By Tony Veneziano
Jackson, MN- April 2, 2010- While Knoxville Raceway will always be his home track, Jackson Speedway in Minnesota is a home away from home for Terry McCarl, especially since he has been driving for a Minnesota-based team for the last couple of seasons. In addition, he has been very successful at the half-mile over the years, winning seven times and has come close to winning with the World of Outlaws on a couple of occasions at Jackson.
McCarl will have another chance to score his first win in a World of Outlaws event at the historic track on Saturday, May 1 as the series will return to the half-mile for the first time since 2006 for a full night of racing.
“I love going there,” shared McCarl recently. “The fans are great up there. You get a lot of the Sioux Falls fans that come over and it’s always been a great event up there. Hopefully we get good weather for it. Jon McCorkell is doing a great job promoting there and building it back up with a tough economy and all of that.”
McCarl’s, team which is owned by Tod Quiring, the owner of Big Game Treestands, is based just north of Jackson Speedway in Windom, Minnesota and will have a large contingent at the race on Saturday, May 1. McCarl would like nothing more than to win at the boss’s home track with the boss in attendance.
“There is such a history there,” McCarl noted of Jackson Speedway. “Big Game Treestands has a sprint car because of Jackson, Minnesota. He (Tod Quiring) lives 20 miles north of there. It’s a very racing oriented community and a lot of serious sprint car fans and sponsors are in that area. We love going up there. Anytime we can get up there is a plus, but especially when we can go up there and race a sprint car.”
McCarl set a new track record at Jackson Speedway in the World of Outlaws event at Jackson Speedway in 2005, a mark that still stands today. The multi-time Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway track champion takes great pride in setting tracks record, especially at historic venues like Jackson.
“It means a lot to me,” McCarl said of track records. “My friend Daryn Pittman laughs at me all the time, because it doesn’t pay anything and there isn’t a trophy. I’m a history buff and it means a lot to me. That’s probably why I crashed at Tulare (Thunderbowl Raceway in March). I heard Tim (Kaeding) broke my track record and the second lap I was trying to get it back. I think I had a shot at it and ended up crashing my car. Being from that area (in the Upper Midwest where Jackson Speedway is) and growing up in the Midwest, it means a lot to me. I love sprint car racing and hope to be around it a long time, and being a bit of a historian, those things mean a lot to me.”
McCarl has seven career wins at Jackson Speedway including last season in the Jackson Nationals aboard the Big Game Treestands Maxim. In four career World of Outlaws starts at the track he has three finishes of seventh or better including a third-place run in 2004 after starting on the pole and leading the first 11 laps as he looks for his first win with the series at the track.
“You need a strong motor because that is a big race track,” explained the native of Altoona, Iowa when asked what it will take to contend for the win on May 1. “It’s like anytime you win an Outlaws show, you have to be smart, you have to be fast and you have to have a good car. You have to drive smart, because these are the best drivers in the world.”
On Saturday, May 1 at Jackson Speedway, adult general admission tickets will be $30 in advance and $35 the day of the race, with general admission tickets for kids ages 12-under $15 in advance and $15 the day of the race, with children ages 5-under admitted free of charge. Adult reserved tickets will be $33 in advance and $35 the day of the race with reserved tickets for kids ages 12-under $15 in advance and $15 the day of the race. Pit combos, which include a reserved ticket and a pit pass will be available in advance for $38. For tickets call the track at 507-841-1957 or SLS Promotions at 815-344-2023.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Armor All (Official Car Care Products), Goodyear Tires (Official Tire), SuperClean (Official Cleaner-Degreaser), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, Jake’s Custom Golf Carts, KSE Race Products, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, S&S Volvo; Engine Builder’s Challenge participants Don Ott Racing Engines, Kistler Engines, Shaver Specialties and Speedway Engines; and Chassis Builder’s Challenge participants J&J Auto Racing, Maxim Racing and XXX Race Company.