Austin raced in the 360 class on Saturday (Chuck Stowe Images)
(Bill W) June 6, 2017 – The TKS Motorsports #2KS team and driver Austin McCarl ran in the 360 class Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway. Much of the team also attended the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Induction banquet in the afternoon. Austin’s father, Terry, was inducted. The team has a busy week ahead that will include the World of Outlaws two-night event at Knoxville, a Sunday date with the All Stars at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa and another Outlaw run Tuesday at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska.
The opportunity to run in the 360 class came about last week. “It was fun,” says TKS Motorsports owner and crew chief, Troy Renfro. “We didn’t really have another choice, and Al Parker was kind enough to let us run his 360. I can’t thank him enough for helping us out.”
The induction banquet came first on Saturday. “We felt it was important for Austin to be at his Dad’s induction, and Tammy and I were able to attend the banquet too,” says Troy. “That’s the pinnacle of any person’s career in the sport. It was a great ceremony with a lot of people there.”
Austin timed in tenth quick in a stout field. “It was fun,” he says. “Thanks to Al Parker, we were able to run a 360. I don’t get to do that very often, so it was fun. We weren’t as fast as maybe we hoped to be, but we learned a little bit.”
After running fourth in the heat, he would line up outside row six for the feature. “The racetrack was heavier than I thought it would be, considering the non-wing guys were there,” says Troy. “We had to keep freeing up compared to running a 410. When the racetrack freed up halfway through the feature, we were pretty decent.”
Austin agreed. “We did get much better at the end of the race. We were able to get by a couple of cars late in the going and ended up eighth. It was fun to race with no pressure and no points.”
The USAC event yielded a large crowd, thanks in part to both Dave Darland and the late Tony Elliott being inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. “There was a great crowd,” says Troy. “It was the biggest crowd we’ve had at Knoxville in quite a while. They put on a great show. I love non-wing racing. It’s something I was a part of several years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It’s just not something we want to do as owners…yet.”
Troy says the team is ready for their busy week ahead. “We’re planning on the Outlaw shows at Knoxville,” he says. “If everything goes well, we’ll head to Burlington to run with the All Stars, and Eagle next Tuesday with the Outlaws. We’re hoping that getting a few races in can help us moving forward with all the rainouts we’ve had.”
Sponsor the Front Wing with TKS Motorsports!
TKS Motorsports is always open to new perspective partners! Looking for an affordable way to be a part of a sprint car team? Whether you’d like to partner with the team for the full season, or put your company’s name on the nose wing for a night of your choice, contact Troy at tsrenfro8725@gmail.com!
TKS Motorsports would like to thank Casey's General Stores, Des Moines Industrial Products (DMIP), 1 Way Technologies, AL Driveline, AO Designs, All Star Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Fibreworks Composites, Hoosier, Indy Race Parts, KSE Racing Products, Mag Tech Ignition, Maxim Racing Chassis, Schoenfeld Headers, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Butlerbuilt, Aurora Rod Ends, HRP, Volcano Joe’s Coffee, Walker Filtration Systems, Snyder Landscaping & Lawn Care, Justice Brothers, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, Winters Performance Products and Gail Dielman.
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Photo: Austin raced in the 360 class on Saturday (Chuck Stowe Images)
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