Tuesdays with TMAC – 360 Nationals Hard-charger!
(Bill W) August 5, 2014 – After being a tick off in qualifying, it was full steam ahead for Terry McCarl and the Jeremy Scadden #6 team at the 360 Nationals last week. After charging from 14th to 6th in the prelim, the Altoona, Iowa driver took home hard-charger honors by driving from 20th to 8th in Saturday’s finale. TMAC will be qualifying Thursday for this week’s 54th Annual Knoxville Nationals.
The only stumble of TMAC’s week came with a 24th quick effort in qualifying on Friday. “We run John Singer engines in those cars, and they really run well,” he says. “We just got it fresh before Friday and we didn’t get a chance to run it, which was a big mistake. We were just way off on the fuel in qualifying.”
He would start outside row one of his heat. “We got it really good for the heat race and won going away,” says TMAC. “We started 14th in the feature and ran sixth. I was really happy with everything once we got the fuel straightened out. The car was awesome both Friday and Saturday.”
TMAC’s point total on Friday was enough to lock into Saturday’s championship in the last starting spot outside of row ten. “I’d rather just be in the A than run the B,” he said of his starting spot on Saturday. “Things felt great in hot laps and we felt good. The car was just awesome in the feature. I made a couple of bad decisions on restarts. On the last restart, I got stuck behind a couple of guys on the cushion and I just got stuck there. I lost two spots.”
He would end up moving forward twelve spots and checkering eighth. “I was stuck there behind Tony Bruce and (Danny) Lasoski,” says TMAC. “They were battling for five or six laps it seemed. I just didn’t have a place to go. Finally, we got by those guys and I was able to get by (Jonathan) Cornell on the last lap. I was coming up on seventh at the end, but we ran out of laps. I think we had a solid top five car.”
Sunday’s Capitani Classic saw the toughest field assembled this year for a one-day event. “We were awesome in hot laps,” says TMAC. “The car was great and everything was great, but I knew we were in trouble where we were qualifying with the format. We went out dead in the middle (35th). We weren’t early enough for fast time, and I knew we’d be in ‘no-man’s land’ and that’s where we ended up with eighth quick. It was a good sign for the Nationals though.”
A heat invert of six had TMAC inside row three for his heat (or was it a feature?). “We had an ungodly heat race to invert six and take three.,” he says. “We had Shane Stewart, who’s been on the podium at the Nationals, we had four-time Nationals champ, Danny Lasoski, Paul McMahan and Joey Saldana, who are two of the top four Outlaws year after year. You also had Trey Starks.”
He would checker out of a transfer spot in fifth. “I don’t know what happened with Shane on the start, but he didn’t take off,” says Wayne. “That put us back a half-car length. That put us even farther behind.”
Starting fourth in the B, TMAC battled to the third and final transfer spot. “I got Wayne (Johnson) on the first start, but he wasn’t going to let it happen on the second,” he says of his row two partner. “That got me up in the slick, and I think we were back in seventh the first two laps of the B. It shows how good our car was. We were two-tenths better than the field, and we were running Joey down for second at the end.”
After starting 24th and picking cars off in the stout feature field, TMAC faded a bit to 18th at the checkers. “I sealed up a tire on the caution…it actually felt like I had a flat,” he says. “Others had the same problem, I think. We did our best with the cards that were dealt. We’re really excited for Thursday and this week to get going.”
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!
TMAC won the Danny Young Memorial this week in 1996 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa. It would be an event that would evolve into the Front Row Challenge. Jeff Mitrisin, “Mad” Max Dumesny, Tyler Walker and Steve Coelho trailed TMAC on that day.
"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, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, 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
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