From Bill W
It was a tough weekend for Austin McCarl for more than one reason. Coming out late in qualifying with the Outlaws was not the right recipe on Thursday, and then Mother Nature decided Saturday wasn’t going to happen. Another quick time and top ten at Huset’s redeemed what was otherwise a disappointing weekend for the Altoona, Iowa driver.
Timing 32nd out of the 46 cars gathered for the Mediacom Shootout Hall of Fame Classic at Knoxville made things tough on Thursday. “We drew a bad number and the track went away,” says Austin. “We had to start in the back of a heat race and with the Outlaws you need a lot of luck at that point.”
After finishing where he started in the heat race (eighth), Austin moved up from 11th to 7th in the B after a slow start. Unfortunately, they just took the top four to the A. “We were really fast there in the B,” says Austin. “I got kind of a bad start, and a guy held me up. After I got going, I was able to get (Don) Droud and Brian Ellenberger. We were fast, but we just had to start too far back because of the time trial.”
After taking the night off on Friday, Austin was ready to start fresh on Saturday with a brand new show. “We were looking forward to Saturday, because we drew a good number and it was going to be heavy anyway,” he says. “Unfortunately, Mother Nature would not allow it.”
For the second time in three tries at the Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, South Dakota on Sunday night, Austin set quick time in the Big Game Treestands #17A. “We really weren’t trying that hard to do it,” he admits. “We had some old tires on. The heat races are so brutal, that you put yourself in a tough spot when you get quick time.”
A sixth place finish in his heat left him out of the top five rows in the feature, and he had to start eleventh. “You have to start sixth and they only take five to get their time spots back,” says Austin. “The heats are tough. The track was pretty fast and narrow. Finishing sixth put us behind the 8-ball again.”
The track was a fast one, with the cushion only a little over halfway up the track. “We had to start eleventh, and the top was really good,” says the seventeen year old driver. “The cushion wasn’t very far up the track, so the bottom wasn’t really an option. It was tough to pass.”
Still, another top ten was registered and some more laps were registered in gaining valuable experience at the bullring. “We were lucky in that some guys fell out and we ended up ninth,” admits Austin. “We’re hoping to improve on our finishes this week. It will be good to get back out on the track at Knoxville.”
Plans are to run Knoxville on Saturday, and possibly make another trip to Huset’s on Sunday.
Visit Austin on the Web!
Keep up to date on Austin’s exploits at www.AustinMcCarl.com!
Austin would like to thank Big Game Treestands, AmericashAdvance.com, RFG (Rossie Feed and Grain), Anderson Farms, DeBerg Concrete, Deanfield Farms, Engler, Phil & Vivian, Vortex Wings, Maxim Chassis, K&N Filters, Mark Burch, Hoosier Tire, BMRS, HRP, Schoenfeld, Jocko’s, Butlerbuilt, Bell Helmets, Crow Safety, Chase Graphics and Tony Sposato for all their help!
Austin chats with Robby Wolfgang at Knoxville (Danny Howk Photo)
Bill W Media