By Bill W
May 10, 2011 – Sprint car driver Terry McCarl is pleased to announce his partnership with Kosama of Altoona, who will be sponsoring the VerMeer Racing #55, and both TMAC Motorsports entries, the #17A and the #97 Saturday at Knoxville. The three cars will be on display at Kosama of Altoona on Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It can be found on 3160 8th St. SW in Altoona.
TMAC and son Carson will be greeting fans. “I always enjoy getting to chat with the fans not only at the track, but away from it as well,” says TMAC. “We’ll have all three cars there, and Carson and I will be there to meet with the fans.”
The McCarl family will be taking advantage of the Kosama exercise program starting with its next eight-week session beginning May 23. To take part, you can call 515 689-5900 or visit http://altoona.kosama.com/ for more information. “I’m going to do it along with the Austin, Carson and Lori,” says TMAC. “I may have to hang in the back with the way my leg is, but I’m going to give it a shot. I don’t expect to look like Tony Bokhoven after eight weeks though.”
With the IRA in town last Saturday, TMAC qualified sixth quick in the 43-car field. “I’m really happy with the way things are going with the 55 team,” he says. “Every night we’re getting better. As a team, we’re really feeling good about things. They are coming together well.”
A fourth place heat run set up a main event that saw him start in row five. The team is jelling right now. “I felt great all night,” says TMAC. “The crew is getting along well. Matt (Barbara) and Gary (Isom) are doing a great job, and that makes it possible for us to do well. Having a great crew is very important in winning races and championships. It’s kind of like a family. If you can have that, it’s really half the battle. These guys put in a ton of time for not very much pay. They are away from their families and their jobs sometimes. I really appreciate their dedication. It pays off.”
A slow start didn’t impede the progress of the TK Concrete #55. “Our start wasn’t great,” says TMAC. “I think we were running twelfth at one point. We were able to drive back by some good drivers including Donny Schatz. Unfortunately, he ended up taking a ride down the backstretch and I was glad he was o.k. We ran down the top five and we were going great.”
TMAC had passed Don Droud Jr. for fourth, but it was negated by the Schatz red flag. “We had a good car and we could run high and low,” says TMAC. “With a little luck there without the red, maybe we could have been the one to pass Danny (Lasoski) when he broke at the end. We were right there with (winner) Dusty (Zomer) when he was in third. We just haven’t had the luck where we’ve started up front, but that balances itself out.”
The trailer was hitched up for Huset’s Speedway’s season opener in South Dakota on Sunday night. TMAC qualified third quick and ran fourth in his heat. “Gregg Bakker and Dave Lunstra worked on the racetrack, and they provided a great one,” he says. “There was a big ledge on the cushion up by the fence in the feature, which was good. The track was slick up to it.”
The ledge ended up being a factor as TMAC tipped over in the main event. “I was kind of off a bit all night,” he says. “We started sixth in the feature and got to third. We had a pretty good shot at winning it. I was trying the track, top and bottom, and I honked it into three a little too hard on the berm. We got over it, hit the fence and turned over. Someone got into us and that took the top wing. It was driver error, but you need to know where you are by pushing it once in awhile.”
This weekend’s plans include “Round 2” for the Monster Energy™ Sprint Series at Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois on Friday, and Knoxville on Saturday. “We plan on being down there (Jacksonville) one way or another, weather pending,” says TMAC. “We’ll be there in either the #55 or the #24. We’re looking forward to getting back to Knoxville on Saturday night. I’m just happy to be racing!”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
Terry and Austin Interviewed on Iowa Sports Live!
Follow the link as TMAC and Austin talk about the year ahead and just about everything else for 60 minutes…
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14321455
Front Row Challenge/Ultimate Challenge
The 16th Annual Front Row Challenge and the 10th Annual Ultimate Challenge will be held Monday and Tuesday, August 8 and 9, 2010 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Order your seats NOW by calling McTwo Promotions, Inc. at 515 957-0020. Visit www.OskyChallenges.com for further details.
Websites for the McCarl Gang!
Driverwebsites.com develops the websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, as well as www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!
In”Terry”gation
Caleb Corson asks: Is this the toughest weekly field you’ve run into at Knoxville?
TMAC Answers: No, when I first started, it was really tough. It seemed like there were about five cars with owners who could field an Outlaw team. Now, there is only a couple. It’s definitely the toughest field we’ve had in a long, long, time. There are a lot of drivers capable of winning every Saturday night.
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 Month in TMAC History!
On May 13, 2001, TMAC registered quick time of the night (11.16 seconds) and won the feature event at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, South Dakota. On that night, he topped Wade Nygaard, Jake Peters, Kenny Hansen and Tim Monson. TMAC won his fifth track championship in six years in 2001 by 20 points over Gary DeWall. He won ten features in 18 tries at Huset’s that season.
“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.
VerMeer Motorsports would like to thank TK Concrete, Maxim Trucking & Concrete Pumping, Tulip City Agency, Logan Contractors Supply, Van Maanen Electric, Tony’s Auto Parts, Monarch’s Restaurant & Lounge, Skyline Ready Mix, QTC (Quality Traffic Control), DPLM (Dennis Parking Lot Maintenance), Van Gorp Construction, Don Ott Racing Engines and Ulrich Motor.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Deanfield Farms, Eagle Chassis, DeBerg Concrete, AmeriCashAdvance.com, RFG, Phil and Vivian, Mark Burch Motorsports, Ryan Yager Trucking, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Don Ott Engines, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Country Builders Construction, Engler Injection, T&P Brothers, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko’s Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Morris Automotive, Chase Graphics, Pro Shocks, Mac Tools, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnettt’s Rock and Landscaping, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Bulldog Pest Control, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, CIP Racing Hoods, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings.