World of Outlaws Chillicothe Classic

A big win on your birthday is sweet, but reaching 50 wins at the highest level of competition in dirt track racing is even sweeter, and that’s what Carson Macedo earned Monday night at Atomic Speedway.

On the night of his 29th birthday, Macedo, of Lemoore, CA, led all 25 laps around the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval to collect 50th career Feature win with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

From his first triumph with The Greatest Show on Dirt nearly 11 years ago at Silver Dollar Speedway in his home state of California to the present day, Macedo’s half-century win total is a reflection of the years of hard work he’s put in behind the wheel and dedication to the sport he’s loved his entire life.

“I remember winning my first Outlaws race and seeing TK — Tim Kaeding, at the time, was really a person I looked up to a lot — and he had I think somewhere in the 20s, maybe 27 or something like that,” Macedo said. “Being able to climb up the rankings of the Outlaws win list has been pretty surreal. I thought, ‘Man, 27 wins, I don’t know that I could ever get to that.’

“And then to stand here and have 50 of them is pretty incredible. It says a lot about the teams that I’ve been able to be a part of, starting all the way back with Tarlton Racing when I got my first one, to Kyle Larson Racing early in my World of Outlaws career, then the majority with Phillip Dietz and Jason Johnson Racing.”

To get big win No. 50, Macedo was put up against the local favorite, Cole Duncan. The Lockbourne, OH-racer pulled the SPA Technique #1 Redraw pill in the Toyota Dash Draw and won the six-lap sprint, which put him on the pole for the NOS Energy Drink Feature.

With the capacity grandstands’ support behind him, Duncan lined up to Macedo’s inside as the green flag dropped in the 25-lap Feature. He darted into Turn 1 on the low side and beat Macedo to Turn 2, sliding up to the top lane in front of the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, but Macedo countered with a crossover dive underneath Duncan and took the lead down the backstretch.

“The start was everything, and I knew it was gonna be,” Macedo said. “When we took the green, I thought if I can get a good start and get ahead of [Duncan] and then find the rubber first, you’re gonna be in a really good spot.”

From there, it was a matter of Macedo staying smooth out front. While Macedo worked the middle lane, Duncan still looked for opportunities to make the pass down low. He got underneath Macedo and pulled even with the 41 car twice — Lap 8 and Laps 10–11 — but Macedo better maintained his momentum higher up the track.

Duncan did not get another opportunity to make the pass until the final lap, when Macedo tried to make a move around the lapped car of Bryce Lucius — first in Turns 1–2 and then again in the final two turns. When Macedo entered lower into Turn 3 in one final attempt to pass Lucius, Duncan went to the extreme top and tapped the wall trying to make the pass. He was unsuccessful, and Macedo crossed underneath the checkered flag to secure the win.

“I knew I was in trouble,” Macedo said. “I tried to slide Lucius in Turns 3 and 4 and tried to get by him just because I felt like I needed a buffer between me and Cole. And then when I didn’t clear, I thought I was gonna miss the rubber, and I grabbed it just enough to where I could squeeze off of Turn 4.”

When Duncan’s right-rear tapped the outside wall in the middle of Turns 3–4, he bobbled, opening the door for Chris Windom to sneak by on the inside and steal second, leaving Duncan to settle for third.

“I guess people say P2 would have been better, but I had no real interest in running second,” Duncan said. “We went for it on the last lap, and it didn’t work out.”

Cap Henry was the race’s KSE Hard Charger Award recipient on his drive from 18th to finish 15th.

Macedo earned his second Simpson Racing Products Quick Time Award of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races were won by Macedo (NOS Energy Drink Heat 1), Chris Windom (Real American Beer Heat 2), Sheldon Haudenschild (WIX Filters Heat 3) and Skylar Gee (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat 4).

Duncan won both the SPA Technique #1 Redraw Award and the Toyota Dash.

Bill Balog won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Conner Morrell.

UP NEXT

The World of Outlaws Sprint Cars pick the action back up this Friday and Saturday, May 30–31, in North Dakota at River Cities Speedway and Red River Valley Speedway.

Tickets for both events are on sale now; click here to purchase. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS (view full results)

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 2. 7S-Chris Windom[3]; 3. 22-Cole Duncan[1]; 4. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[4]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee[6]; 6. 83-Michael Kofoid[8]; 7. 2-David Gravel[5]; 8. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[9]; 10. 27-Emerson Axsom[10]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz[12]; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart[11]; 13. 4X-Cale Stinson[14]; 14. 4D-Zane DeVault[16]; 15. 33W-Cap Henry[18]; 16. 2C-Cole Macedo[15]; 17. 78-Justin Clark[20]; 18. W20-Greg Wilson[13]; 19. 23-Garet Williamson[19]; 20. A79-Brandon Wimmer[17]; 21. 98-Ricky Peterson[23]; 22. 17B-Bill Balog[21]; 23. 32-Bryce Lucius[24]; 24. 28M-Conner Morrell[22]