Challenging two star-studded racers is no mean feat. Kyle Larson, besides his 29 Cup Series race wins, also owns a glittering dirt racing resume. He won 46 World of Outlaws races in 2020, and most recently, clinched his third Chilli Bowl Nationals trophy. 9-time Cup race winner Christopher Bell is also a three-time Chili Bowl winner. Yet both were taken down by a Chase Elliott-inspired driver recently.
Carson Macedo is a former King of the West and Canadian Nationals Sprint champ. He has led a trailblazing journey in dirt racing so far – collecting 48 feature wins, 206 top-fives, and 339 top-ten finishes. His glorious streak just got a new edge – as he surmounted a major health debacle, just like Chase Elliott.
Sprint racing star looks up to Chase Elliott
Everybody knows the 2023 stain on the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team’s reputation. Chase Elliott fractured his leg in a snowboarding accident and had to be sidelined for six races. A subsequent penalty at Charlotte Motor Speedway parked him for one more race – and by the end of 2023, Elliott could not crack the playoffs. But the star roared back into form in Texas in 2024, snapping a 42-race winless streak. Not only did Elliott redeem his slumping fortunes, but he also lit up the path of Carson Macedo. The sprint car racer suffered a similar injury in a wakeboarding accident.
But that did little to hinder his sprint career victory plans. In the recently concluded NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season opener at Volusia Speedway, Carson Macedo soared to victory. And this victory came less than two months after Macedo broke his leg, and after he had zero off-season practice. This wildly resembles Chase Elliott‘s journey.
Journalist Matt Weaver captured the sentiment on Twitter: “Repaired tibia…No offseason racing…No problem…Carson Macedo wins the non-points World of Outlaws opener at Volusia.” World of Outlaws also saluted his solid effort: “A broken leg less than two months ago wasn’t stopping him tonight 
”
A broken leg less than two months ago wasn’t stopping him tonight
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) February 6, 2025
Meanwhile, Christopher Bell suffered a setback, as Weaver wrote: “Christopher Bell suffers a flat right rear running fourth in his WoO Sprint return feature.” Also, Macedo put his fellow sprint car rivals in a spot, including Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, and 2024 World of Outlaws champion David Gravel. Weaver wrote further, “This does count for DIRTcar Nationals points so David Gravel, Kyle Larson, Logan Schuchart, and Brad Sweet also immediately in the hunt for the Big Gator.” Macedo also looks good to dominate the races: “Carson Macedo has led every lap so far ahead of Buddy Kofoid and defending champion David Gravel.”
And the sprint car racing ace salutes Chase Elliott. The latter offered help to Macedo to excel in his career.
Listening to the experienced one
When Chase Elliott fell prey to his mountaineering hobby in 2023, doubts crept up about his falling pace. People raised their eyebrows as the 2020 Cup champion lost his momentum – yet Elliott did not let any of that apprehension rattle him or his team. They silently worked and climbed back up the ranks. So for Carson Macedo, who better to take advice from than the HMS star? Moreover, both Macedo and Elliott suffered fractures in the same part of the leg, the tibia-fibula bone. Macedo’s hobby was for something else though – wakeboarding. This is a water sport in which a person is towed behind a motorboat, as they maintain balance through the rising waves.
Carson Macedo recalled how he rang up Chase Elliott for his advice. “I was lucky enough, he was kind enough…I was able to bounce some ideas off of him on what the recovery was going to look like, what to expect week over week, how we can be ready for this race or not, what his situation looked like in week 7 compared to what mine would look like…Just to give me an idea. He kind of helped me through that process. He was snowboarding, I was wakeboarding.” He added that his hobby has fizzled out after the accident – at least where his sprint career comes first.
Chase Elliott helped Carson Macedo believe that it is possible. The latter powered through the most painful situation and managed to clinch a trophy.
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