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Tuesdays with TMAC – Historic Weekend Caps 2013!

(Bill W) November 5, 2013 – Terry McCarl has had the fortune of driving some good owners in his career, and he added another last weekend. He drove the Clyde Lamar #3c at the Gary Patterson tribute at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track in California Saturday. With over forty cars in the King of the West field, he drove from 19th to 11th in the main event. Unfortunately, this week’s World Finals in Charlotte is not in the cards, which brings 2013 to a close for the veteran.

The Altoona, Iowa driver is a fan of the dirt track in Stockton. “I’m so glad they built that track,” says TMAC. “It’s in an excellent location right in the middle of all the sprint car action in California. It’s not that far from Chico, from San Jose or the Fresno area. It’s right off the interstate. I think it has a great future.”

TMAC headed out for warm ups. “Whenever you get into someone else’s car, it’s a different feel,” he says. “We started a little early there, and the track was still greasy in spots. We went green, white, checker, so I didn’t really get a feel for the car.”

He would register the 22nd quick time of the night. “When we went out to turn one and two in qualifying, I was just too tight,” says TMAC. “I couldn’t get the car turned and we didn’t get qualified very well. That put us behind the 8-ball a little bit for the heats.”

Starting sixth in a heat just taking the top four to the feature, TMAC’s run would end early. “At that point, I only had about four laps in the car,” he says. “I wasn’t feeling that comfortable yet. We went a lap and a half and we had a nozzle line knocked off. At that point, I didn’t even have six laps in the car.”

Starting sixth in the B main, TMAC quickly got himself in a transfer spot before issues surfaced again. “It was probably the roughest track I’ve been on all year,” he says. “We took off and had a great start up to third. The dzus button fell off right in the center of the hood. The kill switch is in the center of the dash as well. The dash started flopping back and forth.”

TMAC wasn’t sure what was going on. “I didn’t know what it was, and when I went into the corner, I shut the motor off accidentally,” he says. “I remembered them telling me Jonathan Allard had done the same thing in the car, so I hit the switch. I felt bad for the guy behind me because he probably about junked his stuff with me slowing in front of him. For the rest of the B, I struggled on the bottom. I was doing my best not to hit the kill switch. We actually were able to get back to third with us still not running that well.”

Starting 19th in the main event, the team went to work on the #3c. “Lee Lindgren and the crew did a great job getting the car ready for the feature,” says TMAC. “We had the right rear two inches further out than I had all year, so it was still sticky and rough. We got up to eleventh right away. At one point, we got to tenth.”

A handling issue arose at that point. “I was getting tight on the late restarts,” says TMAC. “We had an open red late in the race, and the right rear tire was losing air pressure. We got it pumped up. Lee told me to go into one and two and guard the bottom on the restarts and that helped. Once we got going, we were just as fast as the guys in front of us.”

An eleventh place finish resulted. TMAC lamented only being able to run with the team one night. “I wish we had a two-night show so we had a better feel for the car and each other,” he says. “Lee was great to work with and their guys were awesome. They were great to work with. I had a blast hanging out with Clyde and Marion Lamar and their car. They are great people. It was fun to talk with them being the historian I am. I wish we could have gotten the trophy for them, but maybe we can try again someday.”

Lamar left an impression. “Clyde’s really my kind of owner,” says TMAC. “I think he’s tough on you, but he’ll get you the equipment. He’ll get you the cars you need, the engine you need and the tires you need. It’s the driver’s job to do the rest. A lot of driver’s whine about owners getting on them, but Clyde Lamar is old school. He’s like Al Hamilton or Bob Weikert, who I drove for as well. He’s just cool, and a huge supporter of our sport.”

TMAC remembers the late Dave Bradway Jr., arguably the most famous pilot of the #3c. “I got to spend some quality time with him,” he says of Bradway. “He drove my Dad’s car at Huset’s the Sunday before he died (1987). I remember driving home afterwards (TMAC was crewing on the car) and we were able to talk. He kept me awake all the way home. He was a great young talent who had a lot of years left. He was someone who would have had to be reckoned with on the Outlaw tour eventually.”

The historian was not forgetting the tribute to Patterson either. “I was able to win the GP Classic at San Jose in 1991,” he says. “We led the whole 100 laps. This was a tribute that has usually been run at Calistoga, so I haven’t been able to win that. I remember Gary Patterson and watching him race. He was a cool cat. To drive the #3c in that race was a real honor to me.”

Unfortunately, Charlotte is not in the cards this year. “We weren’t able to put anything together to get down there,” says TMAC. “I did the budget for it, and without added sponsorship, it didn’t make sense for us. We’ll be watching and rooting for our friend Daryn Pittman to get a championship.”

To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!

Plenty for Sale

TMAC Motorsports is selling their 2013 inventory. “Get a hold of me if you’re interested in buying," says TMAC. "We’re selling everything but the truck, trailer and mule…engines, cars, gears, shocks, everything. Anyone interested in being on board with us next year as far as partnership…now is a good time while good spots are available.”

Websites for the McCarl Gang!

Driverwebsites.com develops the websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, as well as www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!

This Month in TMAC History!

In 1992, TMAC embarked on the Slick 50 Series races in Arizona. TMAC ran seven races over six weekends that winter at the Manzanita Speedway near Phoenix in his own #27 machine following his rookie season with the World of Outlaws in the Offill #88. His best finish was eighth, coming on January 3, 1993. In the winter of 1993/1994, TMAC would return to the series in Arizona, this time competing in five features at the Canyon Raceway.

"Tuesdays with TMAC"!

"Tuesdays with TMAC" is an up close and personal look at colorful sprint car veteran Terry McCarl. To receive "Tuesdays with TMAC", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "TMAC" in the subject line.

TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, “Lord I Apologize BBQ Sauce”, Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, SCE Gaskets, Justice Brothers, 212 The Boiling Point Bar & Grill, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, Pick Farms, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Superflow Technologies, T&P Brothers, Mediacom, Larry Fleck Trucking, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko's Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings and Mote Fasteners.

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia

Tuesdays with TMAC – Tales of Trophy Cup!

(Bill W) October 22, 2013 – It’s always a fun trip to California for Terry McCarl. Last weekend’s venue was the Trophy Cup at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, and it resulted in a pair of top ten finishes in the Country Builders Construction #88. Even though it was a short trip, it carried plenty of adventure including food poisoning for the driver. The Altoona, Iowa pilot will team with Jeremy Scadden’s #6 team and tackle the Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway near Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend.

The Trophy Cup has definitely gained steam the last few years, and TMAC wouldn’t mind seeing the event expanded with over eighty cars in attendance. “I’d like to see a three-day format there,” he says. “We came out in the middle of the qualifying order (44th), but with the drivers going out late, it’s really a disadvantage. They made an adjustment by cutting the qualifying points in half, so that was a plus.”

He was able to win his heat race going away. “To do that with (Jac) Haud(enschild) and TK (Tim Kaeding) in the heat was a good thing,” says TMAC. “They are two of the best at Tulare. We had a yellow and we were still able to win by a straightaway, so we were good. We were running an ASCS engine from Rider, and I don’t know that people understand that All Pro Heads are legal out there in California…so we felt good about things at that point.”

Maintenance chores on the #88 cut down on the time for feature setup. “We just haven’t run a 360 that much,” says TMAC. “We haven’t run at the Trophy Cup in a couple of years. Frankly, I don’t have a crew chief. Jim Roby was kind enough to help me. He worked for the Pennzoil team for Haud, and worked with Tim Shaffer on the Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook #83. With a crew that I’m accustomed to, I can watch the track until the last minute and make adjustments. It got really slick before the A, and we didn’t adjust enough.”

Starting fifth, things started out well enough in Friday’s prelim. “We got to third and I slid the guy for second,” says TMAC. “The yellow came out, and I just went backwards. We didn’t sipe (additional cuts in the tire) our rear tires, and they sealed up like crazy. They were shiny and smooth as a baby’s butt. They just weren’t working. I had the wing in the trunk and just kind of held on from there. I was just as loose as could be.”

TMAC would checker ninth. “It was unfortunate, because it was slick and the kind of racetrack that I’m used to here in the Midwest,” he says. “Those California guys are good on the rough and tacky tracks. I was disappointed, because I thought we could have finished in the top three and maybe won it. Still we salvaged a ninth place finish and ended seventh in points for the night.”

A decision to focus on Saturday instead of on Friday night post-race festivities ended up backfiring (literally) for TMAC. “Taco Bravo always has a great taco feed on Friday night,” he says. “Jim and I decided we were going to skip it, get the car washed, and get ready for Saturday. We stayed disciplined. By the car wash, there was an In ‘N Out Burger and an IHOP. I decided I was going to try to eat health and went to IHOP. Do not get the pot roast dinner at 1:30 a.m. when they are closing at two! I got food poisoning, and never slept a wink.”

TMAC collected himself and got to the track. “I was sick as a dog,” he says. “I finally toughed it out and got to the track about noon. I ran to the bathroom in the pits as soon as I could, and I didn’t quite make it. I threw up a couple feet from the guy’s car that was parked by the restroom. I apologized and told him it was food poisoning, not alcohol. Anyone with food poisoning knows it makes you sick as a dog.”

Being seventh in points heading into the finale put TMAC inside of the last row of heat race one. “It was the worst place to be,” he says. “The outside was definitely the best place to be, as it usually is. TK was outside of me there. The first heat had little passing, so it made a real difference to be in a later heat when the track widened. I got stuck behind a driver that ended up pulling out of the race and stopped in front of me. To make a long story short, we finished where we started in seventh. That got us behind pretty good in points.”

With the feature inverting the top twenty-four in points, TMAC would start fifteenth in the finale. “We were able to get up to eighth at one point,” he says. “We just got loose at that point. I was running the bottom well on both ends of the track. After one of the late race yellows, we got loose. I needed to move to the top in one and two looking back. We lost two pounds in the left rear and obviously that made us loose.”

He would end up tenth overall in points. “I was happy with that with everything considered,” says TMAC. “We ended up ninth in the feature and tenth in points overall out of eighty cars. Tulare is such a fun track. I just didn’t get up on the fence like I enjoy, and I still don’t feel good today to be honest.”

A busy few weeks are ahead in Arkansas, California and possibly North Carolina. “We’re heading out tonight for the Short Track Nationals this week,” says TMAC. “I’m excited that I’ll be driving for Clyde Lamar in Stockton with the King of the West series on November 2 as well. I’m trying to put some sponsorship together for The World Finals in Charlotte too, but we don’t have that done yet.”

To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!

Websites for the McCarl Gang!

Driverwebsites.com develops the websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, as well as www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!

This Month in TMAC History!

This week in 2000, TMAC won in USCS (United Sprint Car Series) action at Volusia Speedway in Volusia, Florida. He drove the Mulligan #3 to the win over Kenny Adams, Mike Woodring, Sport Allen and Terry Witherspoon. In five career starts with USCS, TMAC has never finished outside of the top five and has two wins. His other win also came at Volusia in 2001, as he topped Terry Gray, Adams, Jim Raptis and Allen.

"Tuesdays with TMAC"!

"Tuesdays with TMAC" is an up close and personal look at colorful sprint car veteran Terry McCarl. To receive "Tuesdays with TMAC", send an e-mail to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "TMAC" in the subject line.

TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, “Lord I Apologize BBQ Sauce”, Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, SCE Gaskets, Justice Brothers, 212 The Boiling Point Bar & Grill, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, Pick Farms, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Superflow Technologies, T&P Brothers, Mediacom, Larry Fleck Trucking, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko's Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings and Mote Fasteners.

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia