KNOXVILLE, Iowa – Carson Macedo noted last week, before ever setting foot in the No. 41 for Jason Johnson Racing, that he hoped to be comfortable in time to make a run at locking into Saturday’s 5-Hour Energy Knoxville Nationals A-main.

After winning his 360 Knoxville Nationals preliminary night, finishing second to Terry McCarl in the 360 finale and landing on the podium again in Sunday’s Capitani Classic, that comfort level has allowed his goals to shift somewhat entering Thursday’s Toyota Qualifying Night at Knoxville Raceway.

He believes that if his team maintains the speed it has shown so far, they can contend for the big win.

“We want to go after it,” Macedo told SPEED SPORT. “It’s been an unbelievable week so far.”

Macedo expected there would be a substantial learning curve with adjusting to a new team and a new car, but he, crew chief Phillip Dietz and owner Bobbi Johnson meshed almost immediately, finding speed that the California young gun didn’t necessarily expect to have so quickly.

“To say that I’m really thankful to have speed would be the truth,” noted Macedo. “It’s really hard to find speed in this sport and when you have it, it’s a fun thing. Hopefully we can continue that for the rest of this week and finish things off strong.”

Part of that speed came from gelling with Dietz and figuring out what each other needed out of the car.

“This team has made it really easy to get comfortable,” said Macedo of the JJR squad. “Phillip Dietz and Tyler Patrick work really hard and have put a really good race car underneath me every night.

“Our balance has been super good and the race car has been so stuck (into the race track). It’s been a dream to drive, not to mention they’re all really great people and it’s been a great transition for me to be able to jump into this (No.) 41 car and have a lot of fun.”

As the calendar moves closer to Saturday night, the memories of the late team namesake’s 2016 victory in the Knoxville Nationals have gotten more and more prominent.

It’s something that’s not lost on Macedo as he chases his first Nationals A-main appearance.

“Obviously, driving in memory of Jason and (knowing) everything he was able to accomplish in our sport has been really special,” said Macedo. “It’s been a lot of fun so far.

“It’s an honor, for sure,” Macedo added. “When Phillip called me and said I’d be driving the No. 41 car … it was a dream come true for me, honestly. As a little kid, you dream of chances like that and JJR is a first-class team with first-class people. To be a part of all that is something I don’t take lightly. Jason built this team; he was a crew guy for Steve Kinser and started this from nothing. Now it’s one of the most threatening teams on the Outlaw tour today and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity.”

Not only has Macedo performed in Johnson’s familiar No. 41, he also picked up a victory in another iconic car this week, driving Tony Stewart’s No. 14 to victory lane in ASCS competition at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa on Tuesday night.

With two wins and four podium finishes under his belt entering Thursday night’s preliminary program, Macedo is proving he has what it takes to be a mainstay at sprint car racing’s highest level.

He realizes that full well and noted that it’s the people surrounding him that have led to his success.

“In sprint car racing, one of the hardest things to do is to be really consistent in all different types of race cars … and this year, whether it’s been in Tony Stewart’s car or the JJR No. 41 or the Joe Gaerte No. 3g car, I feel like I’ve been able to do that,” Macedo said. “I’ve just been in some really good race cars with some really good crew chiefs, and you can’t ask for much more than that.

“The people around me are definitely making me look good right now, and hopefully I can stay in some good situations going forward.”