Tuesdays with TMAC (on Wednesday) – Australia Day Spoiler!
(Bill W) January 27, 2010 – Terry McCarl was victorious on Tuesday, January 26 at the Premier Speedway in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. Though the Aussie fans love the Americans, they were probably rooting for one of their countryman on “Australia Day”. The Altoona, Iowa driver has made it back to the States and will tackle Ocala Speedway in Florida with the All Stars this weekend before heading over to Volusia.
Tuesday’s win marked TMAC’s second career WSS win. He started the night by setting quick time over the 55-car field. Heat runs of eighth and fifth followed. “Setting quick time with that many quality cars there was neat,” he says. “They told me to take it easy in the heats with the way the World Series format is. We used the opportunity to try some things. We ended up being the high point man after the heats were done and we had a real good battle with Brooke Tatnell in one of them.”
A third place dash run set him up inside of row two for the main event. He worked his way to the front, as Americans finished in the first four spots. “In the feature, the track really slicked off, like we’re used to in America,” says TMAC. “At one point, I believe the top six were all Americans. We weren’t very nice to them during ‘Australian Day’. I had a big cape and a top hat. I was looking pretty good down there. The fans in Australia are great, and that capped the trip off.”
The trip “Down Under” didn’t start so well at the President’s Cup at Avalon Raceway where the night ended in the B after setting the fifth quick time of the night. “When we got over there, we set out to get things sorted out,” says TMAC. “The tracks are usually sticky and rough, and that was the case at Avalon. The format was different there in that time trials didn’t mean a thing. We qualified well, but that just put us in the back of the heats, and the heat finishes were really all that counted.”
Friday night meant a trip to the King’s Sprintcar Challenge at Borderline Speedway in Mt. Gambier, South Australia. TMAC was 15th quick in the 41-car field. After battling through the B, he finished 15th in the main event. “We were kind of behind the 8-ball with our qualifying there,” he says. “We were able to make it up through the B, but we were just tight. The tracks definitely don’t slick off like we’re used to with our setups.”
The Grand Annual Classic at Premier Speedway kicked off Saturday night. “They had a record number of cars (76), which made it pretty crazy,” says TMAC. “We were the 60th car out! They put two cars out there at a time, which actually works out well. We were paired with Max Dumesny who obviously gets around there well. We were 17th quick, and he was 49th, so we did a really good job of getting the car right.”
The first heat was a second place run, but the second was an adventure where TMAC would finish sixth. He was lucky not to be knocked out. “The guys up front got all tangled up,” he shares. “I swerved to miss them, and the guy behind me drove over me. His right rear actually ran down my left arm. It was pretty wild, and scared the heck out of me. It busted the hood, and pushed the wing valve into my steering wheel. I had to bend it back, and that shifted the wing back. I didn’t find that out until later. We missed an opportunity to run second or third in that one, but I felt good about still having an arm.”
The feature went better. Starting outside of row six, TMAC marched up to a fifth place run. “We were really hooked up,” he says. “We came through there really well. There were no yellows. It went 25 laps non-stop. I raced beside Brooke Tatnell for fourth with five or six laps to go, but our tires went away just a little bit. He got by Danny Smith, and I had a shot at him late too. We were pretty pumped about the run.”
The Classic finale on Sunday started well enough, but a missed setup meant an eleventh place finish. “The heats went well (2nd and 5th),” says TMAC. “I thought starting ninth in the feature, we’d be all right. From the word ‘go’, we were off. We missed the setup, but we got up to seventh. Late in the race, our tires cooled during a caution, and after that, it felt like the right rear was flat. It was disappointing, but that’s part of it on a dirt track.”
Friday night things will get started in Florida with the All Star Circuit of Champions in Ocala. After two nights there, TMAC will move over to Volusia Speedway Park for two nights of All Stars and three with the World of Outlaws next week.
Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge
The 15th Annual Front Row Challenge and the 9th Annual Ultimate Challenge will be held Monday and Tuesday, August 9 and 10, 2010 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Advance ticket holders from 2009 can purchase the same seats starting Tuesday, February 16 at 10:00 a.m. by calling McTwo Promotions, Inc. at 515 957-0020.
Tickets will be open to the public on March 23. Visa, Mastercard and American Express are welcomed. Visit www.OskyChallenges.com for further details.
Websites for the McCarl Gang!
Driverwebsites.com has developed websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, and check out www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!
In"Terry"gation
Chris Lambert asks: What do you attribute your success in Florida over the years to?
TMAC Answers: My dad always told me some guys are good in Florida, and some just aren’t. It’s a strange place. It’s sandy. East Bay can be a wet/slick where you need to work the throttle. I’ve always seemed to run well there, which is nice for me. Usually, I haven’t had a paycheck since November. We have some great people like Morgan Farms who help us out down there too.
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.
This Day in TMAC History!
On this date in 2006, TMAC won a preliminary feature in the Ronald Laney Memorial “King of the 360’s” at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa, Florida. Driving the #24, he topped Travis Rilat, Jason Sides, Nick Smith and Tim Montgomery. The winning pass of Rilat occurred on lap 16 of 25.
Website Updates
Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
"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 Big Game Treestands, AmeriCashAdvance.com, DeBerg Concrete and Remington Treestands.
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net
- administrator on Jan 27, 2010
- Article Date: 1/27/2010