Tuesdays with TMAC – Clean Sweep in Granite City!
(Bill W) October 8, 2013 – Terry McCarl notched a win at track #61 in his career by sweeping the MOWA action last Friday night at the Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois. The Altoona, Iowa driver will try to notch a couple more victories this Friday and Saturday in Illinois MOWA events at Lincoln Speedway and Jacksonville Speedway.
TMAC’s sweep came against a formidable field of over thirty sprinters. “There were a lot of good cars down there,” he says. “There’s not much racing to choose from around the Midwest right now. I look for this weekend to be even tougher.”
The trip offered an opportunity to visit a good friend. “I went because Bob Elder, a good friend of mine, hasn’t seen me race all year and is in the St. Louis area,” says TMAC. “He’s been fighting some health issues, but he’s better now. He was able to come with his son Dean, and it was a great opportunity to see him.”
TMAC flew solo on the trip with no pit help. “I was on my own,” he says. “The boys had classes, so they needed to stay home. It was just Lori and I going down. It wasn’t easy, and it was hot, but in the end, it was fun and it was a sense of accomplishment at the end of the night.”
There was one oversight. “We started the car twice at the shop,” says TMAC. “We had a water leak from a fitting on the block. We changed that last week, and restarted it. I got to the track, and thought I better change the fuel…I forgot. I went out to hot lap, and when the green came out, I ran out of fuel.”
Tri-City was reconfigured several years ago to a fun 3/8-mile oval. “It’s a fun track,” says TMAC. “When it was a half-mile, it just wasn’t very fun. They’ve made it so much fun now. It’s well-lit…the whole deal. Lynton (Jeffrey) went for the first time, and he just loved it. It’s a slick around the top, around the bottom, slide job deal.”
Once the racing started, TMAC took advantage of a good draw. “I was lucky enough to draw the two and start on the pole of the heat,” he says. “We were able to win that, and they drew the second row outside for me in the Dash. Jerrod Hull had motor problems so that put us in the front row and we were able to win that.”
The Dash win put him on the pole for the main event. “I went to work a little more on the car,” says TMAC. “It was similar to a Huset’s setup. The pole was the place to be. Ian (Madsen) was stuck on the outside in the slick, and we had a little advantage on him there.”
TMAC would lead every lap. “The car felt really good,” he says. “We had a couple of reds and they told me I had a big, huge lead. I got a little uncomfortable late in the race. I don’t know if I had the wing too far back or what. I had a tough time coming out of turn three. I may have been a little too careful in lapped traffic. Things went just great. The track was excellent, and I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
After this weekend’s races in Illinois, TMAC will point the hauler west to California and the Tulare Thunderbowl for the Trophy Cup. He will partner with Jeremy Scadden at the end of the month for his first trip to the Short Track Nationals since it was an Outlaw show in 1992.
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!
This week in 1997, TMAC finished seventh in the All Star Circuit of Champions finale at the Eldora Speedway in Ohio. TMAC drove the Holbrook #8h in 1997 on the All Star trail, racking up five wins, 28 top fives and 50 top tens along the way. Chief among the wins was the Huset’s Speedway (SD) Gold Cup worth $10,000 over Garry Brazier, Doug Wolfgang, Danny Lasoski and Don Droud Jr. TMAC also won that year at Volusia Speedway Park (FL), Sharon Speedway (OH), and Attica Raceway (OH).
"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, “Lord I Apologize BBQ Sauce”, Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, SCE Gaskets, Justice Brothers, 212 The Boiling Point Bar & Grill, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, Pick Farms, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Superflow Technologies, T&P Brothers, Mediacom, Larry Fleck Trucking, 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 Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, 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