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Tuesdays with TMAC – Travelin' to Tulare!
(Bill W) February 20, 2007 – A trip from central Iowa to Tulare, California will take you right around 30 hours or so and Mapquest puts the distance at 1,777 miles. That's the next item on the agenda for Terry McCarl and TMAC Motorsports as they set off for California this evening. The destination is Thunderbowl Raceway and a World of Outlaws two-night stand this Friday and Saturday night!
Despite preferring the bigger tracks, TMAC has had success at the high-banked 1/3 mile clay oval, and a victory in October of 2004 from his 17th starting spot illustrates that. "It's a pretty exciting place. It's usually a 'Cowboy Up' kind of place. It's a small paperclip and it can be real heavy or real slick, it can throw anything at you. If we get the setup right though, we can win anywhere!"
TMAC went on to say, "The best thing I can say about (Tulare) is, some of my sponsors were wanting to come to a race…usually they go to Vegas…and I told them the best one to come and watch would be Tulare. They always get a great crowd for the reason that it's an exciting place to watch sprint cars."
McCarl was also complimentary of the drivers from the Golden State. "They have a good local contingent. It's one of those tracks where a local can do well against the Outlaws, because it's not really a 'horsepower' track, and they run there a little more than we do."
In his 2004 win there, McCarl moved up steadily from his ninth row starting spot and was a solid second on the last lap when leader Daryn Pittman had a tire go down. "There was rubber, but we only gained about five spots from the tires going down. We had a really good race car, and I bided my time early. I was able to move up to the middle, and pass some guys. Daryn did blow the tire coming for the checkered, but it was one of those days when luck was on our side!"
The irony of the 2004 win was that TMAC didn't even make the A main in the preliminary the night before. "The first night was real heavy and nasty. I did a wheelie coming for the white flag in qualifying, so both of my laps were screwed up, so you never know!"
The last WoO visit in October of 2005 saw McCarl lock himself in the top four on the preliminary night with a great run, but suffer mechanical woes in the finale. Regardless of the track conditions, TMAC will be heading in with his confidence high, sitting seventh in the WoO point standings.
Terry hopes to catch up on some of his friendships that originated when he lived and drove in California in 1990 and 1991 for Country Builders Construction. "The fans in California are great. They'll be in from Hanford, Chico and other places. There's a tradition with sprint car racing in California. It will be good to see some of the old friends and some of the people from Country Builders Construction. They're a big part of my life."
If you're one of the lucky ones to be at Tulare, stop by and say hello to TMAC and the boys!
Dave Helm
TMAC Motorsports would like to pass their condolences on to the family and friends of longtime California and World of Outlaws car owner Dave Helm. Dave passed away in Fresno on Saturday.
Terry says, "I never drove for him but I actually raced against him when I first moved to CA in '90. He took one of the worst crashes that I ever saw at Hanford one night. He was a very nice man and was a great supporter of sprint car racing."
TMAC Broadcasts
Last Friday, Terry was a guest on Doug's Dirt Diary. He talked about Volusia and looked ahead to Tulare. Here's a direct link to that interview:
http://www.dougsdirtdiary.com/php/playaudio.php?id=2183
Last night, Terry was a guest on Dirt Nation. Here's that link:
http://odeo.com/show/9194633/4/download/TerryMcCarl-WooSprints2-19-07.mp3
In"Terry"gation
KingMcCarl24 from Lee's Summit, MO asks: Terry, As someone that follows your racing very closely, it seems that you have been a little off on your qualifying runs since your leg injury. Is that a direct result of the injury, or are you just holding back? LOL! I know you made the comment in the past that all the quick times kind of hurt you a little with the inverts in the heat races. So, What's the deal?
TMAC answers: "We have definitely been off on our qualifying since then. We were one of the best time trialing teams in the nation for the last few years and to be honest I am not sure what happened. A driver's confidence is difficult to build up and easy to tear down. I was near the top of my game mentally and physically when I broke my leg. I would be lying to myself to say that it didn't hurt my mental attitude. When something like that happens it affects the entire program and that includes time trials. Looking at the new format I would be very happy to be 9th quick every night!! Thanks for the great question!"
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at [email protected], and we'll answer it in this section every week! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.
Did you know?
Terry has finished in the top ten in three of the last four World of Outlaws shows at Thunderbowl Raceway dating back to his win on October 30, 2004.
Front Row/Ultimate Challenge Update
Advanced ticket holders to the Front Row Challenge and/or Ultimate Challenge can order their tickets now until March 29. All other seats become available April 3. Call McTwo Promotions Tuesday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 515 957-0020 to renew!
Infield Party Passes are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race!
For more information on the Challenges or on TMAC Motorsports, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com.
"Tuesdays with TMAC"
A new addition to the TMAC Motorsports 2007 arsenal is "Tuesdays with TMAC". This weekly release will allow you to get up close and personal with the team, give you an update on how the past week went, and a look at the week ahead. Who knows what all we'll throw at you, but one thing is certain, Tuesday just got more exciting!?!
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, Bosma Poultry, Inc., AmeriCash Advance, and Ground Max Hunting Blinds.
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@BillWMedia
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