THE AMERICANS’ ARE COMING

Feature Photo: Californian WoO star Cameron Macedo returns to Archerfield in December… Photo by: Chris Metcalf

Archerfield Speedway Media Release.

In what is great news for speedway fans, the return of international travel to and from Australia has ensured an influx of American drivers will be dirt tracking down under in the months ahead, with three of the best American Sprintcar exponents confirmed for Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway next month. 

Despite the fact that, just a few months ago, the future of the Archerfield circuit was clouded in doubt and, in the wake of the COVID disruptions that severely hindered any form of international competition, the 2022/2023 season will see a stellar line-up of American stars take on the locals.

The first of the Americans to reach our shores will be Californian hotshoe Carson Macedo, fresh from a World of Outlaws campaign in which he scored 11 wins and 55 top-ten finishes from 69 races on his way to finishing third overall in the championship. 

Having started his Sprintcar racing career as a 15-year-old in 2012, Macedo has since established himself as one of the best in the business across multiple racing divisions, having also enjoyed success in Midgets and Wingless Sprints. In fact, Macedo’s most recent visit to Brisbane came aboard a Midget when his attempt to defend his Australian Championship saw him qualify in pole position for the feature race, only for his challenge to be curtailed by an engine that refused to fire.

Back home, in addition to his record of success in the WoO Championship, Macedo has enjoyed considerable success in recent years, including Sprintcar wins in the National Open and the Front Row Challenge, along with a win in the POWRi Midget Nationals among many others. 

For his 2022/2023 Australian tour, Macedo again joins forces with Sydney-based team owner Sean Dyson and will make his first appearance at Archerfield at our next meeting on December 10, with a return engagement on January 11 in preparation  for the $20 000-to-win Australian Open on January 13/14.

The second of the American contingent coming to town is another Californian in Justin Sanders. This recently completed American season saw Sanders win the Howard Kaeding Classic as well as winning four consecutive feature races to take out the Northwest Speedweek and finishing sixth overall in the NARC Sprintcar Series.

In Australia, Sanders will certainly have quality equipment at his disposal, teaming with Brisbane-based team owner John Weatherall in the #95 previously piloted by the likes of Logan Schuchart, Jessie Hockett and Michael Carber.

The team will contest five nights of racing at Archerfield, the first of which will be on Boxing Night (December 26). Subsequent outings on December 28 and January 11 will follow before the tour wraps up with the Australian Open (January 13/14), which is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ever.

The third of the statesiders confirmed already is Aaron Reutzel, whose previous exploits down under have included a World Series Sprintcar feature race win. Hailing from Texas, Reutzel is a three-time winner of the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprintcar Series and he has also won the Peter Murphy Classic and accumulated numerous victories in World of Outlaws competition.

Having won the Rookie of the Year Award at the 2015 Knoxville Nationals, the most prestigious Sprintcar race in the world, Reutzel raced to a fourth-place finish in the same event in 2018 and then followed up the next year to secure another top-five result. Teaming once again with Saller Motorsport for his return to Australia, Reutzel will appear at Archerfield on December 28, January 11 and January 13/14.

Along with all the local stars and a multitude of interstate competitors, some overseas-based Australians are also expected to feature at several of these international events, so stay tuned to Facebook for the latest news and information.