Tuesdays with TMAC – Weekend of Charges!
(Bill W) June 9, 2015 – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 passed a lot of good competition last weekend as they had things clicking at I-80 Speedway near Greenwood, Nebraska on Friday and Knoxville Raceway on Saturday. If not for a couple of mechanical gremlins, their weekend could have been even better. This weekend has the Altoona, Iowa driver tentatively planning on three races with the World of Outlaws. On Friday, they will be at the Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa before moving on to Knoxville Saturday and Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, South Dakota Sunday.
In hot laps at I-80, a problem surfaced. “It was the fourteenth night on our engine,” says TMAC. “We wanted to stretch it out a little bit and maybe even run Knoxville with it too. We had a valve train issue. Fortunately, on the way to I-80, we picked up our spare. It was the one I hurt the night we hurt our back and destroyed the car.”
The team skipped their heat and started seventh in a B main that took the top six. “We took our time putting it in,” says TMAC of the engine. “We wanted to make sure it was running right for Knoxville especially. We decided to skip the heat race. Mathematically, it gave us less cars to pass to make the feature too. That gave us a chance to keep an eye on the track. We actually ran over something in the B. The left rear was going down the last few laps. We got lucky there, and finished the B third.”
TMAC would start 22nd in the feature. “We’ve been fast all year, especially with the fresh Rider (engine),” he says. “We got to 11th in nine laps. I kind of screwed up on one of the restarts and went through the rough stuff. We lost a few spots there. We had another yellow and had backed up to 13th. I wasn’t that concerned. We were moving forward. Unfortunately, we got run over on the restart before we even got to the white line. That blew a left rear tire, we had to borrow a nose wing, and we went to the back again.”
He would surge to a 12th place finish. “We were fast as heck,” says TMAC. “It ended up being a really fun racetrack. The straightaways stayed slick, but the corners were different. They were smooth on top, rough in the middle and there was moisture on the bottom. It was tricky which made it fun. You give the Outlaws that type of track and you’re going to see some exciting racing. We almost got Sammy (Swindell) at the line for 11th so we were fast from the back twice.”
Forty-two cars including eight Outlaws made for a stout field at Knoxville Saturday. TMAC came out 27th in the order and reeled off the third quick time of the night. “The first lap was third quick, and the second I was moving around,” he says. “I got too high and got sucked into the cushion. Still, we were a tenth off of Danny (Lasoski) in what was a mini-Outlaw show. I think we’re sitting pretty well with our qualifying. We don’t have as many motors as we’d like, but the ones we have run really well.”
Starting sixth in his heat, an unlikely mechanical issue occurred. “We were able to get to third right away and I thought I may have something for them,” says TMAC. “We got up in the cushion a little bit and it knocked the snap ring off the shifter linkage under the rear-end. That made the car go out of gear. It was just a crazy thing that happens when you race sprint cars. They take a lot of abuse as hard as we run them.”
The team had to rush to make the B. “The biggest thing was our lack of time,” says TMAC. “We were in the third heat and they were trying to hustle the night along. Doug (Rankin), and our old mechanics like Steve Fitzpatrick and Brad Goebel were there to help. Austin was second in the fourth heat and jumped out of his car and helped. I felt a little bad for him. The B main for the 360’s went non-stop and we barely made it out.”
He would win the B going away, which gave him the ninth starting spot in the main event. It didn’t take long to work into the top five. “I kept digging and going where the car worked best,” says TMAC. “There were so many good cars there on Saturday. You could tell by the reaction of people who see these things a lot. They were all excited and saying it was one of the best races they’ve seen in a long time.”
From where TMAC was sitting, it was a good race too. “It hurt us a little bit that it went non-stop, because I’m sure we would have liked to have a shot at Danny, but second through eighth was crazy,” he says. “We were three or four-abreast at least two or three times where I was at, let alone where everyone else was. That right there…you have to give (track preparers) the Dunkin’s a ton of credit.”
More than anything else in the sport, TMAC feels track prep is the most important factor. “Jason Meyers said it at an Outlaw meeting years ago,” he says. “He said, ‘Quit changing our rules with tires, wings, cars and everything else. I know it’s hard, but come feature time, give us a top by the fence and a bottom, and we will put on a good show for you.’ We saw that at Knoxville last Saturday. You could run anywhere on the track.”
The race Saturday had a pre-Nationals feel to it. “Running from ninth to third isn’t the best in the world, but the cars we were passing were championship teams wherever they run,” says TMAC. “For us to get by those guys, was great. We about got Kerry (Madsen), but he did a good job and held on for second. There were great racecar drivers all the way through the field.”
TMAC’s back is further on the mend as well. “I went to Dr. Joey Glenn today and got some laser treatment,” he says. “It feels great today, and I’m looking forward to more of those. It depends on how the back feels, but we’re tentatively planning on Denison Friday, Knoxville Saturday and Huset’s on Sunday. It will be our first shot at Huset’s on Sunday. Right now, with the driver less than 100%, it’s the car that has us doing so well. That makes me excited for when I start feeling myself again in the car.”
Newly Designed Websites!
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 Week in TMAC History!
This month in 2001, TMAC was victorious at the Knoxville Raceway, besting Don Droud Jr., Kerry Madsen, Skip Jackson and Ricky Logan. The win at Mid-Season Championship night was $3,500. He won the track championship in a close battle with Droud that season on the strength of five wins.
"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, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Vortex Racing, Mastell Brothers Trailer Sales, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, SuperFlow, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Snap On Tools, Sposato Paint, Winters, Kilani Fender, Inc., DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Taco Bravo, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Octane Ink, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Dynasty Stucco, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, KSE Steering, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Butlerbuilt and Mote Fasteners.
Photo: TMAC at I-80 Speedway (IBRACN Photo)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia