From Bill W, image courtesy of Alan Holland
Terry McCarl switches gears a bit this week as he teams with owner Wayne Simmons in the Chili Bowl at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Altoona, Iowa driver will qualify on Thursday night in a full program to try to qualify for Saturdayโs championship finale. On Sunday, he will board a plane for Australia to compete โDown Underโ in the Grand Annual Classic at the Premier Speedway in Warrnambool, Victoria.
Last night (Monday) gave TMAC and Simmons a chance to get dialed in with some practice in Tulsa. The car is a new one after getting upside down in December at the Kemper Arena in Kansas City. โItโs been awhile since we raced, so it was good to get some practice in and get things going,โ says TMAC. โUnfortunately, the car we used in Kansas City is not here anymore. Weโve got a new car and got the bugs worked out on practice night.โ
TMAC is confident in his machine, but knows that things need to fall your way at the Chili Bowl with nearly 300 entries. โThis Esslinger motor is running really well,โ he says. โOf course, you need some luck on your side to finish up front in this thing. Every night has heavy hitters, but there is a bunch on Thursday. It seems like there are 200 drivers here who could win it.โ
The full program in Thursdayโs prelim will determine how much work is required to make the show on Saturday. โThis is just fun,โ says TMAC. โThings have to really go your way. First, you have to make it with a strong heat and then a strong qualifier. Then, to lock yourself in, you have to run in the top three of the prelim (feature).โ
Some good sponsors are on board to support Wayne Simmonsโ F5 Chassis with Esslinger power. โIowa Speedway is with us again at this event,โ says TMAC. โThey have a great $99 season ticket deal going. Also, we have DeBerg Concrete, FaSco Fiber Optics, DKE, Inc., Esslinger Racing Engines, Penske Shocks and Tulsa Drywall Supply.โ
The gears will shift back to the sprint cars next week in Australia. โWeโll be driving for Rod Matthews again down there in the Grand Annual Classic,โ says TMAC. โRod bought one of our Big Game Treestandsโ cars, so there should be some familiarity there. Last year, we were fifth in the โClassicโ teaming up for the first time, and weโre looking to move up to the podium this year.โ
There will be some familiarity in the pit stall. โRod is a really good guy, and Gary Isom, my crew chief over here last summer is going to be helping us down there as well,โ says TMAC. โWeโve got a good team assembled with a good car. It would really be a feather in our cap if we could win it.โ
Some in the family got some unexpected condolences this week when Terry L. McCarl of Newton, Iowa passed away. TMAC wants to assure his fans that this version is alive and kicking. โThere is no truth to the rumor, but we got plenty of phone calls, and my kids got some texts,โ he shares.
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
Lee Sullivan in Melbourne, VIC, Aust. asks: What are the biggest differences youโve seen in the events held in Australia compared to their American counterparts?
TMAC Answers: The Australians promote their races like we try to with the Challenges at Oskaloosa. Itโs an event. There are a lot of fun things going on outside of the racing. Every race Iโve seen over there is an event. They get the drivers talking to the fans a lot and riling them up like Pro Wrestling. Thereโs a lot of P.T. Barnum over there, and itโs always a lot of fun.
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.
Chili Bowl in TMAC History!
In just his second shot at the Chili Bowl in 2008, TMAC turned a lot of laps in the WilkePAK #11. After finishing third in his B main in the prelim, he finished 17th in the feature. That put him in Saturdayโs C, which he won. He then advanced through the pack to third in the B to qualify for the finale. He continued his drive to a 19th place finish, one that he hopes to top in 2010.
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.