Des Moines, IA (May 8, 2018) – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 team had a busy weekend, with a fan event on Thursday, racing with the Outlaws in Missouri on Friday, and making the tow back home to run Knoxville on Saturday. Terry and the team are set to go on Saturday for night number four at the Knoxville Raceway and are still keeping their options open for Thursday or Friday night, if the weather allows it.
The weekend kicked off with a great event at the Port Arrowhead Lodge in Lake Ozark, Missouri on Thursday night, where both Terry and Austin had the chance to join a number of the Outlaw regulars for a fan event. “It was awesome to join a group of the Outlaws and spend time with a lot of fans on Thursday,” said TMAC. “It was a really great turnout for the event and, with the Outlaws in town, it’s really important to promote the track, as it’s only in its second full year since it reopened.”
TMAC was excited to have the opportunity to race at Lake Ozark Speedway and be with one of his sons as they gained some experience on a new track. “Lake Ozark is such a fun racetrack and I’ve really wanted the boys to have a chance to race there,” said Terry. “Austin wasn’t racing in the TKS car on Friday, so we were able to head down there together and have him run his own car, the Simplot Grower Solutions #17A. He has great support from Simplot, TW Vance Trucking, and A+ Powder Coating out of Australia that allows him to hit some extra shows each year.”
While being dealt a bad hand to start the night, Terry was proud of what he was able to make of it against stout competition. “We didn’t draw very well and had to go out real late in the qualifying lineup, but we were able to lay down a time that was quicker than most of the group of guys that went out around the same time,” said TMAC. “One of those was Brad Sweet, who’s always fast, so I still felt that it was a solid effort.”
Terry was able to move up one spot in his heat to finish fifth and was making moves through the field in the feature after starting 15th, before being forced to end the night early due to an issue. “We started on the inside of the eighth row in the A-main and were moving forward, but I could feel the brakes going away and on a track that size you can’t get away with that the same way you could at Knoxville,” said Terry. “I took that as my cue to exit stage left and save the car for Saturday.”
Saturday night began in a much better fashion, as TMAC was able to score his first quick time in quite a while at the Knoxville Raceway. “It’s been three years since we’ve had a fast time at Knoxville, so I was really happy to start the night off with that kind of speed,” said McCarl. “Brian (Brown) went out right before us and he has one of the strongest engines in the country and that was my 12th race on our HP engine, so that goes to show how strong that thing still is.”
While Terry wasn’t able to make his way forward on a track that was still pretty narrow and a bit rough in his heat, the strong qualifying time maintained his spot in the invert and TMAC was lucky enough to be starting on the outside of the front row. “We didn’t have a great heat and we missed on the setup for the A-main, which is too bad, because we were able to have a front row starting spot,” said Terry. “I could tell we didn’t get it right on the warm up lap, but I was happy we were able to hang on for 4th, so it still ended up being an alright night overall.”
While Terry was happy to hold on to another top five finish, he was much happier that son Austin was able to walk away from a nasty wreck. “Austin took a pretty hard hit in the feature, but those things happen and it was great to see him walk away healthy,” said TMAC.
TMAC will be back on the track this Saturday night for the fourth race in the Knoxville Championship Cup, while other race plans for the weekend will be based off the weather. “We’ll definitely be at Knoxville on Saturday, but Thursday and Friday night are up in the air right now,” said Terry. “We’ll be keeping an eye on the forecast and make a call later in the week about where else we might be heading.”
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