Lemoore’s Carson Macedo rolling in Midwest USAC action
Carson Macedo of Lemoore continued his outstanding season of racing in the Midwest with four top-six finishes last week in U.S. Auto Club national midget series action.
Macedo had a sixth and a second before heading into the two-night, 39th annual Belleville Midget Nationals in Kansas. He led the first nine laps Friday night on the half-mile, high-banked dirt track before finishing third, then was fifth Saturday night. He’s seventh in national season points racing for Indiana-based Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports and has also made many sprint car starts for an Ohio team.
Macedo announced he’ll be back in California on Labor Day weekend for the USAC Western Classic midget and USAC/CRA 410 Sprint Car races at Calistoga Speedway.
UPDATE: Bryan Clauson dies of injuries suffered in Belleville race
Chad Boat of Arizona swept the Belleville races, marred Saturday night by a horrific crash that killed defending champion Bryan Clauson.
Clauson was leading the race when he clipped the tires of a lapped car, sending Clauson’s car into a series of barrel rolls. When he came to a stop, he was T-boned in the cockpit by another car. He was airlifted to a Lincoln, Nebraska hospital where he died Sunday night, his family announced Monday morning.
Clauson walked away from a terrifying crash in Friday’s feature. Saturday’s race was his 117th this season; his goal was 200. Clauson, who has 27 wins this season, finished 23rd in this year’s Indianapolis 500.
Madera Speedway – Matt Erickson led start-to-finish Saturday night for his third Madera Late Model division victory of the season.
It’s been win or nothing for the La Grange driver in the five series features – he was disqualified July 2 and suspended for the next race. Garland Tyler of Modesto was second, division rookie Shelden Cooper third, Dillon Tucker fourth and Mike Shapiro fifth in a 10-car field.
Other feature winners: Bert Stephens (MSTs), Tim Curtis (Toyota Sedans), Zack Green (SouthWest Tour Trucks) and Jackson Dukes (Junior Late Model exhibition).
Et cetera – Cory Eliason of Kingsburg finished 16th Saturday night in the Knoxville (Iowa) 360 Nationals, won by sprint car veteran Sammy Swindell. Eliason advanced to the feature by finishing second in the B main event, earning the 20th starting position in the 24-car A main field.
He now joins other central San Joaquin Valley racers in the 129-car field for the 56th annual Knoxville Nationals on the same half-mile clay track. Eliason and Dominic Scelzi of Fresno are scheduled to race in the Wednesday night qualifiers, and DJ Netto of Hanford (coming off a third-place finish at Badland Speedway in South Dakota) is set for Thursday night. Also in Thursday’s field is NASCAR Sprint Cup star Kyle Larson and Joey Saldana of Indiana driving the Fresno-based Roth Motorsports car. Everyone’s in action Friday, with final races Saturday.
▪ Saldana was fifth Saturday night in the World of Outlaws Ironman 55 won by Rico Abreu.
▪ Jace Vander Weerd of Visalia led start-to-finish to win the 30-lap USAC West Coast Sprint Car feature Saturday night at Santa Maria Raceway. Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton was sixth. Richard Vander Weerd flipped and finished 17th in a 22-car field.
This story was originally published August 7, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Lemoore’s Carson Macedo rolling in Midwest USAC action."