From Bill W
Who isn’t in a good mood to start the season down south? “We are really happy,” says TMAC. “It’s cold up in Iowa, and we got our rig two nights before we left. The Bosma family bought me this truck and trailer and it’s so nice. I’m really happy about that. I have to thank Dennis and Penny Haarsma of Sioux Falls. These guys are really good fans and friends of mine. They did me the biggest favor. They drove my truck and trailer from Northern California all the way back to Iowa. They were out there with relatives, and drove back through ice and snow and bad weather. They saved me a lot of time, money and hassle and I’d really like to thank them!”
Friday’s prelim went relatively well as a first night out, though a brake problem plagued the TMAC Motorsports #24 team. “We expected to have a few gremlins, but we didn’t,” says TMAC. “We had barely started the car. We did have a problem with the brakes. We didn’t get them bled off.”
The Altoona, Iowa driver settled into the evening, and posted a ninth place finish. “We qualified o.k. (12th) and ran o.k. in the heat (4th),” he says. “We started the feature twelfth, and I lost the brakes the first couple laps in the corners. We were up to seventh, but I kept losing the brakes. For the first night, I was happy. It was a brand new Eagle, and the car felt great. Physically, I felt a lot better than last year.”
The finale went even better for TMAC, crew chief, Brad Goebel, and mechanic Blake Cook. “We came back on Saturday and regrouped,” he says. “We’re trying some things. We have some gas Pro Shocks. We went out 21st for qualifying and we were fifth quick. The car felt awesome to me.”
TMAC finished fifth and in a feature transfer spot in his heat. “As the night went on, the track got a little abrasive,” he says. “With the All Stars, you run the same right rear all night long. I thought I was conserving it in the heat race, but we came in and I had burnt about 20% of it.”
The cold night air gripped the moisture on the low side of the speedway. “I was on the pole of the dash with Tony Stewart beside me,” says TMAC. “I had the moisture on the bottom, so I thought there was no way he’d beat me on the start. He drove right by me, and I thought, ‘What the heck?’ We came back in and looked at the track and it was actually starting to freeze on the bottom of the track. I’ve never seen that.”
After a lengthy late model event, it was time for a feature in which TMAC would start inside row two. “We pushed off about an hour and a half later for the feature, and it was definitely frozen then,” he says of the track. “It didn’t lay rubber, but it was abrasive. (Jason) Sides got the lead right away and Tony Stewart got in the ice and sideways. I got by him there for second. He came back by me on a caution and it was like, ‘What’s going on with the track?’ I’d heard stories from my Dad about the frozen tracks down here, but I’d never seen one.”
TMAC tried to nurse the tires while running second. “I bided my time and let Jason go,” he says. “I was trying to save my tire, I thought. We had a red about fifteen laps to go, and Jason’s tire looked bad. (Fred) Rahmer’s looked worse, so I unbuckled and took a look at mine. The whole inside tread was bald, and I thought I had been taking it easy.”
Behind him, “Smoke” had plenty of tire left and would take the win. “I didn’t try to press Jason on the restart, and we were both kind of trying to coast,” says TMAC. “I tried pressuring with about five to go, but I pushed in the corner and got back behind him. Stewart went by both of us with about a lap and a half to go. Coming for the checkers, I came up on a lapped car that got sideways. At this point, it was ice and my tires were bald. I took a hard left and (Cody) Darrah was able to get us for third.”
The fourth place finish was a good momentum builder for Volusia. “All in all I was happy,” says TMAC. “We had cords showing, and we were able to finish. We didn’t tear anything up and we were in the game and in contention to win. I’m really happy with everything we have this year. Brad and Blake did a great job and I’m looking forward to Volusia.”
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
Anthony Fossen asks: You’ve had a lot of success in Florida over the years. What do you attribute it to?
TMAC Answers: Florida can be brutal for a lot of people, but we’ve always seemed to do well. Some of my biggest wins have been down here. It seems I’m really fast or really slow. Back in 1993, I remember winning in Jacksonville in my car, and coming back the following year and winning in the Weikert #29. That was one of my highlights. It seems we come out strong, but I don’t know why. I think we do a good job of preparation, and I think these sandy, wet, oily tracks fit my driving style. We have great people who help us down here like Morgan Farms and Burnett’s Rock & Landscaping.
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 February 5, 1994, TMAC took the All Star win at JAX Raceways in Jacksonville. He drove Bob Weikert’s #29 to victory over Frankie Kerr, Kelly Kinser, Joey Saldana and Brian Tyler.
“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.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Deanfield Farms, Bosma Poultry, Eagle Chassis, DeBerg Concrete, AmeriCashAdvance.com, RFG, Phil and Vivian, 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, T&P Brothers, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko’s Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Chase Graphics, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett’s Rock and Landscaping, Fatheadz Eyewear, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Bulldog Pest Control, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings.