By Bill W
April 15, 2014 – During the course of the evening at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa last Saturday night, Terry McCarl had no peer. From his quick time performance to his dominating feature win, no one was close in the 33-car MOWA series field. This Saturday night, TMAC embarks on the Knoxville Championship Cup Series amongst the toughest weekly field ever assembled at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World”.
The 3/8-mile oval is one of TMAC’s favorites. “I really like 34 Raceway,” he says. “It’s just a fun track, and I’ve been going there since my Dad raced there when I was a kid. We have a lot of good friends down there. We usually get around there really well.”
He would register quick time as one of only two cars in the twelve-second bracket. “We were second quick at the Outlaw show there last year,” says TMAC. “I’ve been quick time at Outlaw and other shows there in the past. We have a pretty good setup. Quick time has a lot to do with your engine, and our Rider engine is working well. It has been all year.”
TMAC won his heat race to transfer to the Dash. “I tried the bottom for a bit, but at that point, the track was really good on the top,” he says. “We got a good start. Cole Wood had some bad luck. It sounded like he broke a rear-end. The format was a little different in that we started fourth and had to make the top two to make the Dash. It forced me to have a good start. There was a heck of a field of cars. Getting to the top two wasn’t as easy as it sounded.”
With Craig Dollansky starting on the pole of the Dash, TMAC would post from seventh. A convincing charge saw him finish second and gaining on the leader. “To be honest, we didn’t really have the tire we wanted for qualifying or with us being in the first heat,” he says. “We were a little loose. We went with what we had. We were able to get something mounted up for the Dash and it helped us a bunch. I had a great start, and Craig was running around the top. We found a little something on the bottom, and I think we may have had him in another half-lap. I was really excited about that. It showed how strong we were.”
Dollansky would start on the pole of the main event, with TMAC outside. “I think he had the preferred line on the bottom,” says TMAC of Dollansky. “I knew I wasn’t going to beat him on the start. I just felt if I could hang with him and wait for a mistake in traffic or something, we could get him. As it was, I had a really good start. I was able to stay close in one and two on the top, and he went to the bottom in three and four. We were able to get around him there and the car felt really good.”
Up front, TMAC was cruising. “On the yellow flags, (son) Austin was signaling that we were pulling away every time,” he says. “We’ve just felt really good in the A.R.T. chassis this year, and it seems anywhere we go, if we’re not winning, we’re in contention. I’m really happy with the car and engine program this year.”
The win was rewarding, and TMAC is looking for more help to boost his racing schedule a bit. “We’re looking to add one more crew member,” he says. “That person can help me drive, and honestly, it will help us get to more races. When you’re doing it all, it’s tough to get to all the races you want to get to. At this point, Austin doesn’t have a full-time ride. I’d really like for him to be able to run some MOWA stuff, but we’re short some parts. Hopefully, he can find a ride or get something going. Right now, it works for me to have him helping me, and that’s what made Saturday so much fun. It was just Austin, Carson, Lori and myself. It’s a family team against the big boys.”
TMAC is thankful for the partners that make the team go. “We don’t have that one big corporate sponsor, but we have a lot of good people helping us out,” he says. “They are all really good friends of mine. It’s just the way I like my team. We can run when we want and where we want, and we’re surrounded by good people. Every name on that car is a big part of TMAC Motorsports, and they’re all good friends.”
Things ramp up in a hurry Saturday at Knoxville Raceway. Everyone is fully aware that this may well be the best weekly competition ever assembled at the famous half-mile. “I’ve been going to Knoxville since the wooden bleachers,” says TMAC. “You look back fondly at the ‘Good Old Days’, and think it was pretty awesome. Looking at this year’s lineup at Knoxville, there’s really no comparison. It’s as tough as it’s ever been. You look at central PA, and in the past I’ve think they’ve been ahead of us, but not anymore.”
Over thirty drivers are committed to racing weekly in the 410 class. “There are some incredible teams,” says TMAC. “Craig Dollansky is a top five Outlaw team, and they’ll be at Knoxville every Saturday. You look at the Dobmeier/Lunstra team. They have Guy Forbrook as their mechanic. You go on and on down the row. It’s the toughest it’s ever been, and it’s great for the fans. The Dunkin’s do a great job with the track, which makes it even better.”
The level of competition will bring out the best in the seven-time Knoxville track champ. “It motivates me to work even harder,” he says. “When the competition gets tough, it makes me step up the program. I have a better attitude and it makes me even hungrier to win. We’re ready!”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
TMAC on MRN’s Winged Nation!
TMAC appeared on this morning’s MRN Winged Nation. The archive will be up at the following link…
http://www.mrn.com/Media-
Front Row Challenge Tickets on Sale!
The 19th Annual Casey’s General Stores/Musco Lighting Front Row Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company will be held Monday, August 4 at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Tickets are now on sale! For more information, call Front Row Challenge Enterprises, LLC at 515 957-0020. For further information, stay tuned to www.OskyChallenges.com!
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!
This Month in TMAC History!
In 2001, TMAC performed a clean sweep of the Season Opener at Knoxville Raceway. He set quick time at 15.087, won his heat after starting sixth, and with an invert of eight took the feature over Dennis Moore Jr., Kerry Madsen, Don Droud Jr. and Leonard Lee. Madsen started on the pole, and led the first ten laps before TMAC took command. TMAC edged Droud by 95 points for the track title that year. Both won five features 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@hotmail.com with “TMAC” in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer – Bayaire Industries, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Ryan Yager Trucking, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, T&P Brothers, Winters, DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Jocko’s Sprint Parts, Sander, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett’s Rock and Landscaping, Van Der Brink Trucking, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Buttman BBQ, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, Justice Brothers, KSE Steering, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Weiland Racing, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings and Mote Fasteners.