Tuesdays with TMAC – Still in the Lead!
(Bill W) May 13, 2014 – Despite a collision while running fourth in the main event last Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway, Terry McCarl still leads the point race heading into this weekend’s racing. The Altoona, Iowa driver is hoping Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota, rained out last week, gets their opener in as well this Sunday night.
TMAC doubled his quick time total from last year at Knoxville with his second on Saturday night. “It was a different kind of track on Saturday,” he says. “It was ‘Old School Knoxville’ where you drive around the cushion and keep it as straight as you can. There have been years where I’ve had lots of fast times, and years where I haven’t. The years that I have, I’ve had a really good engine and car. If your car is moving well like our A.R.T. is, and it’s pulling the straightaways like our Rider engine is, it makes it easier.”
The first heat was the toughest, and TMAC would start sixth in the #24. “Jason Johnson and Wayne Johnson were in the front row, the Dollansky’s (Garrett and Craig) were in the second row, and Brian Brown was next to me,” he says. “Scott Winters, who made the Nationals last year, was behind us. I was a little nervous beforehand to be honest. They were only taking five to the feature.”
He was able to checker third. “It just shows how tough it is,” says TMAC of the heat competition. “This year, you can run a used tire in the heat. I almost threw my time trial tire back on, because I just wanted to get through the heat, but we didn’t. The first couple laps, the car didn’t feel perfect, but once we got heat in the right rear, it took off.”
The feature invert of eighth put TMAC outside row four for the main event. “We got to fourth pretty quickly,” he says of his start. “The top three guys (Ian Madsen, Dusty Zomer, Brian Brown) had gotten away from us a little bit. We started reeling them in, and there were nine laps down when the yellow came out. It was just fixing to be an awesome race.”
He had been running with the leaders up to that point. “I expected Ian to take off, but I looked coming off of two, and he was right there, and Dusty was on his bumper, and Brian was close to Dusty right in front of me,” says TMAC. “I had made the move a couple of times where I entered high and turned to come off the bottom. The car was coming across the slick so well. I try to move around a little bit if I’m not losing much ground. I want to see where my car is working. I make some moves that may look funny, but I’m trying to see where the car runs well on the track. That’s helpful in lapped traffic.”
That’s when a collision occurred with Justin Henderson, who was running fifth. “I went in high, and stuck the right rear deep (in the cushion) to come off the bottom,” says TMAC. “I didn’t see Justin…I just saw a flash of black right before we hit. I actually thought it was (Danny) Lasoski. I didn’t know he had fallen out. I didn’t know what happened. Obviously, we collided and unfortunately, it took him out. It took me out for a while as well. It blew the tire, bent the Jacob’s ladder really bad and locked the rear-end up.”
The crew went to work on the car, and TMAC was able to restart at the tail. “When we came back out, we had a more difficult time,” he says. “The car wasn’t reacting like it had before the yellow. We were fortunate point-wise to salvage a twelfth out of it. We needed a couple yellows that never came, and just made the best of it. Again, we had a very fast car. I think a win is coming.”
The confidence is high for the point leader. “I’m having so much fun,” says TMAC. “I get out of the car, and I can’t wait to come back the next week. Everything is working so well. I feel like I did in 2009, where it didn’t matter where we started, we would run somewhere up front. With 20 laps, starting eighth, you have to make things happen pretty quickly. I’m a little too excited sometimes, and I need to slow down a bit and be patient sometimes. It’s one of those things where you wish the race was 25 laps. You start wondering if you’re qualifying too well, but I’ve never been able to do that (sandbag). I try to win every event I’m in. You want to be quick time every time out. You try to sandbag, you may end up 14th in a hurry. There’s a couple of really good outsiders coming in this week. That’s something that always happens at Knoxville. With the stout field we have every single week, it’s going to be awesome racing all year long.”
The seven-time Huset’s champion is excited for Sunday as well. “I’m really happy that Huset’s has started showing their races on pay-per-view this year,” he says. “It gives our friends, family and sponsors a chance to see us on Sunday night when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
Front Row Challenge Tickets on Sale!
The 19th Annual Casey’s General Stores/Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company will be held Monday, August 4 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Tickets are now on sale! For more information, call Front Row Challenge Enterprises, LLC at 515 957-0020. For further information, stay tuned to www.OskyChallenges.com!
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!
TMAC has two wins on May 12 at the Huset’s Speedway. In 1996, he drove Brad Gray’s #51 to victory over Marlon Jones, Chad Mellenberndt, Don Droud Jr. and Butch Hanssen. In 2002, he bested Chad Meyer, Gary DeWall, Justin Henderson and Gregg Bakker.
"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, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Ryan Yager Trucking, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, T&P Brothers, 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 Trucking, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Buttman BBQ, 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