HANFORD, Calif. — Nobody was happier than Carson Macedo when Kings Speedway was added to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule.
Macedo grew up just 10 miles down the road in Lemoore, Calif. It’s where his family is. It’s where his friends are. It’s where he grew up racing. It’s where he always makes sure to bring out the best of his abilities behind the wheel of a sprint car.
And that’s exactly what he did on Tuesday night as the revived Kings Speedway welcomed back The Greatest Show on Dirt. Macedo wheeled the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 on the edge of disaster with his right rear planted on a treacherous cushion. He started in row three, worked his way up to second, and stared at fellow Central Valley gasser, Clovis’ Corey Day, ahead. Macedo then chased down the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series star and cleared him with a slide job on Lap 21.
But the job was far from done. Getting passed made Day get up on the wheel of the Jason Meyers Racing No. 14. He stayed right with Macedo as the laps clicked away and even pulled alongside him down the back straightaway late. But a slight stumble in Turn 2 with only a few laps remaining gave Macedo the breathing room he needed to secure a popular hometown victory.
“What a race there,” Macedo said. “My car was absolutely incredible. Philip Dietz just did a great job, and I think I’m super familiar with the place, turned a lot of laps here coming up to get to this point in my career. It’s just cool to win. Corey Day is one of the best, so to be able to drive by him for the lead is not easy to do. I’m just super thankful. It’s so awesome to be back at Hanford.”
Macedo is up to 64 career World of Outlaws wins, just two away from tying both Bobby Davis Jr. and Craig Dollansky for 14th all-time. A trio of his triumphs have come courtesy of Kings Speedway, equaling him with Stevie Smith and Danny Lasoski for the third most checkered flags at the three-eighths-mile.
Corey Day fell only a spot shy of another victory at the track that’s home to his first 410 sprint car win.
Michael “Buddy” Kofoid ripped the Roth Motorsports No. 83 from 11th to third to round out the podium.
David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild completed the top five.
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 2. 14-Corey Day[1]; 3. 83-Michael Kofoid[11]; 4. 2-David Gravel[2]; 5. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[9]; 6. 2C-Cole Macedo[21]; 7. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 8. 23-Garet Williamson[6]; 9. 27-Emerson Axsom[4]; 10. 2A-Austin Wood[19]; 11. 7S-Chris Windom[10]; 12. 3-Kaleb Montgomery[14]; 13. 31-Jett Yantis[24]; 14. 21-Dominic Scelzi[23]; 15. 16C-Skylar Gee[8]; 16. 83T-Tanner Carrick[20]; 17. (DNF) 1S-Logan Schuchart[15]; 18. (DNF) 51-Steven Snyder Jr[7]; 19. (DNF) 2XM-Max Mittry[17]; 20. (DNF) 15-Donny Schatz[13]; 21. (DNF) 0-Tim Kaeding[22]; 22. (DNF) 28M-Conner Morrell[18]; 23. (DNF) 88N-DJ Netto[12]; 24. (DNF) 73B-Braden Chiaramonte[16]
