Tuesdays with TMAC – Win at Huset’s Caps Weekend!
(Bill W) September 6, 2011 – With all the rain plaguing the Midwest, Terry McCarl wondered if he would race at all. Attempts in Wisconsin and at Knoxville failed Friday and Saturday, but Monday night found him in a familiar spot: Victory Lane at Huset’s Speedway. The win was the Altoona, Iowa driver’s 87th in his career at the 3/8-mile oval, and his 257th overall.
While TMAC was the crew chief in Bethany, Missouri with son Carson on Sunday night, Austin was racing at Huset’s and ended up upside down. “Austin was running fifth, and trying to pass for fourth,” says TMAC. “He got into the fence and junked about everything but the frame. It was bent a little bit. Brad, Cory, Austin and Tyler worked their butts off all night and into the day to get it ready for Monday.”
With Austin needing to head home for Grandview College, Dad took over the reins. It was a scramble to get the car ready. “It was funny, because we had to borrow a tank from Johnn Cressman,” he says. “We didn’t have a spare. Johnn was a huge asset to us. They started early, and we weren’t even ready when we got there. We didn’t hot lap.”
TMAC struggled through the heat. “The car was kind of doing crazy stuff, but we were second quick,” he says. “They were taking the top six, but there were only six in the heat, so I was trying to keep cool with the car, because it wasn’t comfortable.”
The problem was diagnosed during intermission. “Brad (Goebel) caught that the ball in the bell housing was cracked,” says TMAC. “It was towards the end of intermission. We didn’t have a lot of time. We ran over to Rosy’s and got some parts real quick. We pulled the rear-end out and changed the stuff.”
Starting inside row two in the feature, it was evident that the problem had been fixed. He passed Donovan Peterson for the win on lap 10. “I didn’t know what we’d have, so we kind of put the normal setup on,” says TMAC. “It worked great. We were good from the word ‘go’.”
The track was great by feature time. “Early on, it was like a day show, but they reworked it before the feature,” says TMAC. “It was really good racing after that. That worked in my favor, because they were out of Goodyear 300’s…the track tire. I didn’t have any 200’s, but I had an old 300 to use. It ended up rolling a little rubber on the top, and my tire was better than everybody in the end.”
The win was a welcome one. “It was good to get a win,” says TMAC. “I’d like to thank all the sponsors that have helped out TMAC Motorsports this year. We couldn’t do it without them.”
With the rainout at Knoxville, Carson was crowned as the youngest champion in Knoxville history, conquering the 305 class. Austin finished a career-best sixth in the 410 class. Both raced TMAC Motorsports cars. “It’s pretty amazing,” says TMAC. “We just have to get Carson out racing more. We took him to Bethany (Sunday). He needs more time on a short track. He spun out going for second, and came back up to sixth.”
The plan is to run with the IRA at Superior Speedway in Superior, Wisconsin on Friday, and the $5,000 to win Jerry Richert Memorial at Cedar Lake Speedway near New Richmond, Wisconsin on Saturday. Either Eagle Raceway or Huset’s are options for Sunday.
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
Marty Jordan asks: How often did you crash when you were first starting out?
TMAC Answers: The first two years I raced, I drove for Daryl Arends. We didn’t run anywhere but Knoxville. We did go to the Jackson Nationals, because Daryl lived in Algona. I crashed one time each year, and that was it.
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 September 5, 1999, TMAC drove to Victory at Huset’s in Guy Forbrook’s #5 and clinched the track title. He also won the Knoxville Raceway track championship 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, 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.
TMAC in Victory Lane at Huset’s (Huset’s Speedway Photo)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net
- administrator on Sep 06, 2011
- Article Date: 9/6/2011