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Tuesdays with TMAC – Riding a Streak!
(Bill W) August 26, 2008 – A streak of top ten runs with the World of Outlaws has reached five for sprint car driver Terry McCarl. Eliminate a couple of mechanical gremlins, include the Knoxville Nationals, and that number could be approaching ten. There's no doubt things are going well right now, and confidence is high for the Big Game Treestands #24 team as they head to the Skagit Speedway near Burlington, Washington for a weekend of racing, before heading down to Elma on Monday.
Last week's activity included three dates beginning with the Billings Motorsports Complex in Montana. A dry and rocky racetrack waited. TMAC was 13th quick on a parched surface that was reworked immediately after qualifying. "They dug it up before the heats, and I was hoping they'd wait since I was in the first heat," he says. "It was actually heavy and the car was tight in the heat. There were four heats, and it was amazing how much it blew off and how dry it got by the end of it."
TMAC was able to win his heat, but the racetrack deteriorated the rest of the way. "It was one lane around the bottom," he says. "If you got off, it was marbles…literally like a gravel road. The low side where we were running was packed in, but if you got above that, it was like a gravel road that would suck you in. I spun in the dash like a dummy and started tenth in the feature. That's where we stayed. I was literally putting around the corners. It was way worse than any rubber-down track I've raced on."
Despite another top ten, TMAC knows that the fans were cheated of a good race. "I feel for the fans," he says. "I don't remember a worse racetrack to race on. That's saying a lot, because I've been on a lot of them. I think I could speak for everyone in the pits in saying that. In defense of the track folks, it didn't look like the moisture was very deep into the track, and the composition of the dirt is rocky."
The quest for the Oil City Cup in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Friday and Saturday was next. TMAC was 3rd quick on Friday night, finished third in the heat and lined up seventh for the feature. "We almost got by Sam (Hafertepe Jr.) in the heat for second and the dash redraw, but it didn't quite happen," he says. "We finished the dash seventh. In the feature, we were good, but not great. When we got into lapped traffic, I got caught behind a couple of slower cars and lost about four spots. We got going again after that and ended up seventh."
"It was a tricky racetrack on Friday," continues TMAC. "It was wet early, and it built a big ledge going into one, and was slick coming off of two. It was a fun track. The fans up there may be the best we see all season. They are so appreciative of us. It was crowded Friday and 'super-packed' on Saturday. People don't understand how much fun that is for us, and the atmosphere it creates around the event."
On Saturday, TMAC was dialed in from the beginning. He posted the 2nd fastest time of the night before getting ready for the second heat race. "In the heat we had a good start from outside row two and were heading into the lead when Joey (Saldana) decided he didn't want that to happen and took us out," he says plainly.
TMAC and the crew did a masterful job of repairing the racecar for the B, and the night ended in a hard-charging run. "We were fast all night," says the Altoona, Iowa driver. "We won the B, and I felt exactly like I did a lot of nights at Huset's (Speedway in South Dakota). Castrol is a little bit similar in size. The car was perfect, high, low and in between. Unfortunately, it laid rubber about 12 laps in, and we didn't get to see what we could have done with the leaders. I feel confident we could have passed them all. I had actually gotten by Joey on the high side for fifth before the restart, but it laid rubber hard and I got a little high trying to get by lapped traffic."
The team is taking shape as the all important annual West Coast trip is on the horizon. "Gary Isom is handling the setups and he and I are really clicking right now," says TMAC. "Dave Lawrence takes care of the engines, and Brandon is helping us too. We're having a blast right now. We're confident, and this is the best I've felt mentally in a long time."
Crazee Combos Continue!
TMAC and Daryn Pittman are continuing their "Crazee Combo" deals at the merchandise trailer! For $25, you can purchase a t-shirt, hat, sticker and coozie from TMAC! Take advantage of the "Crazee Combo" this weekend!
In"Terry"gation
Dillon in Arvada, CO asks: Last week you said it was a hassle going across the Canadian border. Describe some of the things that are required.
TMAC Answers: It's a hassle going through customs. You have to list every nut and bolt in your trailer. That's understandable, because when you return, they want to know what you bought in Canada and there may be duties on it. Mandy Pittman was with our t-shirt trailer. You pay duties on all the shirts you take in, and they want a record of what country they were made in. We have our shirts printed at one company, but the smalls may have been made in Honduras and the large ones somewhere else. Every country has a different tariff depending on how friendly that country is with us. So the inventory is the biggest hassle, but we got to run on a great track with some great fans.
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at [email protected], and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.
Today in TMAC History!
TMAC has a win on this date in 2001 at the Huset's Speedway (SD), where he is the career leader in wins. He beat Chad Meyer, Gregg Bakker, Kenny Hansen, Justin Henderson and his mechanic Glen Freeland (DNF) that night. In 2005, he had a great weekend at the Grays Harbor Raceway Park in Elma, Washington. On this date, he finished third after starting 11th with the World of Outlaws, following Steve Kinser and Jonathan Allard. That locked him into the next night's event, in which he finished fourth. As a prelude to the WoO shows, he won in Paul Silva's #57 besting Roger Crockett in 360 NST action.
Website Updates
Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
"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 [email protected] with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Big Game Treestands, AmeriCashAdvance.com, DeBerg Concrete and Remington Treestands.
(Daniel Beard Photo)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
[email protected]
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