HIGH FIVE: Carson Macedo & Jason Johnson Racing Tame River Cities for Win #5

On Monday, Sheldon Haudenschild & Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing made their mark as the first five-time winner in 2022 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. On Friday night, Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing quickly backed them up and followed suit with a fifth win to match.

Capitalizing amid heavy lap traffic on an even heavier race track, Macedo snookered Logan Schuchart on Lap 11 at River Cities Speedway and never looked back. The Lemoore, CA native set a torrid pace at the Grand Forks, ND bullring, lapping up to ninth-place within five minutes and 17 laps, and going unchallenged over the final three restarts with Schuchart, Donny Schatz, and Brad Sweet lining up behind him.

It was a much-needed confidence boost for a team that was still reeling from a stunning disqualification (weight requirement) at Williams Grove three weeks ago. They should’ve left Mechanicsburg with the championship lead, but instead began down a rough five-race stretch with an 13.2 average finish and fell to fourth in the standings.

By Friday, all that was in the rear view mirror and out of focus for the Rocky Mount, MO-based team. The Albaugh #41 was stout all night long at the North Dakota 1/4-mile, winning his NOS Energy Drink Heat Race, the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, and then the 35-lap Feature for his first triumph at River Cities.

“I think we’ve just had a bit of bad luck on top of being a little bit off lately,” Macedo said on their struggles lately. “I’m just happy to put these guys back in victory lane and pick up everyone’s confidence. We can go to Huset’s with our heads held high and hopefully contend for another win.

Phil [Dietz], Clyde [Knipp], and Nate [Repetz] have been working so hard. The character in the track really made it interesting tonight. It honestly felt like the more the race went on, the worse I got. My car just got heavier and tighter as the track was chunking out, and that was all while dealing with lap traffic. Luckily, I chose that right lane and snuck by Logan, that was a big move.”

That move around Schuchart on Lap 11 is what ultimately won Macedo his 22nd career World of Outlaws win. The first 22 laps of the race ran caution-free before the first restart allowed the Shark Racing, DuraMAX Oil, Drydene Performance Products #1S to line up alongside Macedo’s #41.

Knowing this was arguably his best shot yet with a double-file restart, Schuchart went full send into turn one with hopes of whipping around Macedo to re-claim the lead after pacing the first 10 laps. However, the track had different plans, reaching out and grabbing Schuchart as he started to hop, skip, and jump before flipping it over and landing upside down in turn two. Luckily, in a move that could pay dividends in the championship battle, the Shark crew made repairs in the work area and sent Schuchart back out to finish sixth.

Prepared for surfaces of all kinds, Macedo credited his training as an essential tool in claiming Friday’s win on a rough and tough race track.

“I spend as many days in the gym as I can to be ready for situations like tonight,” Macedo said on the surface. “We see everything with the World of Outlaws and sometimes you’re gonna get a cowboy up track for 35 laps. I was a bit fatigued by the end, so it’s all about having enough muscle left in you when you most need it.”

Ending an eight-race absence from the podium, championship leader Brad Sweet finally returned to the top-three for the first time since Tai-State (IN) in late April. A runner-up result for the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 extended The Big Cat’s points advantage as we approach the 25% mark of the 2022 season.

“It’s always nice to be on the front stretch,” a relieved Sweet said. “That was tricky, though. There was so much going on with the rappers, plus it felt like the track was only gaining grip as we went on. It was honestly pretty fun in lap traffic, though. I’ll take a second after this recent stretch we’ve been on. The results haven’t showed how hard these NAPA Auto Parts guys are working.”

Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND made the hour-long drive north to Grand Forks and continued his remarkable run of success at the track with a third-place effort. The 10-time World of Outlaws champion earned his fifth podium of the year, extending his record to 26 top-five finishes in 28 Series starts at River Cities Speedway. It was another solid effort with car owner Tony Stewart in attendance ahead of his induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame tomorrow in Knoxville.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been on two wheels that many times in my life,” Schatz joked on the unique characteristics of the track. “There’s no denying this place had a lot of character tonight, I think Larry [Hillerud] would’ve been smiling down on that one. That’s the nature of the beast, though, not much surprises me on the road anymore. This team keeps digging and we keep putting the results together. The more we show up on this podium, we’ll eventually get back into victory lane.”

Closing out the top-five on Friday night was James McFadden in fourth-place aboard the Roth Motorsports #83, and David Gravel in fifth-place in the Big Game Motorsports #2.

Rounding out the top-10 at River Cities was the #1S of Logan Schuchart in sixth, the #3Z of Brock Zearfoss in seventh, the #9 of Kasey Kahne in eighth, the #13 of Mark Dobmeier in ninth, and the #20G of Noah Gass in tenth.

NOS NOTEBOOK (River Cities Speedway, 6/3/22)

Carson Macedo’s fifth win of the season brings him and the Jason Johnson Racing #41 into a tie with Sheldon Haudenschild and the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 for most wins with the Series in 2022. By pacing 25 laps on Friday, Macedo also becomes the first driver through 24 races to lead 100+ laps this season.

Macedo’s 22nd career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory moves him beyond Rick Ferkel and Tim Kaeding into sole possession of 28th on the All-Time Win List. Next up is Ron Shuman of Tempe, AZ at 24 career wins.

Of the 11 drivers to break into the nine-second bracket during My Place Hotels Qualifying, Sheldon Haudenschild led them all with a lap of 9.693 seconds around River Cities Speedway. He’s the sixth driver to earn multiple Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company QuickTime Awards this season.

A trio of NOS Energy Drink Heat Race wins went to Carson Macedo (67th career), Kasey Kahne (15th career), and Kraig Kinser (123rd career). Macedo followed that with his second DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash win of the season to earn the pole position. Austin Pierce of Grand Forks, ND topped the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown. He was one of 11 local drivers to qualify for their first NOS Energy Drink Feature of the 2022 season.

18-year-old Noah Gass of Mounds, OK earned Friday’s KSE Hard Charger Award with a 17th-t0-10th victory. It marked the first-career World of Outlaws top-10 finish for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender.

UP NEXT (Sun) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will be off tomorrow night, but the racing resumes on Sunday, June 5 with the first of four stops at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, SD. The Sunday night showdown is a precursor for the upcoming $100,000-to-win High Bank Nationals at the track on June 23-25. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) – 1. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$3,500]; 4. 83-James McFadden [8][$2,800]; 5. 2-David Gravel [11][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$2,300]; 7. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [9][$2,200]; 8. 9-Kasey Kahne [3][$2,100]; 9. 13-Mark Dobmeier [13][$2,050]; 10. 20G-Noah Gass [17][$2,000]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston [12][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][$1,400]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$1,200]; 14. 2A-Austin Pierce [19][$1,100]; 15. 11M-Brendan Mullen [14][$1,050]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$1,000]; 17. 8H-Jade Hastings [15][$1,000]; 18. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [21][$1,000]; 19. 99-Jordan Graham [20][$1,000]; 20. 17K-Zach Omdahl [18][$1,000]; 21. O-Nick Omdahl [24][$1,000]; 22. 26-Blake Egeland [22][$1,000]; 23. 55-Nick Ranten [23][$1,000]; 24. 9N-Wade Nygaard [16][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-10, Carson Macedo 11-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 20G-Noah Gass[+7]

NEW Championship Standings (After 24/77 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (3,328); 2. David Gravel (-52); 3. Sheldon Haudenschild (-56); 4. Carson Macedo (-62); 5. Logan Schuchart (-88); 6. Donny Schatz (-148); 7. James McFadden (-172); 8. Spencer Bayston (-184); 9. Jacob Allen (-250); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-384).

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1st Leg of the Northern Tour
June 3, 2022
River Cities Speedway
2300 Gateway Dr
Grand Forks, ND 

Event Description
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series proves why it's "The Greatest Show on Dirt" at this tight North Dakota bullring.

Series Racing
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series

Sprint Car Track Record
9.269 seconds by Jason Meyers on 8/21/09

Late Model Track Record
11.321 seconds by Mike Marlar on 7/13/18

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Feature Laps Length
35

Event Schedule
2PM Pit Gates open
5PM Grandstand Gates open
6:30PM Hot Laps/Qualifying
7:30PM Opening Ceremonies
*All times Central

Options And Prices
Adult Pit Combo $48 (Pit pass and reserved seat-if purchased in advance online)
Child Pit Combo (Ages 12-under): $32
Adult Reserved: $45
Child Reserved: $20
Adult General Admission: $40
Child (6-12) General Admission: $20
Kids 5 and under FREE GA
Race Day Adult Pit Pass $45
Race Day Child Pit Pass $30


TICKET INFO



Pit Pass Price
40

Parking Cost
free

Camping Availability
electric hookup, onsite

Camping Cost
$20 with water

To Win Amount
$10,000.00

Type of Grandstand
Select rows in main grandstand have seat back

Stadium Seating
reserved seats in section A-R
General in East East grandstand

Handicapped Seating
bottom row of main covered grandstands

Handicapped Parking
Front gate

Pit Age Limit
NO age restriction for pits. 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent/ guardian.

Pit Gate Location
East side of the track

Personal Coolers
no coolers allowed

ATMs
1

Credit Card Use
Pit Gate, Ticket Window

Alcohol Sales
yes

Smoking Policy
no smoking in grandstands, smoking permitted in designated areas

Family Section
no

Parking Cost
free

Camping Availability
electric hookup, onsite

Camping Cost
$20 with water

Closest Airport
Grand Forks Int'l

Other Airport
Fargo

River Cities Speedway
2300 Gateway Dr
Grand Forks, ND 

Track Phone
(701) 780-0999

Ticket Phone
(815) 344-2023

Track Email
[email protected]

Track Size & Type
0.250; high banked

Sprint Car Track Record
9.269 seconds by Jason Meyers on 8/21/09

Competitor Downloads
 https://www.dirtcarmembers.com/downloads.php