Carson Macedo Beats the Outlaws at the Gold Cup
Macedo scores his first World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory and becomes the 20th different winner this season
CHICO, Calif. – Sept. 5, 2014 – Carson Macedo scored his first ever World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory at the Gold Cup Race of Champions Friday night, delivering an impressive performance that saw him battle past and then hold off the series’ reigning champion.

“I’m just speechless,” Macedo said after beating the 41 car field. He joins the ranks of non-Outlaw drivers like Greg Hodnett and Dale Blaney who have bested the Outlaws this season and taken home a win.

The young driver started on the outside pole at Silver Dollar Speedway next to Daryn Pittman. As Pittman led through the early laps, Macedo did what few others Friday night found success doing – racing the high side.

“I had to go up there on the start next to Daryn and I just hit it wrong,” Macedo said. “But I could feel that it was good. I’m glad I did.”

On a caution and subsequent restart on lap seven, Pittman gave Macedo the opportunity he needed. The Tommy Tarleton Racing driver got around the past champion coming out of turn two and led the field back to the start/finish line.

With just nine to go, another caution gave Pittman an opportunity to get around Mecado – and he did just that. Unfortunately for Pittman, a red flag brought on by a wreck involving Brad Sweet, Paul McMahan and Andy Gregg right after the green flag flew reset the field to the previous lap, forcing Pittman to give up the lead.

Macedo, a Fresno, Calif. native, did not make the same mistake twice. When the race restarted he held off a hard-charging Pittman – a feat Mecado repeated again following the final caution of the night on lap 25.

“I can’t even say how happy I am,” Macedo said. “This is really like my first real win. To do it here with the Outlaws is unheard of. I’m so happy, so happy. This is the stuff kids dream about.”

With his win, Mecado became the 20th different driver to win a World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event this season. He also became the 10th different non-Outlaw driver to find himself in victory lane during 2014.

Pittman, who finished the night in second in his Great Clips car, said he was disappointed he was not able to pull out the win Friday night. He congratulated Mecado, noting he knew a little something about what it meant to notch a first win at the track.

“Congrats to him,” Pittman said. “That first, that’s pretty special. I got my first win here on a prelim night a long time ago, back in 2000, so this place is pretty special to me in that sense. So obviously this is a win that he’ll never forget.”

Pittman said, looking forward, his team will regroup and talk about how they can adjust to be a little better tomorrow.

“I was tight on the top and maybe a little free on the bottom,” Pittman said. “I thought I had a pretty good balance as far as a car that could move around and run both. I really just wanted to get in traffic more. I really thought I was going to be able to maneuver pretty good in traffic and it just seemed like when we got there to it we got another yellow.”

Mecado was not the only California driver to best the Outlaws and make it into the history books for the first time. Bobby McMahan, an Elk Grove, Calif. native, battled with 20-time champion Steve Kinser for the third position, ultimately finishing in that spot and taking home his first ever podium finish in a World of Outlaws feature.

“It’s like a win to me,” McMahan said. “With all the guys… this is great for us.”

McMahan, who started the feature eighth in his American Tool & Manufacturing car, worked his way through the field, benefitting late from the red flag on lap 21 that sent several front running cars into the pits. He traded positions with Kinser, but ultimately came out on top as Kinser finished in fourth.

“He’s the King for a reason,” McMahan said. “He kind of showed me the middle there getting through one and two. I was rolling the top and I was rolling it pretty good. That’s how I passed him. He got me there in the middle and I thought I can’t let that happen again.”

Donny Schatz’s lead in the championship points standings slipped slightly to 197 over second place Daryn Pittman. Paul McMahan is in third 298 points out of the lead.

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series returns to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. on Sept. 6 for the second night of racing action at the Gold Cup Race of Champions. The Outlaws then take on Antioch Speedway on Sept. 7 before returning to the Midwest.