Tuesdays with TMAC – Another Top Ten at the Classic!
(Bill W) February 2, 2016 – The Australian Sprintcar Classic continues to grow in stature worldwide and this year was no different. The event held at the Premier Speedway near Warnambool, Victoria, Australia attracted 124 competitors from around the world. Altoona, Iowa’s Terry McCarl found himself in the middle of things again, driving Colin Bulmer and Wayne Cole’s #V2 to a top ten finish.
In addition to the Classic, the team also ran the President’s Cup at Avalon Raceway and the Prelude to the Australian Championship at Warrnambool. “Colin Bulmer and Wayne Cole are great people,” says TMAC. “They don’t race fulltime. They only run these events with me every year. To do as well as we did, was great. I think the Classic had 124 entries and the President’s Cup had over sixty.”
Things started well the Wednesday before the Classic at Avalon Raceway. “We were the fastest car hot lapping,” says TMAC. “We used Avalon as kind of a practice night to work out the bugs. Kenny McNamara with KRE Engines always gets us a motor that works well.”
Unfortunately, the team ran into an issue in qualifying. “We ran out of fuel time-trialing,” says TMAC. “That put us behind the eight-ball for the President’s Cup for points with all the cars that were there. Our ART chassis was working really working with the KRE Engine. We moved forward in the heat and the B. We were able to work out the bugs for the Classic and things were going good.”
TMAC would qualify for the Classic on Friday. “The Classic is just old school fun,” he says. “It’s held over three days now, and has the feel of the Knoxville Nationals from year’s gone by. It is always a blast! It’s really competitive too. It used to be the number of competitive teams were few. Now, so many of the teams have stepped up their game and there are so many good drivers…just a ton of young talent. Then, you add Brad Sweet and Kraig Kinser who were there for a few weeks and were loaded and ready to go.”
The prelim went well. “We went out almost dead last to qualify and managed to time in eighth quick,” says TMAC. “We ran third in the first heat and fifth in the second. You have to race your butt off. Time Trial and feature points go down two per position, but each heat race spot is twelve points. If you crash or get a DNF, it will hurt you bad. We were able to do well enough to start ninth in the feature on Friday.”
The heat performances meant a starting spot in the prelim inside row five. “I was able to get up to fifth at one point,” says TMAC. “I was a little disappointed in myself. We run the ‘H’ tires over here. They are tough to hook up. In Australia, the rules are much better where you can be creative with your wings and tires. The track was really slick. It was perfect for me, but I missed the setup. I think I had the wing all the way back on the second lap. I needed to do my old setup, but I was timid to do it. We ended up running seventh, which was still a really solid finish for us.”
TMAC would start sixth in his heat for Sunday’s finale. “It was the first heat of the day, and there were no hot laps,” he says. “So it was greasy for everyone. It was kind of scary. We took the green and got up to third, and we were going for second. We got a lap in, and someone spun out. In my opinion, they should have gone single-file, but they went back to double-file. At that point, the guys who I had gotten by were wise to where I was going to run. We ended up running fifth, which cost us a few rows in the Classic.”
He would start the finale outside row six. “Again, I was really proud of our team for starting where we did with that many cars,” says TMAC. “The setup was not quite where we needed it. We were able to get up to ninth, and we lost a spot there at the end. We ended up tenth, which was a really good finish for us.”
The following Tuesday saw the team pair up one more time for the “Prelude to the Australian Championship” at Warrnambool. “We ran well,” says TMAC. “I think we qualified seventh. We had the same type of experience in our heat that we had in the Classic on Sunday. We started on the second row inside. I came out leading after the first start. Someone got into the fence. That moved Danny Dietrich to the front row outside and David Murcott driving Australia 1 beside me. When you give them a second chance, they don’t make the same mistakes. We finished third in the heat. We started eleventh in the feature, and ran sixth.”
TMAC and Lori enjoyed their time in Australia. “We had such a good time with Colin and Wayne-o,” he says. “For any sprint car fan, these events are just a must. If you’ve ever thought about going to Australia, Warrnambool is so neat right there on the ocean. The track is racy like Knoxville. The format is fun and it’s great racing.”
This week, the team is headed south. “Brad Goebel is back working with me and we are heading to Florida,” says TMAC. “We’re starting off in Ocala (Friday with the All Stars). We’d like to get some races in with the new eighteen inch tires before we run with the Outlaws. Austin will be running for Tom and Sherry Leidig in their #59 down there as well.”
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!
TMAC went from a hospital bed to Victory Lane at Ocala seven years ago. Suffering from kidney stones on a flight from Australia, TMAC laid in a hospital bed in Los Angeles for a couple of days before heading for Ocala and winning the All Star finale. He had yet to pass the stones but did keep Danny Lasoski, Stevie Smith, Lance Dewease and Greg Hodnett behind him for the win.
"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, Rossie Feed and Grain, Bosma Poultry, Destiny Motorsports, Searsboro Telephone Company, Elk Grove Ford, 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 and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, 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 in action at the Sprintcar Classic (Donna’s Photos)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia