By Bill W
February 9, 2010 – With the week at Volusia in the books, the record will show Terry McCarl getting stronger as the races wore on. A pair of strong qualifying efforts in the Big Game Treestands #24 with the World of Outlaws show that the Altoona, Iowa sprint car driver will be a force to be reckoned with again this season. This week, he’ll tackle the All Star Circuit of Champions in three nights of racing action at East Bay Raceway Park.
Wednesday and Thursday, the All Stars were at Volusia Speedway Park. On the first night, TMAC qualified 23rd quick (40 cars), won his heat and ran from 20th to 11th in the main event. “We came out early, and we actually qualified well in the spot we were in,” he says. “We were able to win the heat, and we were able to move up through there in the feature pretty well, getting the hard-charger.”
On Thursday, TMAC was 21st quick (41 cars), won his heat again, and ran from 19th to 16th in the feature. “Lynton Jeffrey was in town, and we were trying some stuff,” he says. “With the new tires and starting back in the pack, we could try some things. I found out quick some things that I didn’t like. You are mad at the time, but in reality, it was a good thing. We actually did get up to 11th or 12th, and had a shot at it, but we were not good. We were just hanging on.”
After rain washed out the first WoO night, TMAC came on strong. “We went out late both the World of Outlaws nights, and qualified well (9th and 8th),” he says. “We just didn’t get the finishes in the heats (third both nights) to get in the dash. That put us starting 13th and 15th those nights.”
On Saturday, TMAC, who has five wins at the Florida ½ mile oval, had a strong run going before a throttle problem sidelined him. “We had a shot at the top five for sure,” he says. “We got up to seventh with plenty of time left. The arm on the throttle linkage moved, and the throttle was sticking half open. I was following (Lance) Dewease in turn four and he got in the water and got sideways and so did I. I couldn’t lift, because the throttle was stuck half open. I just pulled out after that.”
Sunday went even better, resulting in an eighth place run. “We felt good about being fast on Saturday, and the Don Ott’s are running really well,” says TMAC. “We came through the feature (from 15th) pretty good. I got by (Donny) Schatz at one point (for sixth), and got by (Craig) Dollansky another time. The last yellow, the right rear kind of sealed up and we ended up running eighth.”
TMAC will seek a Florida win for the seventh consecutive year. Thursday through Saturday, the All Stars will be at East Bay, where he has won ten features. “We were competitive as the week went on, and learned more about the tires,” he says. “We weren’t happy with the finishes, but we knew we had the speed to be up front. I’m looking forward to East Bay.”
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
Nick Baker from Des Moines asks: After a week running the Goodyears, are you starting to figure them out, and what do you think of the new two-wide starts?
TMAC Answers: Right now, I don’t want to pass any judgment on them. Florida is a difficult place. I think it will play in my advantage, and so will the two-wide starts. I’m pretty good on the starts. If the fans like it, that’s the way it should be. The Goodyears are definitely a different tire than we’ve been running the last few years. The fast guys from last year are the fast guys this year, so I don’t see them making a real difference in that. I am a Hoosier guy, and still have them on the front.
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 Week in TMAC History!
On this week in 2005, TMAC passed Jeff Shepard on a late restart to take an All Star Circuit of Champions win at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida. Shepard was second, followed by Chad Kemenah, Danny Smith and Craig Dollansky. TMAC has won at least one race in Florida in six straight seasons.
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.