Des Moines, IA (May 1, 2018) – While Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 team didn’t end up with the result that they desired from the Sprint Car World Championship at Mansfield Motor Speedway, he was able to be back at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night, where he earned a top five and experienced another proud dad moment.
TMAC kicked off the weekend at practice night of the Sprint Car World Championship at the Mansfield Motor Speedway on Thursday night and felt fast immediately. “We felt really good as soon as the car hit the track during the practice night, laying down fast times during our first session,” said Terry. “We made a few changes that slowed us down a bit for the second time on the track, but we felt like we had a good read on how to be fast Friday.”
The stage was set for a great show on Friday, but weather did its best to throw a wrench in the racing plans. “Friday was a beautiful day until the rain came! Everyone at Mansfield did a fantastic job getting the track ready for racing that night,” said TMAC. “I saw race promoter, Cody Sommer, out on the grader doing everything he could to make sure the race would run that night and you really can’t say enough about how much effort everyone involved put in Friday night.”
When the cars were finally able to hit the track on Friday, the bottom proved to be a bit testy, though Terry was able to find speed early. “We were able to lay down a quick time in qualifying that left us 11th overall out of over seventy cars,” said McCarl. “That put us 6th in our group and starting on the inside of the second row for our heat. With the rain, the bottom was a bit treacherous and the outside line was able to get a good jump and we had to go through one of the B-mains.”
TMAC was able to win his B-main and felt he had some momentum on his side heading into the first A-main, however it wasn’t meant to be. “I felt like I had a good car and was starting to move up through the field, but when we were running 14th I ran over a big chunk of mud and ripped the radiator out,” said Terry. “Between that and the amount of mud that had gotten packed in the front end, I wasn’t able to steer and was forced to pull in to end our night.”
After the rough preliminary night, Terry decided to take the TMAC Motorsports #24 back to Knoxville Raceway for Saturday night, but had nothing but positive things to say about a great new event in the sport. “It was my first trip out to Mansfield and the whole facility is incredible and Cody Sommer put on a great event,” said TMAC. “It was awesome to see Tim pick up the win on Saturday night, but I was happy to be able to come back home and support our home track at Knoxville, and with both boys racing there every week, it makes it even more important for me to be there to just be a dad and watch them race.”
Terry’s been enjoying watching Austin and Carson this year, but his time behind the wheel on Saturday went pretty well too. “I was able to go out and lay down a pretty fast first lap in qualifying and felt like we had a shot at quick time, but the motor actually shut off for a moment going down the backstretch on the second lap, leaving us in third,” TMAC said.
For the second week in a row, TMAC was able to move up from the outside of the third row in his heat to take the win, and he pushed the praise to those who prep the track. “I was able to win my heat on Saturday, and part of that was helped out by getting to move up a row, but I also have to give a shout out to the Dunkin family,” said Terry. “They have done an amazing job preparing the racetrack these first two weeks that has allowed for lots of passing in the heats.”
TMAC was the second highest point earner after heat races and pushed off 7th at the start of the A-main, but felt like they missed the setup a bit for the feature. “Every weekend at Knoxville we’re trying new shock and bar combos in an attempt to make ourselves better for when we compete against the Outlaws and for the Nationals,” said Terry. “On opening night, I feel like we hit on a good setup, but kind of missed on Saturday, so I was happy to finish 5th.”
It also doesn’t hurt that the McCarl name was once again atop the podium, as Austin went back-to-back to start the year. “It’s a great night when all three of us finish the night wreck free, but to have Austin win, myself get 5th, and Carson get back up to 11th after spinning is definitely a good night,” said TMAC.
TMAC will be racing this Friday, May 4th with the World of Outlaws at Lake Ozark Speedway in Missouri, as will Austin in the #17A. Father and son will also be taking part in the Outlaw Tailgating party this Thursday, May 3rd at the Lodge at Port Arrowhead in Lake Ozark, Missouri. All three of the McCarl boys will be back in action at the Knoxville Raceway this Saturday, May 5th for week #3.
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!
"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 broegracewriting@gmail.com with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank their great list of partners for the 2018 season: SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, KC Breweries, Bosma Poultry, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, TW Vance Trucking, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Simplot Grower Solutions, Rens Trucking, Hoosier Tire, Don Long’s Searsboro Telephone, Octane Ink, Destiny Motorsports, Country Builders Construction, 212 The Boiling Point, AL Drive Line, All Pro Cylinder Heads, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Aurora Rod Ends, Bell Helmets, Berryhill Racing, Bob and Beulah Elder, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Butlerbuilt, CM Rock, Crow Safety, DriverWebsites.com, Dynasty Stucco, Engler Injection, HRP, JLT Ent., Kilani Fender, Inc., KSE Steering, Mote Fasteners, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, Phil and Vivian, Pro Shocks, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scribner Plastics, Silva Chassis, Snap On Tools, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, Sposato Paint, Strange Performance, and Winters.
Morgan Broeg
West Des Moines, IA USA
broegracewriting@gmail.com
Twitter: @BroegW