Tuesdays with TMAC – Bullring Blast!
(Bill W) June 13, 2017 – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 team are hitting a pair of bullrings with the World of Outlaws this week. Tonight, they head to Eagle Raceway in Nebraska, and on Friday, they’ll make the tow to Grand Forks, North Dakota and the River Cities Speedway. Last weekend, TMAC notched a top ten with the WoO at Knoxville.
Last Thursday, the team headed for Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin with the IRA. TMAC timed in 13th quick. “We went out late, and we didn’t turn a very good lap,” he says. “I made a quick change before we went out. I thought it was slicking off a lot more than it was, and I was way too tight. That was disappointing, because I think we were third quick hot lapping. Like any of these shows, that puts you behind the 8-ball, and it’s hard to recover.”
After finishing fifth in the heat, he would line up 14th to start the feature. “The car felt decent in the heat,” says TMAC. “We were a bit tight in the feature (finishing 12th). I really enjoy that track, and the fans are great there. It’s a great venue and we’re looking forward to getting back there.”
Friday night, TMAC was ready for the WoO and timed in third quick in his flight. “We’ve been fighting some demons in qualifying the last couple of years,” he says. “There was a time when we had a lot of the track records around this area and beyond. We were happy with third quick on Friday. We seem to be getting past those demons.”
Lately, the team has been testing not only different chassis, but shocks as well. “We’ve been experimenting with some things, including the shocks,” says TMAC. “We’ve been trying a gas shock from Pro. I’ve always been kind of ‘Old School’ with the traditional shocks, but we’re trying some things. To be honest, we’ve been testing about every night.”
TMAC finished third in his heat, one spot out of the Dash. He rebounded with his top ten run in the main event. “We didn’t get a good enough start in the heat and ended up third,” he says. “We started tenth and ended up tenth in the feature. We tried something, and it worked o.k. We could have moved up a couple of spots without the rubber, so we felt good.”
The track was well watered on Saturday, producing a heavy surface. “There was some grease at the bottom of one and two, and I hit it both laps in qualifying (eighth quick),” says TMAC. “Still, we were quickest when we went out. Brad Sweet went out right after us, and barely beat us, I knew we may be in the hunt. That grease got blown off and some drivers were quicker later in time trials.”
TMAC ran fifth in his heat. “The track was just really heavy, and we were tight in the heat race,” he says. “Finishing fifth killed us, because that made us start 20th in the feature. The track was heavy, and we’re back in the pack in dirty air. The first lap of the feature, we about stuck it in the fence. Unfortunately, I own my own stuff and I’m a businessman sometimes. We pulled it in and saved our stuff for another day. I hated that, because we had a lot of partners there including Jeff and Stacy from TheSnowPlow.com, and Sam from KC Breweries. It just didn’t make sense to keep going. You need to get up to about 15th for the money to matter. That’s a new motor, and there was no sense putting another feature on it. We want to save it for the Nationals.”
McCarl Family 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 Month in TMAC History!
In June 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 SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, Country Builders Construction, Bosma Poultry, Destiny Motorsports, Simplot Grower Solutions, Price Chopper, Hiland Dairy, Searsboro Telephone Company, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, SuperFlow, Schoenfeld Headers, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Maxim Chassis, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Snap On Tools, Sposato Paint, Winters, Kilani Fender, Inc., DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Pro Shocks, 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 Knoxville (Chuck Stowe Images)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
Website: www.OpenWheel101.com