By Alex Nieten
BAKERSFIELD, CA (September 11, 2025) – Racers romanticize hitting the road with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, but nothing can ever replicate the feeling of being home.
Cole Macedoโs dream came true in 2025 when he linked with TwoC Racing for his rookie campaign with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He learned the ropes in his home state of California, dabbled in national travel over the last few years, and finally, a plan came together for him to take the step to the sportโs highest level.
The first year on tour with the countryโs best Sprint Car drivers has already taken Macedo to 17 states and even across the northern border into Canada. But now, for the first time this season, itโs time for the 25-year-old to race at home.
Next on the agenda is a two-week stay in California that begins this weekend with visits to Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvickโs Kern Raceway on Friday, Sept. 12, and Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 13. And itโs not just Cole getting to compete in front of family and friends; itโs his brother Carson, too.
โI think itโs going to be super cool for myself and my family to have both Carson and I come back home and be a part of the World of Outlaws, where him and I both grew up dreaming to be one of those guys,โ Macedo said. โNow weโre rolling in as them, so I think thatโs super cool.โ
After Bakersfield and Perris, a race that Macedo has had circled all season is up next. The California stay concludes with the Dennis Roth Classic at Tulare, CAโs Thunderbowl Raceway on Sept. 19-20. The two nights conclude with a huge $83,000 payday. The Thunderbowl is a treacherous 3/8-mile dirt track that only the bold conquer, and thatโs exactly how Macedo likes it.
โTulare is my favorite track out of all the tracks Iโve ever raced,โ Macedo said. โItโs going to be super cool. I love Tulare. You just get up on the wheel a lot there. No matter how your race car is, if you just get up on the fence and run it really hard, you can kind of overcome whatโs going on with your race car and anything of that nature. Iโve grown to like that place. It puts the ball a little bit more in my court at all times. Now, itโs very easy to crash, too. I think thatโs why I like it so much. Iโve probably crashed there more than anywhere in my career. Itโs just hard. Itโs not the most easy track to grasp onto.โ
These two weeks arenโt only an opportunity for Macedo to race in front of family and friends. Heโll also have the chance to perform in front of one of his key sponsors, California-based WEDG High Performance Karts. Company founder Josh Stagg is a dedicated supporter of Sprint Car racing and plans to have a presence during the entire West Coast swing.
โJosh came on board this year and has really helped me out a lot with his sponsorship,โ Macedo said. โHim and I have grown very close and have a lot of phone calls talking about his go-karts or my racing, this and that. Heโs a super good guy. I think heโs going to do some advertisement here coming up on the West Coast. I think itโs going to be a super cool deal that I finally get to wear my suit and be there with the karts and kind of try to grow his brand with that. To represent him on the West Coast here is going to be a super good deal for both him and I and everyone involved with WEDG High Performance Karts.โ
Looking at how 2025 has gone, Macedo admits he maybe hasnโt quite reached expectations. He sits third in the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year chase with 18 races remaining. Despite being a little short of where heโd like to be, there have been plenty of bright moments. The No. 2C led laps at Talladega Short Track in March before a top-five finish. Macedo wheeled from 12th to the podium at the legendary Eldora Speedway in May. The team feels if their Qualifying efforts can improve, theyโll be closer to where they need to be on a nightly basis.
โI think the year as a whole has gone fair,โ Macedo said. โI think weโre all happy with what weโre doing. I think that we all had hoped to be a little bit better. I know I do just mainly in the beginning of the night. I feel like we race well. Our race car gets around the track pretty well. Just there at the beginning of the night, getting timed in and setting ourselves up for the rest of the night is really the only place our team is struggling at the moment. I think that weโre very close. Weโre knocking on the door. If we could just figure that out, our nights would go a lot smoother and a lot easier.โ
One key piece missing from the 2025 World of Outlaws campaign for Macedo is a win. Getting to the tour is one thing. Beating the best of the best is another. Itโs a goal Macedo set for this season, and what better time to check it off than at home?
โWinning in front of my family and hometown fans, Iโve got a lot of buddies that plan to come, would be a dream come true,โ Macedo said. โIt would be probably the biggest thing that Iโve ever done. I hope that it can happen. I think weโre capable of making that happen. We just have to put the whole night together. With these Outlaw guys, you have to be perfect to win.โ
Macedoโs time at home starts this weekend at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvickโs Kern Raceway (Sept. 12) and Perris Auto Speedway (Sept. 13). For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you canโt make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.