Tuesdays with TMAC – Picking Up Speed!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
-by Bill W – Contact with the wall at Kokomo Speedway while challenging for fifth, and one of those “nowhere to go” moments at Eagle Raceway put a damper on this week’s results with the World of Outlaws, despite fielding fast cars both nights. Nonetheless, Terry McCarl is excited about this week, as he will tackle Tri-City Speedway and Knoxville Raceway with the WoO.
Kokomo was familiar ground to TMAC, and a place he has had success. “I consider myself a big track guy, but I always seem to do well on the smaller tracks,” he says. “Last year we ran second, and the night started well this time when we qualified sixth.” A third place run in his heat last Tuesday night and a dash appearance saw TMAC put the Big Game Treestands #24 outside row five for the feature event.
The car felt as well as it has in a long time to the Altoona, Iowa native as he stormed into sixth. “It was one of those deals where, as the race went on, I just kept driving it harder and harder. The cushion was right on the fence. The harder I drove into it (cushion) the better the car was. The car was actually feeling so good to me that I was having a little too much fun, and got into the fence a little too hard, breaking the Jacobs’ ladder off.”
The contact with five laps to go saw TMAC drop to fifteenth at the checkers, but the night was a confidence builder of sorts. “We did everything but flip,” he explains. “We got up on the fence, and that was unfortunate, because we were working on fifth place, and I thought we had a shot at it. The driver was just a bit overzealous! When I went home that night, I felt good about my driving, and how fast the car felt.”
TMAC came out early in time trials last Saturday night at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska. “We were sitting pretty in qualifying. I always run pretty well at Eagle, but it started laying rubber later in time trials. You don’t see that very often. We ended up one spot off the front row of the heat. I don’t like to talk about bad luck, though.”
The track was re-worked for the heats, and Terry was getting some help from a familiar source. “I was talking to (former WoO crew chief) Ricky Warner all day, and he helped me with some setups for the feature. I didn’t do some of the things he suggested early, but I wish I would have. We went to push off for the heat race, and the right rear brakes locked up. That was one more goofy thing to add to our list.” The result was a start from the back of the heat and a seventh place finish, sending him to the B main.
“Usually you don’t want to run the B main, but a lot of times it’s good because you get to run the track before the feature,” TMAC says. “I tried a little bit of what Ricky was talking about in the B and it really felt good. So for the feature we did some more of the things he was talking about. The car felt really good…kind of like Kokomo. The more I drove, the better my car got and the better my confidence got. We were passing guys and I ran it into turn three a million miles an hour, and the car felt awesome. We were way faster than several of the guys in front of us.”
Some of the bad luck crept up again for TMAC in an incident he couldn’t avoid. “I guess (Steve) Kinser got spun out, or something happened up there, and there was nowhere for me to go. I did my best not to hit him in the cockpit and do the least damage to my car. I tried to go between him and the fence. I knew there wasn’t enough room, but that would be the least hazardous path. It bent the front axle. All the other teams helped out in the work area, and we got the axle changed in time, but when we went back to push off, the pitman arm was stripped out. So we missed the restart.”
The result was another DNF, but things seem to be going a lot better with a fast car on the track. Terry puts it in perspective. “I drive a sprint car for a living, and my worst day is still a pretty good one! The car has been fast, and the big races haven’t even started yet, so maybe we can look back on this year and say we didn’t run as well as we wanted in the points, but we won some big races!”
Brian Kemenah
TMAC said farewell to one of his teammates last week. “(Crew Chief) Brian Kemenah left us there after Eldora, and it was sort of a mutual deal. He’s a great guy, and I can’t say enough about him and his family. It’s unfortunate it didn’t work out, but it just wasn’t and I wish I knew why. It wasn’t his fault or my fault, we were in a funk and unfortunately, Brian got caught in the middle of my funk! We had a ton of mechanical stuff that happened, all at once, and I’m real disappointed it didn’t work out. At least I’ve made a really good friend with Brian, hopefully for life, and I’m happy about that.”
No Husets
Terry had hoped to run Sunday night in weekly action at Huset’s Speedway, where he is the career feature wins record holder. A snag in the WoO 250 mile rule (Huset’s is 238 miles from Eagle), allowed the WoO to shut that idea down even though a clause in the rule allows for consent prior to competing. Terry asked for consent, but was turned down for the first time in three years. He voiced his feelings. “I find the WoO’s decision absolutely ridiculous. This rule was brought about for a good reason, and I agree with it. It was brought about in 1992 when I was with the WoO. There would be a show at a rival track on Friday night, they’d pay a couple of our guys to be there, and jack up the price of admission for the fans, when the WoO would be at a neighboring track the night after their show.”
“Last year, I asked permission, and they (WoO) let me do this. The year before, they let me do this. The bulk of my sponsorship is in the Sioux Falls area. They have great fans, and it’s a great place for me to race. We wanted to go up again, we love the track, and maybe we’d make a little money and get some confidence back. Instead, the hierarchy of the WoO, in their infinite NASCAR-like wisdom said ‘No’ this year. I believe the distance from Eagle to Sioux Falls falls 12 miles short of 250, and they didn’t feel that was something we should do, even with the promoter of the track calling them, and the promoters at Eagle not caring. Huset’s races 410’s weekly, which is something that the WoO should support. Huset’s has been on the WoO schedule for 18 years. The promoter even called them to ask them…to let that 12 miles go. I find it ridiculous. If anything, we’re promoting the WoO show coming up, so to me it’s crazy.”
“Again, I agree with the rule in principle. You have to protect the WoO promoters, and I am one myself. It costs a lot to put on one of these shows, and I bust my butt to help these promoters any way I can. This is a way for the Rubins’ (Huset’s promoters) to promote their upcoming WoO show (July 3). We have a lot of local sponsors in that area like Bosma Poultry and Deberg Concrete, Inc. up there. They don’t get to see their car race very often. Any time I can run in front of them, it gives them a good feeling about being part of our team, and that helps this team stay on the road with the WoO. It’s not like we’d make a whole lot of money up there, and I see nothing but positives for the WoO in allowing us to go up there. We were 12 miles short of 250, with not another race for four days. Maybe they had nothing better to do in their office. I just don’t understand how it can be o.k. for two years, and now it’s not. The rule was made to protect their promoters and they just hurt one. That’s what has me upset.”
A-MAC and C-MAC
Friday night gave TMAC a rare chance to watch his sons’ race. Austin McCarl won his second Micro-Sprint feature of the year last Friday night at English Creek Speedway South of Knoxville. Brother Carson broke the track record with a lap of 10.370 (69.43 mph)!
“Carson shattered the track record by 7 tenths of a second. Austin broke it first, but his gearing wasn’t really right, so we switched Carson’s. My boys are making me look bad, they’re setting fast times and winning features. They’re asking me what the heck my problem is!”
“They have great mechanics in Glenn Freeland and their uncle Kenny McCarl. Now I know how my mom felt when my brother and I raced, and my dad was fielding a car too. I’m nervous as heck! I kept saying, ‘This isn’t worth it!’, but it’s fun.”
In"Terry"gation
Terry in Lee’s Summit, MO asks: Terry, How is Austin and Carson coming along with their racing? What are the chances of Austin running for the Knoxville 410 Rookie of the Year sometime in the next several years? How would you feel about that?
TMAC answers: They are both doing very well. Austin has won two features and Carson has also won two. Carson even broke the track record last week by about 7 tenths. We have never been to English Creek Speedway until this year and I recommend it to any race fan that is in the area. It is a nice facility and a great place to race.
As far as the boys racing in the future I would rather that they did not. I want them to be an Attorney or a Doctor but I think that their heart is in racing.
Can you imagine the two McCarl boys running at Husets every Sunday? That would be very interesting to say the least!
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.
Did you know?
TMAC has 42 career 410 wins at Knoxville Raceway. That puts him in fifth place all-time behind Danny Lasoski (88), Doug Wolfgang (60), Steve Kinser (58) and he’s one win behind Earl Wagner, who is fourth.
Website
Check out the new “Austin and Carson” photo gallery on the website, and photos from Kokomo from “PitPass Photos”.
Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
For more information on the Challenges or on TMAC Motorsports, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com.
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TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Big Game Treestands, Bosma Poultry, Inc., AmeriCash Advance, and Ground Max Hunting Blinds.
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