One- on-One with Lori McCarl:
by Camisha Miller
One- on-One with Lori McCarl: How did you and Terry meet?
Terry and I met when we were really young. I was only 12 years old. We were both roller skating at a local rink one Friday and we have been together ever since. Actually Terry told me he was going to marry me the first night we meet. We have been together for a long time. This October we will have our 20th Anniversary.
How do you manage everyone in your family racing?
I don't know, we just do it. It's hard sometimes because I want to be with them all the time. So when Austin is one place Terry another and Carson someplace else I kind of go crazy. Most of the time I do go with one of the boys. I think they need me more than Terry does. It's just as important for me to be there when they have a good night as it is when they have a bad night. The best is when we are all together. That is great.
Did you or do you ever want to race?
I have never wanted to race myself. The only time I have ever even tried was a few years ago in Florida when they had a wife's go-kart race. I was not going to race because I hate helmets but I was talked into it, and I won! It was so fun. My kids were racing go-karts at the time so I was feeling the pressure to practice what I preach. I think I will quit while I'm a head now.LOL
How was traveling with the WoO - are you coming back or just picking and choosing which shows?
I love traveling with the WoO. I would go to a Sprint Car race every night. It's just that I can't with teen agers at home. If we could all go there is nothing I would rather do, but they have too much going on and I just can't take off. Both boys play football and I love to go to the games and Austin plays basketball all winter and I hate to miss those games. They are only going to be in High School for a few years and I want to enjoy these years with them. Terry is still going to race a ton of WoO races and I will be there as much as I can. We have the best of both worlds right now. Big Game Treestands gives Terry a lot of options and we can race where we want. It's so cool not to be tied to a point fund. Terry is racing more and home more. I love it.
Who is your favorite driver besides anyone in your family?
That's hard. I don't dislike anyone. I appreciate all race car drivers. It's hard, they have all sacrificed a lot to get to this level. If I have to name someone I will say Daryn Pittman because we are good friends with the Pittmans. We shared a T-shirt trailer for a few years and we still get together as much as possible. When they are racing against us I want Daryn to finish 2nd behind Terry..LOL and when they are not racing with us- I want Daryn to win!!
What makes you a Diva?
I don't think of myself as a Diva. I'm just a mom and a wife. I believe it's my job to keep everyone on the right track, so to speak, drivers need a lot of encouragement so I guess I am more of a cheerleader then a Diva? I do like to shop though.
Explain all the things you do with everyone's racing and promoting too..
Racing and promoting are both full time jobs for all of us. I need to make sure everyone is ready and on time. That is more for the boys then Terry. At the track I take care of helmets for them. I get line ups and things like that for the boys. When I am with Terry we have a merchandise trailer so I take care of that. As far as promoting goes I take care of all ticket sales and ordering all merchandise needed for the event. The way we explain it is, I take care of everything on the grandstand side of things and Terry takes care of the rest. It's a total partnership. We have it pretty down pat now. This year was the 14th Annual Front Row Challenge and Ultimate Challenge. They went very smooth. We are very proud of those events. We are also getting into some more promoting and I do like that.
Worst racing moment you have had with your family?
I guess I have been lucky I can't think of many. It's never good when someone crashes. One of the worst nights was when Terry broke his leg. I was not there so when you get a phone call right after a race and it's not your husband you know it's not good news. That night I was listening on Dirt Vision and the race was over, I heard Johnny say that Terry has slowed after the checker but I turned off the computer. He finished so I was not worried. A few minutes later my phone rang, it was Mandy Pittman, she explained what happened and that she was going to take care of him for me. That is very scary. It was a long 24 hours till he got home.
Best racing moment with your family?
Well, there are lots of good times. Winning is very good. I think starting on the pole of the Nationals was very cool. Anytime we are all together at the track is a good thing. We have a lot of fun. It's what we all love so when we can all go it's the best.
Where do you see your family in 5 years- any goals?
We have lots of goals. The boys have some pretty hefty ones. I would like to see Terry still racing and winning. Austin will be 21. I would like for him to have graduated from college and doing what makes him happy. I know he wants to be racing and I hope it works out. Terry and I will do what we can for him. Carson will be 19 so I hope he is in college and working toward his goals. He wants to race too and we will do what we can to help him as well. My main goal is to keep them all happy and to keep everyone's priorities in order. We can't forget what is important. Racing is important to all of us, but so is education, and to make sure the boys grow up happy with good family values.
Lori and Terry have been friends of mine for many years. I used to tell Terry how I enjoyed watching his son Austin flag they entire four days of the Nationals from the backstretch-where I was sitting. He never missed a race and sometimes had the flag drawn before the front stretch even was ready for it! I also had a wonderful time a few years back with Lori in Florida for my birthday they made sure I had an AWESOME birthday –and it is a proven fact that if Lori and Terry are somewhere then we will always have a good time! I have a funny story about Terry too because when we first met I was residing in “Kenosha” and he still calls me that today- (that was 7 years ago) it has now become my nickname because everyone in my family and some of my close friends still call me that. THANKS TERRY