Tuesdays with TMAC – Big Win at Dodge!
(Bill W) July 11, 2017 – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 team racked up a big victory Friday night with the IRA series at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The Altoona, Iowa driver topped the Harry Neitzel Tribute/Rick Schmidt Memorial. A ninth place finish at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa concluded the weekend.
Things didn’t start the best in time trials at Dodge. “I’ve been switching back and forth on cars and trying to get something that we’re comfortable with,” says TMAC. “I went out early and we were horrible. We ended up 12th quick. We were the last guy to make the heat invert.”
TMAC started on the pole of his heat race. “We changed the car all around and won the heat,” he says. “Fortunately, a young kid drew us the pole for the feature, which is always good. The car was feeling great then. We just screwed up in qualifying.”
The redraw for the pole was what he needed, as he led every lap. “It was an honor to win that,” says TMAC. “It’s a fun racetrack. It’s a big flat half-mile, and we always seem to run well there. I love going to Wisconsin. It reminds me of when my Dad would go to North Star in Blaine, Minnesota on Sundays when I was a kid. The fans are always so appreciative of us being there. They are awesome. Tony Stewart was there, so there was a huge crowd too. That benefits all of us.”
TMAC’s son Austin was also racing and finished third. “It’s a lot of work to take two cars in the same trailer,” says TMAC. “It’s a lot of work getting that car up and down. Jason Johnson, from Badger Contracting helped Austin. That was the reason he was able to go. Jason used to race, and his son helped too. Chris Bonilla, who works for HRP, always helps me up there too.”
Qualifying on Saturday at Knoxville went about the same. “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting a different result,” says TMAC. “Terry in his infinite wisdom decided to use the same time trial setup that we had used the night before at Dodge County. I thought we could make a few changes and it would work at Knoxville, but I was horrible in qualifying.”
Eleventh quick, meant TMAC would start third in his heat. “The track was really tricky Saturday,” he says. “The cushion was rough and heavy. We were probably lucky to qualify eleventh really. That put us behind the 8-ball, but we were good in the heat and finished second. I almost got around (Davey Heskin) a few times. We needed to do that. It was the difference between starting tenth and the front row.”
He would maintain in the feature and grab ninth at the checkers. “It was tough to pass,” says TMAC. “It was a tough racetrack. I haven’t seen Knoxville look like that in a long time. Even the bottom was kind of rough. Where it was slick, it was really slick, and one and two was really choppy on the top. It was hard to lean on it or get above it. We ended up ninth and did the best we could.”
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!
TMAC has three wins on July 8 in history, two at Knoxville Raceway and one at the Huset’s Speedway! The Knoxville wins were both on the front end of Twin Features night. In 1995, he beat Craig Dollansky, Johnny Herrera, Danny Young and Leonard Lee to the line. In 2000, he drove the Serace #55 to a win ahead of Jeff Mitrisin, Chris Walraven, Matt Moro and Randy Anderson. In 2001, at Huset’s, he bested Gregg Bakker, Gary DeWall, Chad Radel and Justin Henderson.
"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, Bosma Poultry, Destiny Motorsports, Simplot Grower Solutions, Price Chopper, Hiland Dairy, Searsboro Telephone Company, KC Breweries, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, 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 & Miller Racing Solutions, Pro Shocks, 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.
Photo: TMAC with the top five at Dodge County (L to R) Scott Neitzel 5th, Tony Stewart 4th, Austin McCarl 3rd, Jeremy Schultz 2nd (Jeff Burba Photography)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
Website: www.OpenWheel101.com
- administrator on Jul 11, 2017
- Article Date: 7/11/2017