Tuesdays with TMAC – Three-time Champ Looks for Four this Week!
(Bill W) July 29, 2014 – Three-time 360 Nationals champion, Terry McCarl, will be looking for four this week at Knoxville Raceway. Sunday’s “Capitani Classic” looms as well for the 410’s. Last week’s DNF still sees the Altoona, Iowa driver atop the 410 point standings heading into Sunday. An ignition problem was the culprit. TMAC followed that up with a top five finish with the All Stars at Huset’s Speedway.
Things started last Wednesday when Illinois Speedweek kicked off for the MOWA Series at Highland Speedway. TMAC was aboard the Jimmy Davies #99. He drover from sixth to fourth in a stacked heat. “It was a tiny racetrack, and not really our forte,” he says of Highland. “It was a different car than we had been driving for Jimmy. This was a J&J instead of the Maxim we’ve been running with the 360. We did o.k. We were able to get qualified for the feature.”
He would start the main event in row seven. “It got slick like we knew it would,” says TMAC. “We may not have been as tight as we needed to be, but at some point, we got a hole in the right rear tire too. It got tough to drive, but it could have been worse. We salvaged eleventh out of it and moved on to Granite City.”
The heat draw went better at Granite City on Thursday, as TMAC drew outside row one. But the pole-sitter proved to be an issue. “I didn’t quite have the handle yet that I needed,” he says. “Tony Stewart was on the pole, and he got a good jump on me. We weren’t really fast enough to hang with him to be honest. We made some changes for the feature and kept an eye on the racetrack.”
Starting tenth, TMAC moved up five spots, including a pass of Stewart, to checker fifth in the feature. “I was happy with what we did to the car,” he says. “We came to a conclusion that worked. We got up to fifth pretty quickly. At that point, about ten laps in, it laid rubber. We were reeling in fourth, but unfortunately, at that point, we had to get in line and save the tires in case someone blew a tire or made a mistake. I wasn’t really happy about where we finished, but I was really happy with how we finished.”
After a rainout in Jacksonville, Illinois Friday, the TMAC Motorsports #24 team was ready for action at Knoxville on Saturday. TMAC registered the second quick time of the night, but for the first time this year, failed to lock himself into the feature in the heat race. “The track has been heavy lately,” he says. “We got a good start in the heat (starting sixth), but another guy crowded me pretty hard and we got over the cushion. We actually fell back to seventh. We were able to get back to sixth and almost got the fifth place guy at the line, but we didn’t. It was unfortunate.”
The B main was stacked, with over 220 Knoxville feature wins represented. TMAC would come home second. “We won the start, but as the race went on, we got slower and slower,” he says. “In retrospect, it makes sense. We’ve been qualifying well, but the motor hasn’t been quite up to par as the night goes on.”
Early on in the main event, it was apparent things weren’t right as TMAC started 22nd in the field. “In the feature, the MSD box conked out on us,” he says. “We had sent it back twice to get worked on in the last six months. The last few weeks, it just hasn’t been working up to potential. When the motor gets hot, it hasn’t run well.”
TMAC has thought maybe it was the number of races he had on his engine that was causing the loss in power, but not so. Saturday, he feared the worst. “I thought we had blown the engine, which would be uncharacteristic for Rider engines,” he says. “After the feature, we decided to put a different (ignition) box in, and it fired right up. We ran it in Sioux Falls Sunday and it ran great. It’s unfortunate it happened, but there wasn’t anything that anyone did. It was just a racing deal.”
With the new box in place, things went well at Huset’s with the All Stars on Sunday. “The car felt awesome hot-lapping and we were third quick,” says TMAC. “To be honest, I turned some bad laps. When your motor isn’t running right, you start to do some goofy things with the car. Once your motor is running right, you realize your car is screwed up.”
TMAC would start and finish fourth in his heat. “You go out in the heat, and the top two make the Dash,” he says. “We were in the wrong spot on the start. When we were fourth the first couple laps, I kind of settled in. With the All Stars, you run the same tire all night, so you want to save it.”
Starting seventh in the feature, it didn’t take long for him to get into the top five. “I had a great car,” says TMAC. “I drove right up to fifth in a few laps. I was all over the guys in front of me, but the groove ended up being around the top, and it ended up laying a little rubber up there. It was difficult to pass. We weren’t happy with fifth, but we did the best we could.”
Friday will be TMAC’s qualifying night for the 360 Nationals. “I’m happy with the team going in,” he says. “I’m looking forward to driving Jeremy Scadden’s #6 at Knoxville. He’ll have a fresh John Singer racing engine for us to run. We’re also looking forward to driving the #24 on Sunday in the ‘Capitani Classic’ as well.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
Front Row Challenge Tickets on Sale!
The 19th Annual Casey’s General Stores/Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company will be held Monday, August 4 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Tickets are now on sale! For more information, call Front Row Challenge Enterprises, LLC at 515 957-0020. For further information, stay tuned to www.OskyChallenges.com!
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 July 21, 2007, the famous “Wave” incident occurred. While passing Donny Schatz late in the race at K-C Raceway (now Atomic Speedway) in Ohio, TMAC’s “wave” was caught on the ESPN2 cameras. After starting outside the fourth row, he won the World of Outlaws event over Schatz, Chad Kemenah, Rob Chaney and Daryn Pittman.
"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@hotmail.com with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, 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, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, 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