Jacobs, Dietz Squaring Off for World of Outlaws Title
Photo by Trent Gower
CONCORD, N.C. — David Gravel and Carson Macedo are ready to battle on track for the 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car championship, but there’s another matchup taking place behind the scenes on the wrenches.
Like their drivers, both crew chiefs are vying for their first title with The Greatest Show on Dirt. A title that’s set to be decided next week (Nov. 6-9) at the World of Outlaws World Finals hosted by The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Cody Jacobs calls the shots on the current car atop the standings, the Big Game Motorsports No. 2. Jacobs worked his way through the ranks before linking with the Tod Quiring-owned team ahead of the 2020 season with Kerry Madsen in the seat. Gravel came aboard in 2021, and they’ve chased a World of Outlaws title since.
“It’s really cool,” Jacobs said of being on the brink of a title. “I’ve never really done a whole lot of championship chasing. So, the last four years with David has been a little bit different. You maybe have to have somewhat of a little bit different mindset or approach at times. It’s great to be in this position. I’m very fortunate to be in this position. A lot of great people around us to put us in this situation.”
Philip Dietz not only turns the wrenches on the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, but he and his wife Brooke are also team owners. They race on in honor Dietz’s late cousin, who launched Jason Johnson Racing with dreams of a World of Outlaws title.
“It’s very important to me for many reasons,” Dietz said of a potential championship. “We would love to win a championship for all of our sponsors who’ve been a key part of allowing us to have a Sprint Car team in the first place. Obviously, it was Jason’s goal many years ago to have a championship contending Sprint Car team.”
Both Jacobs and Dietz are masters of their craft with résumés that speak for themselves.
Jacobs’ first World of Outlaws win as a crew chief came back in 2012 when Paul McMahan drove the Buch Motorsports ride to Victory Lane at New York’s Rolling Wheels Raceway Park. He had two successful stints with Tim Shaffer in the 2010s that included a $100,000 score at Mansfield Motor Speedway’s Sprint Car World Championship. Since joining forces with Gravel, Jacobs has added 44 World of Outlaws checkered flags, highlighted by a $175,000 Kings Royal crown. Jacobs’ next win will be his 50th as a crew chief with The Greatest Show on Dirt.
Dietz helped elevate JJR into one of the sport’s premier organizations that’s now up to 70 World of Outlaws Feature victories. Among those are a pair of Knoxville Nationals titles (2016 with Jason Johnson and 2019 with David Gravel). Macedo has been responsible for 40 of the team’s triumphs since being hired in 2021.
This year both teams have taken their performance to new heights.
Gravel, Jacobs, and the Big Game crew lead the Series with 14 wins and an average finish of fifth on the dot. An unmatched consistency with 57 top 10s in 63 races supplied them with a 74-point lead entering World Finals.
“It’s been a really good year,” Jacobs said. “Just the consistency throughout the year as a whole. I feel like we’ve been really consistent. We’ve got a lot of wins. There’s been a few moments or maybe some wins we left out on the table, but that’s just the way it goes in racing. Overall, it’s been a spectacular year, and we want to finish it off strong at Charlotte for the World Finals.”
Macedo already matched his career high with 11 victories and established a new personal best with 32 podiums. His average finish of 5.15 isn’t far off Gravel’s, but some early struggles left the JJR crew with a hill to climb in Charlotte if they hope to secure the championship.
“Obviously, there was a bit of a rough start going into 2024. We had some issues at Volusia that kind of set us back,” Dietz said. “We went to work and spent some time on the chassis dyno trying to learn more about our engine program. Eventually, I feel like we improved in that area and went back to working on our car again and got it even better.”
It’s no easy task to compete for a title at this level. It requires near perfection, minimizing mistakes, and salvaging the subpar nights. The No. 2 and the No. 41 are not only facing each other every night, they’re up against a group of the country’s most elite Sprint Car drivers.
Only one can stand at the mountaintop, and these two master mechanics are ready to give their all next week at Charlotte.
“There’s an incredible amount of work that it takes to run a World of Outlaws schedule and compete for a championship,” Jacobs said. “Everybody works real hard. The 15 (Donny Schatz) has a good team. The 41 (Macedo) has a good team. Sheldon (Haudenschild) and the 17 guys, they’ve been really strong. Gio (Scelzi) and Buddy (Kofoid) in the mix. There’s a talented group of drivers out there with some really good mechanics and teams. It’s very difficult to put it all together and complete and Outlaw season.”
“It’s tough. You can’t have any bad nights,” Dietz said of chasing a championship. “I wish the points gap was a little closer than it is currently. I feel like it’s our own fault for not being in a little better position than we are. But we’re going to continue on, give it our best, and hopefully we can give him (Gravel) a challenge there at the end.”
Jacobs and Dietz and their teams will settle the 2024 World of Outlaws championship next week at The Dirt Track at Charlotte when the World of Outlaws World Finals bring the season to a close. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.
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