Tuesdays with TMAC – Trophy Cup Trials!
(Bill W) October 25, 2016 – Terry McCarl and the Country Builders Construction/Elk Grove Ford/SnowPlow.com #88 definitely put on a show at the Trophy Cup at the Tulare Thunderbowl in California. Some hard racing and hard luck affected the final results. TMAC led Friday’s feature in dominant fashion most of the way before spinning. An altercation in Saturday’s finale also derailed him, but the car was definitely fast. The team takes this week off before reemerging in the #24 at the Short Track Nationals at I-30 Speedway near Little Rock, Arkansas next weekend.
TMAC timed in fifth quick in his group after coming out 24th in the order on Thursday. “The credit goes to Jaymie Moyle, who builds the engines,” he says. “We were out here with mostly open headed motors. That was a pretty impressive start. That put us on the inside of the heat race (fifth) and the top was the better place to start. I got caught behind a guy a little bit and we finished fifth. They take the winner and the high point guy in the heat, and that wasn’t us.”
He started fourth in the B. “It was a tough 20-lap B,” says TMAC. “I was shuffled back a little bit to start and got back up to third. We had a yellow and we got called for jumping the restart. I was penalized. To make a long story short, I was seventh on the white flag, and they were only taking four. I had to put the old Moyle/ART into overdrive, and somehow we were able to get up to fourth and make it out.”
TMAC lined up 15th in the feature. “We were able to get up to ninth late in the race,” he says. “I was working on eighth and I clipped a tire. That set me back and we ended up running tenth by a thousandth of a second. It wasn’t a great night, but with all things considered, it was a solid point night to build on.”
He entered Friday 12th in points. After timing in second quick, he started sixth in his heat. He is appreciative of the rule package in California. “I love the fact that whether you’re running a 360 or a 410 in California, they go by the same rules,” says TMAC. “You can run a dish wing or a flat wing with a wickerbill. They have a spec right rear, but the rest are pretty open. I like the fact that you have more room as a mechanic to either outsmart people or screw yourself up. All of the heats are tough. We were able to get up to fifth. We ended up being the high point guy through that and made the A.”
TMAC started outside row one of Friday’s feature and led early. “It was kind of a guessing game,” he says. “They prepped the track before the feature. We totally guessed right. Doug Rankin, my crew chief was there, and Brad Goebel, who’s moved back to California was with us as well. We had an awesome racecar and the motor was running well. It’s the same one we won at I-80 with.”
He was dominating until bad luck struck. “I was honking that thing,” says TMAC. “We were so nice in traffic, and we had a straightaway lead on second. You never know how big your lead is, and sometimes when you’re racing on the edge, you get over the edge. I got into a little bit of a rut in three and four that got me loose for a split second. I got sideways and went over a big berm and through the infield. They threw the yellow, which is their rule. We had to restart at the back and finished 18th, which was disappointing. We definitely had the best car out there.”
The finale on Saturday saw TMAC starting sixth in his heat. “We had an amazingly tough heat,” he says. “We ended up fifth and it was a knockdown drag-out deal. We ended up 18th in points, and that put us inside the second row for the feature.”
The team did their best to hit the setup. “We were watching the B the night before, and they scraped it and watered it before the B,” says TMAC. “Fifteen to seventeen laps into it, it laid rubber. Usually when they do that, it comes back pretty quickly. So we outsmarted everyone and put a hard tire on the left rear. We didn’t know if anyone else even had any. They weren’t going to redo the track, and we thought we’d really be good. But at the last minute, they went out and scraped it again. We stuck with it, because we thought it would blow off in a 50-lap race. We thought if we held on for a while, we’d be really good late. Of course, it didn’t rubber up until about five laps to go!”
TMAC maintained in the top ten for most of the race. “After 35 laps, we had an open red,” he says. “I thought I had pulled the wing back all the way, but it was only back an inch. After that, we were able to go good. We were eighth on the restart, and we were battling. Second through eighth was nose to tail. Willie Croft was gone, but we were in a good battle, and I thought we had a shot at a top five. A guy ended up sticking me in the fence. We about got upside down. That cost us a few spots and ended up getting spun out. It’s fun and exciting racing. It reminds me of ‘Old School’ Huset’s when it got gut-slick and you had to watch the wall coming out of two. It’s just a lot of fun for me, and if it’s fun for me, I know the fans are having a good time.”
The team will now ready for Little Rock. “We were hoping to get a partner to go to the World Finals (this weekend), but that didn’t happen,” says TMAC. “It would have been a long drive from California, so we’ll use this week to regroup and get ready for the Short Track Nationals. I’ve only been there once, so we’re looking forward to that.”
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!
This Month in TMAC History!
A year ago on October 30, TMAC won in North Carolina for the first time. In USCS action, he topped Trey Starks, Chad Kemenah, Morgan Turpen and Robbie Stillwaggon at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia. The following night he just missed winning in South Carolina when he finished second at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney.
"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@hotmail.com with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, Bosma Poultry, Destiny Motorsports, Price Chopper, Hiland Dairy, Searsboro Telephone Company, Elk Grove Ford, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, SuperFlow, Schoenfeld Headers, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Maxim Chassis, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Snap On Tools, Sposato Paint, Winters, Kilani Fender, Inc., DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Octane Ink, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Dynasty Stucco, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, KSE Steering, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Butlerbuilt and Mote Fasteners.
Photos: TMAC at the Trophy Cup (Chucko’s Photos – www.ChuckO.com/Photo)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
Website: www.OpenWheel101.com
- administrator on Oct 25, 2016
- Article Date: 10/25/2016