Austin McCarl celebrates with the TKS Motorsports team Saturday at Knoxville (Chuck Stowe Image)
Des Moines, IA (August 29, 2018) – Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports team are the 2018 Knoxville Raceway track champions! Wrapping up the season with a runner-up finish last Saturday, the Troy & Tammy Renfro-owned team will enjoy their Labor Day weekend at home, before making plans on where to take to the track next.
With the TKS team ready to wrap up their point championship, they had to endure a bit longer wait than expected. “It was a really weird start to the night with the power going,” said Troy Renfro. “We could hear the transformer blow from the pits, but John McCoy and all of the Knoxville crew did a great job at doing what they had to for us to race, and MidAmerican Energy too. The fans all stuck out the delay and we did our best to keep them entertained.”
When the power returned and the racing picked up, Austin McCarl rolled off from the pole of the first heat, with Brian Brown to his outside. “It was a pretty wild start to the heat,” said Austin. “Brooke [Tatnell], Brian, and I went three-wide on the opening lap and I ended up losing a spot, which left us starting a bit further back than I would have liked in the feature.”
Slotted in the 8th-starting spot in the season finale, McCarl wasted little time making his way forward in the 25-lap main event. “The car was strong all night,” said Austin. “We were able to make our way up to second in the A-main without a caution and [Kerry] Madsen’s car was getting a bit bigger every lap. If we could have had a caution, I think we could have capped off our championship with a win.”
Austin’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, as the lap times indicated the Casey’s General Stores/Midwest Basement Systems #2KS was the fastest car on the track. “We were the fastest car out there throughout the A-main,” said Troy. “Austin was clocking faster laps than Kerry at the end, but he was also faster than Brown before Brian broke; he just ran out of laps.”
With both Austin and TKS Motorsports earning their first point championships at the Knoxville Raceway, there was plenty of cause for celebration; though the method differed mightily. “It was a great celebration and it ended pretty late in the night… or early in the morning would be more accurate,” said Austin.
For Troy and Tammy Renfro, the celebration was much more subdued. “We had fun in victory lane, but after that we got the car loaded up and Tammy and I drove home just the two of us in the truck, just like the old days,” said Troy. “We celebrated at 1:30 in the morning with a grilled cheese and a glass of milk sitting at our kitchen table.”
With their goals for the year accomplished, Troy has already started preparations for the 2019 season, though he isn’t forgetting all the TKS supporters. “We couldn’t have accomplished any of what we’ve done the last 4 years without the help of our crew Jonathan Pruitt, Scott Parker, Brad Parker and the support of Don & Charlene Lamberti, Bob Myers, Casey’s General Stores, Rick & Belinda Lander/Des Moines Industrial Products, Tim & Kim Heady/Midwest Basement Systems and all of our sponsors,” said Troy. “Our team has worked really hard this year and I couldn’t be more proud of them or Austin, who has been a great fit for our team.”
While the TKS team isn’t done for the year, they will continue their championship celebration by taking a week off from racing; with Austin taking the wife on a vacation and the Renfros getting some work done around the house. Check out the new TKS Motorsports website for the season schedule and more from the TKS team.
TKS Motorsports is thankful for the support from all of their loyal sponsors:
Casey's General Stores, Des Moines Industrial Products (DMIP), Midwest Basement Systems, Neumann Brothers Construction, AFA Wheels, AL Driveline, All Star Performance, AO Designs, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Billy Bell House Moving, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt, Chalk Stix Torsion Bars, Fibreworks Composites, Gail Dielman, Hoosier, HRP, Indy Race Parts, Justice Brothers, KSE Racing Products, Liberty Ready Mix, Mag Tech Ignition, Maxim Racing Chassis, Parker Performance, PennGrade Motor Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Slade Shock Technology, Snyder Landscaping & Lawn Care, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Top Flight Wings, Walker Filtration Systems, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, and Winters Performance Products.
Photo Credit: Chuck Stowe
Morgan Broeg
broegracewriting@gmail.com
West Des Moines, IA USA
Twitter: @BroegW