Tuesdays with TMAC – A Welcome Two Win Weekend!
(Bill W) May 28, 2013 – While rain pounded the Midwest and ruined some racing plans, Terry McCarl was two for two, winning a pair of events. On Friday night, he triumphed in Sprint Invaders competition at Independence Motor Speedway in Iowa, before prevailing for the 93rd time at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, South Dakota on Monday night. In between, son Carson graduated from high school.
Starting sixth in his heat at Independence, TMAC climbed to third. “I had the first lap to really get clicking and I did the best I could,” he says. “The motor (360) was running a little rich all night really. It was the first night I had it out since East Bay (Florida). I wanted to run it a bit in case Carson finds a ride. I did the best I could.”
With weather moving in, the program was run quickly, and a top two finish would have put TMAC and his lone crewman, son Austin, in a bind to run the Dash. “As it was, it was just Austin and me working on the car,” says TMAC. “It was really a Godsend not to make the Dash in the end. They ran things along pretty quickly, and that gave me a chance to look at the track during the Dash.”
Starting seventh, the Altoona, Iowa driver moved quickly in second and passed Jamie Ball for the lead on lap five. “The track was nice and wide,” he says. “What a great track. They did such a good job preparing it. All you ask for as a driver is a top and a bottom, and you could even run the middle a little bit in three and four. They did a great job. It was really easy on tires too. I was able to roll around there and check out the track. We started on the bottom and we were able to get a great start. I think the guys running the Dash assumed the track would be on top, where it was in the Dash. That worked in my favor with a couple of them. The car was awesome. We made a bunch of last minute changes, which unfortunately for my crew, is normal with me. The car was really awesome all night long.”
Lucas Wolfe ran second in the latter stages and was almost within shouting distance on a couple occasions in heavy traffic. “It kind of got wild a couple of times in traffic,” says TMAC. “I kept losing the brakes. The left front rotor was bent a little bit. I had brakes one lap, and if I didn’t pump them, I might not have them the next. It got a little nerve-wracking a couple times in turn three.”
TMAC and son Austin, who would finish third, showed you can be economical with tires at Huset’s Monday. The night started with the third quick time of the night and a fifth place heat run. “It was dry the first week and we didn’t have any of the new hard Hoosiers that they’re running this year,” says TMAC. “I hot lapped, time trialed and heat raced on the same tire. A lot of guys junked their tires in the heat. Actually, the right rear I won on Monday was the same one I used to start the first week. Sunday, I had Austin hot lap, qualify and run the heat race on it. Since he was on the front of the feature, he ran the newer right rear we had and a brand new left rear tire. I used that older right rear, and the same left rear I ran at Knoxville the previous week.”
TMAC started eighth in the feature, and took little time in getting to the front. “I was a little concerned about the tires, but when your chassis is good and your car is rolling around there well, you don’t need the crutch of a new tire as much,” he says. “The track was tacky and I thought it was going to be pretty tough.”
The track was in top shape at Huset’s and provided great action throughout the night. “That A.R.T. chassis is unbelievable and I was rolling around there nice,” says TMAC. “I was hoping it was going to be ‘Old School Huset’s’ and it was. I was able to pass on the bottom and the top. There were wheelies, slide jobs and everything else. The racing was really good there. It really didn’t go clear to the wall like it will later on, but it was a lot of fun. I think the fans had a blast, and if it stays that way, we’ll be packing the place again. It was great to have Jeff from Rens Trucking there to watch us too. That makes it fun for us.”
It proved to be advantageous to go back to the basics for TMAC, who plans on running at Knoxville and Huset’s this weekend. “I was testing a little bit the previous week,” he says. “I wanted to try some stuff. I went back to my basic stuff this week and it worked out really well for us.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
TMAC Motorsports Welcomes New Partner
Rens Trucking!
Rens Trucking is a livestock transport company based out of Maurice, in Northwest Iowa. They have over eight years of experience. Rens Trucking hauls any kind of livestock. They haul market hogs, isoweans, feeder pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle. Rens Trucking does both short haul and long haul loads. They are also able to truck out of state. Call Jeff at 712-470-4221 or look "Rens Trucking" up on facebook!
Websites for the McCarl Gang!
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 won on May 27 in 2001 at the Huset’s Speedway. He topped Dennis Moore Jr., Don Droud Jr., Mark Toews and Skip Jackson. The field was a solid one assembled over the Memorial Day Weekend. He won his fifth of a record seven Huset’s track championships that season.
"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@iowatelecom.net with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, “Lord I Apologize BBQ Sauce”, Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, SCE Gaskets, Justice Brothers, 212 The Boiling Point Bar & Grill, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, Pick Farms, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Superflow Technologies, T&P Brothers, Mediacom, Larry Fleck Trucking, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko's Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings and Mote Fasteners.
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
- administrator on May 28, 2013
- Article Date: 5/28/2013