Tuesdays with TMAC – Historic Weekend Caps 2013!
(Bill W) November 5, 2013 – Terry McCarl has had the fortune of driving some good owners in his career, and he added another last weekend. He drove the Clyde Lamar #3c at the Gary Patterson tribute at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track in California Saturday. With over forty cars in the King of the West field, he drove from 19th to 11th in the main event. Unfortunately, this week’s World Finals in Charlotte is not in the cards, which brings 2013 to a close for the veteran.
The Altoona, Iowa driver is a fan of the dirt track in Stockton. “I’m so glad they built that track,” says TMAC. “It’s in an excellent location right in the middle of all the sprint car action in California. It’s not that far from Chico, from San Jose or the Fresno area. It’s right off the interstate. I think it has a great future.”
TMAC headed out for warm ups. “Whenever you get into someone else’s car, it’s a different feel,” he says. “We started a little early there, and the track was still greasy in spots. We went green, white, checker, so I didn’t really get a feel for the car.”
He would register the 22nd quick time of the night. “When we went out to turn one and two in qualifying, I was just too tight,” says TMAC. “I couldn’t get the car turned and we didn’t get qualified very well. That put us behind the 8-ball a little bit for the heats.”
Starting sixth in a heat just taking the top four to the feature, TMAC’s run would end early. “At that point, I only had about four laps in the car,” he says. “I wasn’t feeling that comfortable yet. We went a lap and a half and we had a nozzle line knocked off. At that point, I didn’t even have six laps in the car.”
Starting sixth in the B main, TMAC quickly got himself in a transfer spot before issues surfaced again. “It was probably the roughest track I’ve been on all year,” he says. “We took off and had a great start up to third. The dzus button fell off right in the center of the hood. The kill switch is in the center of the dash as well. The dash started flopping back and forth.”
TMAC wasn’t sure what was going on. “I didn’t know what it was, and when I went into the corner, I shut the motor off accidentally,” he says. “I remembered them telling me Jonathan Allard had done the same thing in the car, so I hit the switch. I felt bad for the guy behind me because he probably about junked his stuff with me slowing in front of him. For the rest of the B, I struggled on the bottom. I was doing my best not to hit the kill switch. We actually were able to get back to third with us still not running that well.”
Starting 19th in the main event, the team went to work on the #3c. “Lee Lindgren and the crew did a great job getting the car ready for the feature,” says TMAC. “We had the right rear two inches further out than I had all year, so it was still sticky and rough. We got up to eleventh right away. At one point, we got to tenth.”
A handling issue arose at that point. “I was getting tight on the late restarts,” says TMAC. “We had an open red late in the race, and the right rear tire was losing air pressure. We got it pumped up. Lee told me to go into one and two and guard the bottom on the restarts and that helped. Once we got going, we were just as fast as the guys in front of us.”
An eleventh place finish resulted. TMAC lamented only being able to run with the team one night. “I wish we had a two-night show so we had a better feel for the car and each other,” he says. “Lee was great to work with and their guys were awesome. They were great to work with. I had a blast hanging out with Clyde and Marion Lamar and their car. They are great people. It was fun to talk with them being the historian I am. I wish we could have gotten the trophy for them, but maybe we can try again someday.”
Lamar left an impression. “Clyde’s really my kind of owner,” says TMAC. “I think he’s tough on you, but he’ll get you the equipment. He’ll get you the cars you need, the engine you need and the tires you need. It’s the driver’s job to do the rest. A lot of driver’s whine about owners getting on them, but Clyde Lamar is old school. He’s like Al Hamilton or Bob Weikert, who I drove for as well. He’s just cool, and a huge supporter of our sport.”
TMAC remembers the late Dave Bradway Jr., arguably the most famous pilot of the #3c. “I got to spend some quality time with him,” he says of Bradway. “He drove my Dad’s car at Huset’s the Sunday before he died (1987). I remember driving home afterwards (TMAC was crewing on the car) and we were able to talk. He kept me awake all the way home. He was a great young talent who had a lot of years left. He was someone who would have had to be reckoned with on the Outlaw tour eventually.”
The historian was not forgetting the tribute to Patterson either. “I was able to win the GP Classic at San Jose in 1991,” he says. “We led the whole 100 laps. This was a tribute that has usually been run at Calistoga, so I haven’t been able to win that. I remember Gary Patterson and watching him race. He was a cool cat. To drive the #3c in that race was a real honor to me.”
Unfortunately, Charlotte is not in the cards this year. “We weren’t able to put anything together to get down there,” says TMAC. “I did the budget for it, and without added sponsorship, it didn’t make sense for us. We’ll be watching and rooting for our friend Daryn Pittman to get a championship.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
Plenty for Sale
TMAC Motorsports is selling their 2013 inventory. “Get a hold of me if you’re interested in buying," says TMAC. "We’re selling everything but the truck, trailer and mule…engines, cars, gears, shocks, everything. Anyone interested in being on board with us next year as far as partnership…now is a good time while good spots are available.”
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!
In 1992, TMAC embarked on the Slick 50 Series races in Arizona. TMAC ran seven races over six weekends that winter at the Manzanita Speedway near Phoenix in his own #27 machine following his rookie season with the World of Outlaws in the Offill #88. His best finish was eighth, coming on January 3, 1993. In the winter of 1993/1994, TMAC would return to the series in Arizona, this time competing in five features at the Canyon Raceway.
"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.
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Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
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