From Bill W
September 16, 2010 – Carson McCarl made his sprint car debut on Sunday, September 5, and it was an eye-opener. Before losing a driveshaft, the Altoona, Iowa 15 year old driver got to spin a few laps in a 305 sprinter. The DNF would put him tenth in the final order at the Bethany Fairgrounds in Bethany, Missouri. Tomorrow night, he’ll head to the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa for his second outing in the TMAC Motorsports #97.
Why the #97? “Aaron Berryhill had some awesome looking #97 cars, so that’s what I was aiming for,” says Carson. “It helps that the Berryhill’s are part of the team with AmericashAdvance.com too.”
The Southeast Polk High School sophomore felt some nerves once the heat races were called. “I wasn’t really nervous for hot laps,” he says of his first time out on the track. “We were fast. When the heat hit, it was slick and I was pretty nervous about it.”
Carson made it through with flying colors after starting fifth and running fourth. He leaned on his Micro-sprint experience that included several top five finishes in 2009 at Wavelink Raceway Park in Waverly, Nebraska, and track records set at the English Creek Speedway south of Knoxville, Iowa.
Starting ninth, Carson moved steadily forward in the Deanfield Farms/AmericashAdvance.com sprinter. “We were able to move our way up to fifth and then spun out,” he says. “We went to the back and climbed back up to seventh. That’s when the drive shaft came out.”
The 305 is definitely a step up from the Micros. “It’s completely different,” says Carson. “The car, obviously, is a lot more powerful. The micro runs off of the left rear, so this was a completely different feeling.”
This Friday’s race at West Burlington will be $1000 to win. Carson will just be looking to gain some more experience behind the wheel of a sprinter. “It was just hard to control, but I thought we did a good job for our first time out and with each lap, I learn a little more,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to getting to Burlington on Friday.”
Visit Carson on the Web!
Keep up to date on Carson’s racing at www.CarsonMcCarl.com!