Tuesdays with TMAC – Loose in Paducah!
(Bill W) April 21, 2009 – A ninth place finish at Paducah (KY) International Raceway highlighted a weekend that also included a rainout at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri for sprint car driver Terry McCarl. He will join the World of Outlaws this weekend for races at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas on Friday, and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana on Saturday. Check out the new look at www.TerryMcCarl.com as well!
Paducah has become one of Terry’s favorite stops on the WoO tour, and he timed in third quick amongst the 36-car field. “We qualified well, and I’ve always liked that racetrack,” he reiterates. “There’s always a lot of passing there, and if you’re a fan, you need to get there to see a race. We had the best crowd that we’ve ever had there. Two years ago it was in a deep freeze, and last year it had to be rescheduled. Bob Sargent does a good job there.”
Starting fourth in the heat race, TMAC continued his good run by locking into a dash spot. “We were able to come from the second row to finish second, and that’s tough to do with the drivers in the World of Outlaws,” he says. “We felt really good with how the car was working, and how we put ourselves in the dash.”
A good draw in the dash turned sour in turn one. “We drew a great number, and it felt good on the practice lap,” he says. “I kind of got fed a right rear up in one and two, and had to get off the gas. We lost three or four spots right there, and we couldn’t recover.”
Starting eighth in the main event on the high banks, TMAC got off to a good start. “We started well,” he says. “We got by Kerry, then ran down Haud and worked by him. The car felt really good and we were going great. Come feature time, the track is always right up on the fence, and you always have a bottom too it seems. Your Jac Haudenschild’s will be on the top, and your Randy Hannagan’s will be on the bottom.”
Then a caution appeared. “The yellow came out and lately when that’s been the case, the car gets really loose,” says TMAC. “I had the wing back as far as it would go, from the word ‘go’, but it was no use. Usually we like to tighten up the car and enjoy the slick racetracks. We just missed the setup.”
TMAC felt lucky to get out with a ninth place finish in the end. “We had actually backed up to twelfth or so, at one time,” he says. “We were fortunate to finish ninth. We were pretty disappointed, because we were going strong to start the event, but it was one of those races where you take your ninth and go to the next race.”
TMAC and the Big Game Treestands #24 plan to stay on the World of Outlaws tour. This weekend includes West Memphis and Haubstadt, and then the following week will return the team to some familiar haunts: Huset’s and Knoxville.
Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge Tickets On Sale!
Order your tickets now for the $10,000 to win Front Row Challenge, and $15,000 to win Ultimate Challenge at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. Call McTwo Promotions Tuesday-Thursday beginning from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 515 957-0020 to renew your seats!
Infield Party Passes for the August 10 and 11 events will be $25!
For more information on the Challenges or on TMAC Motorsports, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com.
In"Terry"gation
Jason Barnard from Melbourne, VIC, Australia asks: I work for a sprintcar team here in Australia. We still use dished wings here and I see that in the US you guys use flat wings now. My question is how different is the car to drive on a big track with a flat wing?
TMAC Answers: I initially thought it would make a big difference in down-force, but it really hasn’t for me. To be honest, I thought the difference would be bigger than it has. Lynton Jeffrey at Vortex Wings does an outstanding job, and I really haven’t noticed a difference on any of the tracks.
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.
This Day in TMAC History!
On this day in 2001, TMAC performed a clean sweep of the Season Opener at Knoxville Raceway. He set quick time at 15.087, won his heat after starting sixth, and with an invert of eight took the feature over Dennis Moore Jr., Kerry Madsen, Don Droud Jr. and Leonard Lee. Madsen started on the pole, and led the first ten laps before TMAC took command. TMAC edged Droud by 95 points for the track title that year. Both won five features that season.
Website Updates
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Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
"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 Big Game Treestands, AmeriCashAdvance.com, DeBerg Concrete and Remington Treestands.
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net