Des Moines, IA (July 10, 2018) – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports team is coming off a strong weekend that concluded with two quick time awards and a runner-up finish on Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway. Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises served as the primary sponsor on the #24 for the weekend, and with the team making the trek into Wisconsin on Friday night, Badger Contracting served as the primary marketing partner. With only a month remaining before the Knoxville Nationals, TMAC and the team have been working hard to pinpoint a winning setup and will be back at work this Saturday at the famed half-mile!
Terry got the weekend started with a strong qualifying effort at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Wisconsin with IRA Sprints. “We borrowed a car from Russ and Roger Hall for Friday night and were able to set quick time,” said TMAC. “It was an old Schnee chassis that is pretty similar to the cars I used to run and we really had it running well on Friday. It was the second year of the Harry Neitzel Tribute, which we were able to win last year, and I really love having the opportunity to race at that track.”
Things continued to go well for TMAC in his heat, though there was room for improvement before the night’s A-main. “After setting fast time, we moved up one position in the heat to third,” said McCarl. “The car was pretty good in the heat, but we had it a little loose and after some making some changes, the car felt great at the start of the feature.”
Terry started off the main event on Friday by moving around on the racetrack to see what he had under him. “I always like to move around early in an A-main,” said TMAC. “That allows me to see what the car is capable of early on, so that I know what I can make work once the race wears on and we start getting into traffic; on Friday, we were really good in turns 1 & 2, but the race didn’t last long for us.”
Sadly, the night would come to an early end for McCarl, which ruined the chance for the team to get a true feel for the setup they had been testing. “I got sideways and into the turn three fence as we were battling for 4th about four laps in,” said Terry. “I thought the guy in front of me was going in on the bottom and when he went high I just misjudged it. We just tore up a front end and the Jacobs ladder, so the car wasn’t too bad, but what’s disappointing was that we didn’t get to see how our setup would holdup over the course of 25 laps.”
In the world of dirt racing, having the opportunity to test out new setups is a luxury that is hard to come by. “A team has the option to rent a facility for a practice night, but it’s really difficult to prep a dirt track when only a few cars are going to run on it,” said TMAC. “The only way to test is to get out there and race and as a driver/owner, it’s hard to fight the urge to do everything you can to win when you really need to test out something new that might not work, so to miss out on the last 20 laps on Friday hurt. I might head to Oskaloosa tomorrow for their weekly show to get some extra hot laps in.”
Friday night was long one for the TMAC Motorsports team, as only Terry and crew chief Doug Rankin had made the trip up, providing Terry with plenty of time in a driver’s seat! “I drove us all the way home Friday after the races,” said Terry. “It was just Doug and I, and I knew he needed sleep so that he could get the car ready for Saturday night.”
TMAC made it two nights, two cars, and two quick times at the Knoxville Raceway on Saturday night. “We went back to our Paul Silva chassis on Saturday and were able to go out and set quick time for the second time this year at Knoxville,” said Terry. “We really haven’t been too good in qualifying the last couple years, so to get our second fast time of the year at Knoxville and to do it back-to-back nights is really a testament to the work that Doug and Steve Fitzpatrick put in over the offseason.”
With qualifying in the books, a plethora of changes were made by the team before their heat, which ended up causing a bit of a problem. “We were wanting to try some new things and just changed too much, leaving us horrible for our heat,” said Terry. “I make the final decision on setup, so it was my fault for making too many changes, which left us unable to pinpoint what went wrong.”
In preparation for Saturday night’s A-main, the team basically hit the reset button. “We went back to square one in the feature,” said Terry. “We were just a little loose on forward drive, but other than that the car felt good and the motor from Rider Racing Engines was running great.”
TMAC would just miss capturing the win on Saturday, settling for the runner-up spot, but he was able to enjoy it from one of the best seats in the house. “It was a pretty good night with a quick time and running 2nd,” said McCarl. “We always want to win, but it was a fun race from where I was sitting, especially the last few laps with [Matt] Juhl and Davey [Heskin]; I know that if I’m having fun in the car, then it’s a great show for the fans!”
The weekend with Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises acting as the primary sponsor on the TMAC Motorsports #24 was capped off with an excursion to the Iowa Speedway on Sunday. “It was great to have them on the top wing last weekend,” said Terry. “The Gillund family have been great supporters of ours, and took Lori and I to the IndyCar race Sunday where we got to enjoy the racing from the suite.”
With a number of big events on the schedule between now and the Knoxville Nationals, there are some great opportunities to add your business to the list of partners supporting TMAC Motorsports. Secure your company’s spot on the top wing when Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports team return to the Knoxville Raceway this Saturday night looking to better last week’s finish by one spot!
Front Row Challenge & Ultimate Challenge Tickets!
We are now less than a month away from the Sage Fruit Front Row Challenge presented by Musco Lighting, and the Sage Fruit Ultimate ASCS Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company at the Southern Iowa Speedway!
You can purchase your tickets now by calling (515) 957-0020 between 10:00am-4:00pm; Adult tickets for Monday are $30, Tuesday for $25, or both nights for $50 if purchased before July 30th, with Children’s tickets $15 each night. You can also buy tickets at the TMAC Motorsports merchandise trailer or at the race hauler after the races!
Check out the Osky Challenges website to learn more at: http://www.oskychallenges.com/
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, DeBerg Concrete, 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.
Photo Credit: Chuck Stowe
Morgan Broeg
West Des Moines, IA USA
broegracewriting@gmail.com
Twitter: @BroegW