By Bill W
September 27, 2011 – The VerMeer #55 worked flawlessly as Terry McCarl drove from green to checker to take the $4,000 to win Monster Energy™ Sprint Car Series show last Saturday night at the 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The win was the Altoona, Iowa drivers seventh of the season.
TMAC set a blistering lap in qualifying, but things were feeling good even before that. “The second I took the green in hot laps, the car felt awesome,” he says. “It was the most fun I’ve had in the car in a long time. From turn three when I took the green on, I felt great. It made me confident, and Burlington is one of my favorite tracks around.”
An invert of six in the heat saw TMAC come home in the fourth and final transfer spot for the feature. “We were fast in the heat, and we got to fourth really fast,” he says. “I got up behind (Austin) Johnson I guess, and I got tight for a second. I lost my line in one and two and lost a spot. From there, I had to get my elbows up and get back in a transfer spot. You don’t want to do anything too crazy at that point. The car felt really good and the motor was great.”
Drawing for the dash first was no advantage. “I drew the last spot,” says TMAC. “That wasn’t great, but I had a great start. They had to call it back because Lynton (Jeffrey) and (Joey) Moughan got together. Without that, I think we would have won it. As it was, we started fourth and ran second.”
The team went to work setting up the racecar. “It was a great racetrack,” says TMAC. “It was slick in one and two and rough in three and four, so it was different on both ends. I could run above the cushion in three and four and low in one and two.”
The Monster Energy™ series allows Hoosier tires. “The Goodyear tires have had me screwed up so much this year,” says TMAC. “I haven’t been able to tighten the racecar like I’m used to. It has made me timid as a mechanic on how tight I’ve set the car. It was great running Hoosiers and an open wing. It was just so fun to have a great racecar.”
Starting second in the feature, there was little doubt from the drop of the green flag that it would be tough to catch TMAC. “I really didn’t get a good practice lap before the feature,” he says. “We got the jump on (Jordan) Goldesberry at the start there, and I didn’t know how the car would react in one and two. It rolled the bottom perfectly, and I got a great run coming off of two down the backstretch. I remember thinking how I haven’t felt that good in a long time.”
When traffic came into play, TMAC didn’t skip a beat. “I got into traffic and I was able to run the middle like I used to feel all the time,” he says. “The car was good everywhere. I didn’t even pull the wing back until the last restart, and that was just a couple of inches. It was just for something to do. You know you have a balanced car at that point.”
Friday night did not go well at Jacksonville Speedway in Illinois for the “Shaheen’s Blast from the Past”. “It was just a night you chalk up to experience,” says TMAC. “We drew last (9th) in the first heat. I don’t mind that, but it’s tough in the first heat after the mods go out and dig it up. I think the track was heavier for the heat than it had been in hot laps. Every single car was a good one it seemed. Not to make excuses, but that made it tough.”
TMAC finished seventh in the heat, putting him in the B main, which he won. “The car felt great in the B,” he says. “We started 16th in the A, and it laid rubber after about five laps. At that point, you’re back in heavy traffic on a tiny track, and you can’t get going. On top of it, we ran most of the way without brakes. We ended up twelfth and loaded up in one piece. It did motivate me for Saturday though, and that turned out to be a positive.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
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
Jensen Johnston asks: Did you think the Monster Energy™ series would have done as well as it has done?
TMAC Answers: I had hoped so. I don’t know all of the guys who work with it, but the ones I do know, work hard. They are doing the right things. They have a great nucleus of drivers in an area where there is a lot of history. There are a lot of sprint car families with heritage there. We really need that kind of deal to start around Knoxville. They do great promoting up front. They have the Monster Energy™ girls, and a lot of things in there for the fans. They are doing a great job, and I think it will keep growing.
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!
TMAC won the Jerry Richert Memorial on September 11, 2004 at the Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond, Wisconsin. In addition to the win coming over Brooke Tatnell, Jason Solwold, Travis Whitney and Mike Reinke, TMAC set a new track record in time trials with a lap of 10.775 seconds on the 3/8-mile banked oval.
“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, 212 The Boiling Point Bar & Grill, 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, Superflow Technologies, Phillips’ Floors, 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.