the top all race if there was a big cushion.
Now, after watching Sweet and 10-time Outlaw champion Donny Schatz for a year, he’s altered his approach, if only a little.
He’s watched how Sweet and Schatz slow their cars in the corner for better control and how they’re able the run where other drivers aren’t.
“I’ve been trying to work on that,” Macedo said. “Try to be more versatile. Not just that guy that goes straight to the top and hit the cushion for 30 laps. I still want to be that guy, because at the end of the day, in racing, I feel like you need to be able to stand up in the seat and drive harder than the guy next to you. But at the same time, we race on tracks that are so technical so often, you have to be good at both to win a championship.”
Macedo has already earned one top-five and three top-10 finishes in the first three races of the 2020 season and currently sits fifth in points.
While he may be a different driver this year, Macedo’s goals remain the same. He wants to win.
He even shares the same sentiment you’ll get from any full-time Outlaw by saying, “I feel like if you worry about winning races, the rest will come.”
A full year with the World of Outlaws will do that to you.