Tuesdays with TMAC – Down by the Riverside!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
(Bill W) – Having never seen Riverside International Speedway before and dodging rain drops all weekend, Terry McCarl didn’t know what to expect. After coming out of the West Memphis, Arkansas quarter mile with a top ten finish, he was pleased with the results last Saturday night.
Starting out seventh quick in qualifications, TMAC again found himself in that ‘no-man’s land’ for heat race alignment. Luck smiled on him a bit after running fourth in his heat. “We were lucky to get through the heats, and lucky the top qualifiers got into the top two (to qualify for the dash). That got us in the dash and helped with the starting spot. This is one of those nights that seventh may not sound astounding, but we really had a great car. I’m really happy with my crew,” he explains.
Starting ninth in the feature event, McCarl would duel with several cars and come home with a solid seventh place finish despite a number of stoppages that slowed the event. “We couldn’t quite get around Jason Meyers. If we could have, maybe we would have been up there in the top three eventually. I could run all over the track, high, low and middle. Every time we seemed to get into lapped traffic, the yellow would come out, and I think that hurt me quite a bit. We needed to be in traffic and moving around, because my car was so good everywhere,” he remembers
The determined Altoona, Iowa driver is happy with where things are headed after Saturday night. “All in all, when you’re on a nasty little bullring, you come out without a scratch on the car, and you load it up with a seventh place finish, it’s a great night! If we keep running top ten every night, we’ll be moving back towards that point championship!”
TMAC was complimentary of the racetrack staff. “I have to give the people at Riverside credit. They had rain all week, just like we’ve been having back in Iowa. They did a really good job just getting the event in. It was a really fun atmosphere with a lot of great aura going on. It was nice to be someplace that has such a rich sprint car history and see the place packed. We’ll be back!”
Terry couldn’t be more pleased with Crew Chief Brian Kemenah, and crewmen Greg McCormick and Rod Tiner Jr. “One of the things that really means a lot to me is that every time we go out, we improve. Every time we hit the racetrack we get a little faster.” They will continue their journey this weekend in Missouri.
Win a Treestand, then Go to the Lake!
The World of Outlaws head for the popular high-banked 3/8 mile oval near Cameron, Missouri this Friday night. US36 Raceway is one of the few tracks to boast sub-10 second laps in qualifying.
TMAC was the first under the barrier, and has enjoyed his trips to US36. “We run basically the same gear we run at Huset’s (Speedway in South Dakota). It’s probably not a full 3/8, but it’s definitely a fast racetrack with a lot of bank in it! With all the rain in the area, it will probably be a ‘Cowboy Up’ racetrack! The fans will definitely have a good time!”
Opportunities abound for TMAC fans and hunters in Northwestern Missouri and surrounding areas. Terry is excited about a special promotion. “Wednesday (May 9) from noon to six, I’ll be in St. Joseph, Missouri at the Harley Davidson store. We’ll have the truck and trailer and the car. We’ll be signing autographs, and we have a neat promotion going on. St. Joe Harley Davidson is one of our outlets for pre-bought tickets. If you buy your ticket in advance there, your ticket number will go into a hat, and we’ll draw for a Big Buddy Two-man Ladderstand from Big Game Treestands on Friday night. I’ll have the stand with me to present after the races. The only way to be eligible is to get your tickets at St. Joe Harley Davidson!” The fun doesn’t end there. “Some of the Outlaw teams will be out at the drag strip at US36 on Wednesday night. It will be kind of a pre-race party, so everyone’s welcome to come to that too!” he says.
On Saturday, the gang heads for Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon, Missouri. In his only trip to Lake Ozark, TMAC registered second quick time back in 2005. “It’s a beautiful facility right by the Lake of the Ozarks. It’s a great place to come down, take a weekend off and catch the Outlaws!”
Be sure to stop down after the races and say “Hi” to Terry and the rest of the crew!
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