Tuesdays with TMAC – On the Podium at Tulare!
(Bill W) March 18, 2014 – Thunderbowl Raceway has always been a strong venue for Terry McCarl and he put the Country Builders Construction #88 on the podium again there last Saturday night with the World of Outlaws. Also carrying the momentum of a quick time and a Dash win, the Altoona, Iowa racer will head to the Stockton 99 Dirt Track this Saturday night.
Friday night’s event started with an 18th quick qualifying lap. “There’s so many good cars out there, and it’s always close,” says TMAC. “We were disappointed, it was the worst we’ve done this year, but we weren’t that far off. The tracks are sticky out here, and when your car is a little loose, you lose your forward drive. That’s kind of what happened. It’s a fine line.”
After qualifying for the main event through his heat, TMAC lined up 18th for the feature. “It was kind of the same story in the feature,” he says. “As opposed to the Midwest, where the track gets slicker during the night, the tracks here in California can actually get heavier. We were just missing that forward drive. I got stuck on the bottom on the start and lost about four spots to the tail. We came back and ended up sixteenth. It was disappointing, because we have been pretty fast with the Outlaws. We were off a little bit, and when you’re off just a little bit it shows.”
Saturday dawned a lot brighter. The A.R.T. chassis powered by Rider Engines was on from the get-go. “I’m happy when I think we do smart things mechanically,” says TMAC. “It’s just DJ Brink and me out here trying to figure it out. We had talked about what we were going to do with the car, and wow, it was so much fun to hot lap! It think we had the fastest car in our set, and that was after having to pass a car, which usually slows you. The car was so balanced, but we drew dead last to qualify, and I thought that may hurt us. Normally, your first lap is slow at Tulare, because you come off the backstretch, but that lap was second quick, and we were able to set quick time on the second one.”
All that was needed was a top six run in the heat to make the Dash, and that was accomplished. “We really found that balance the second night,” says TMAC. “I’m so happy with the A.R.T. chassis this year. Our Rider engine is ringing too. I was able to get in front of Rico (Abreu) in fourth, but we were a little tight after a restart and ended up fifth. We were in the Dash with a top six finish, so no big deal there.”
Luck followed in the Draw for the Dash, putting TMAC on the pole. “A nice little girl from California drew the ‘0’ pill for us,” he says. “I was concerned that Joey (Saldana) would have the preferred line on the outside, but we were able to get him on the start and cruise. We were really strong and we felt good going into the feature.”
TMAC talked about his preparations for the feature. “We ran the same tires all night long,” he says. “We cut and siped them a little more for the feature. I just didn’t want to get too tight. The track felt heavier the second night than the first. We really left the car alone after the Dash.”
TMAC got the jump on Saldana and led early. “We were able to get the jump on Joey at the start and we held the lead for a while,” he says. “I just started getting a little loose. The track blew off and we lost some forward drive. Rico got us in traffic. I hooked a rut on the high side and he got by me.”
The racing action got exciting from there. “We were able to get under him once there in traffic again,” says TMAC. “He was really honking that thing on the high side. It was really exciting. The yellow came out. On the restart, I tried to go around him on the top, and I hooked a rut, got on one wheel and headed for the fence. It was more of an ‘Act of God’ than an ‘Act of Driving’ that I got out of that one.”
TMAC lost position on the track, but surged back to a podium finish. “That put us back to fourth and we lost some track position,” he says. “Fortunately, the car was very good. I had to chill out, relax, and run the leaders back down. We were good on the starts, but we were getting looser as the race went on. We started fishtailing on the backstretch in the slick. We hung on, ran third, and it was a great night overall.”
Rico Abreu’s first win with the World of Outlaws was not lost on TMAC. “I’m a big fan of Rico’s. I’ve got to see him at these Spring shows, the Trophy Cup, at JSTS Speedweek back in the Upper Midwest and at Knoxville. It’s always fun to watch a young guy win his first Outlaw show. It’s exciting and good for the sport!”
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!
On March 20, 2009, TMAC established a new track record at Thunderbowl Raceway at 12.713 seconds. After a duel with Joey Saldana the following night he would finish second. TMAC took his first World of Outlaws race in Tulare in 2004.
"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, Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Ryan Yager Trucking, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, T&P Brothers, 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 Trucking, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Buttman BBQ, 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