Macenko pleased with 2022 performance

Jackson Macenko enters turn 1 at Anderson Speedway (Aaron Skillman photo)

By Ken de la Bastide

For most of the 2022 Kenyon Midget Series, veteran competitor Jackson Macenko challenged for the championship. But he's looking for a new challenge racing pavement sprint cars in 2023 for Brad Hayes Racing.

The Ohio driver led the point standings for the title until a string of bad luck saw him chasing eventual champion Dameron Taylor entering the final race of the year. “It was a little disappointing at the end of the season,” Macenko said. “Looking past three of the final four races it was the most impressive season to date.”

He was the 2019 Kenyon Midget Series Rookie of the Year, scored two wins in 2020 and followed that up by finishing in the top five in all but one race in 2021.

This past year Macenko won four times, including a first ever win at Anderson Speedway. “There was so much talent among the drivers I was racing against,” he said. “I think my driving was the best it's ever been. Aside for a mistake at Mt. Lawn, I didn't make any mistakes,” Macenko continued. “I was hitting my marks, but at the end things didn't go my way.”

Entering the final race at US 24 Speedway, Macenko said he realized passing Taylor for the title was going to be a long shot. “I still had winning the championship in the back of my mind following the Anderson crash,” he said. “At US 24 I was just focused on every corner and looking for a way to pass that next car.”

Macenko said he expected to compete in 2020 with Colin Grissom for the championship, but missed the first two races.

“I had some good battles in 2021 with Ayton (Houk),” he said. “He was the driver to beat.”

Macenko is planning to run the entire 500 Sprint Car Tour in 2023, except for the Lucas Oil Little 500, but still hopes to compete with the Kenyon Midget Series when possible. “I knew Brad (Hayes) was hoping to get me into a sprint car with a team,” he said of the opportunity. “I wasn’t surprised when Brad wanted to own a sprint car.”

Macenko has never driven a sprint car on a paved oval. “I know there will be a learning curve,” he said. “Just looking to improve during the season and be able to compete with the front runners. I'm confident going into it.”

Macenko said the Kenyon Midget cars are fun to drive and really fast. “I don't want to shy away from the series,” he said. “It was a great family atmosphere among all the competitors.”