Carson Macedo
As a fourth-generation racer from Lemoore, California, Carson Macedo almost instantly found a love affair for the dirt track world. He was behind the wheel of a 100cc junior sprint at the age of five, and as they say, the rest is history. From his progression through the micro sprint ranks to his development as a midget driver to a career in the sprint car world, and eventually a full-time ride with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.
Receiving an opportunity to go sprint car racing from Tom and Tommy Tarlton, Macedo’s caught his first break with that ride in 2012 as a 15-year old. He went on to win Ocean (CA) Speedway Rookie of the Year and showed promising signs in his development. The following year he was the 360 Rebel Cup champion, but the ultimate breakthrough came in 2014 at Silver Dollar (CA) Speedway’s Gold Cup.
A prestigious World of Outlaws Sprint Car event, the 17-year old Macedo shocked the nation and triumphed for his first-career 410 win. It was a surreal moment that propelled the Californian to bigger and better things, as he put his name on the map. In 2015, he started collecting more and more wins, ended up second in Trophy Cup points, and was crowned the King of the West Champion.
In 2016, a move to the Midwest paid dividends for Macedo’s soaring career. He still dabbled in sprint car racing and picked up several wins, but made his primary commitment to midget racing with the Keith Kunz Motorsports powerhouse. Macedo snagged wins at Fayette County (IL) Speedway, Macon (IL) Speedway and Angell Park (WI) Speedway en route to earning Rookie of the Year honors with both the POWRi National Midget League and the USAC National Midget Series.
He returned his focus to sprint car racing in 2017 and an eventual partnership with Joe Gaerte led to a huge 2018 season that changed the course of his career. He won five All Star Circuit of Champions features and finished second in points, however, the highlight of his campaign was a surreal month of August.
Announced as the driver of the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 for the Knoxville Nationals, Macedo stepped into an emotional role not even two months following the tragic passing of Johnson. From the moment JJR committed to continuing racing in honor of Jason, the storybook tale was on. Macedo and JJR won the first night out together in their 360 Nationals preliminary at Knoxville and followed that with a second-place finish on the final night. The next week during the 410 Nationals, success continued to breed with a sixth-place finish in the Saturday night 50-lap finale.
On the heels of an incredible 2018 season, Macedo realized a childhood dream come true as he secured a full-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car ride. Driving for Kyle Larson Racing, the 22-year old California native is set to chase his first-career WoO championship in 2019.
