Austin ended up third in points at Knoxville (Chuck Stowe Images)
(Bill W) August 29, 2017 – The TKS Motorsports #2KS team and driver Austin McCarl finished off a great season at Knoxville Raceway Saturday, ending third in the point race. The team plans on a few shows to close out the season, including this weekend at the Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota.
TKS Motorsports owner and crew chief Troy Renfro was pleased with the season at Knoxville. “We’ve had a really good year,” he says. “I’m proud of Austin and proud of our team. Saturday wasn’t one of our stellar nights (finishing 14th), but we had issues all night that were happening. I was proud of how Austin kept his head and brought the car home. Sometimes you have to do that and look at the big picture. He knew we needed to finish and he had to finish, and he did.”
Austin also qualified the car for the Knoxville Nationals A main. “For our first year working together, I don’t know that we could ask for anything more,” he says. “Troy and I really work well together. We were consistently fast all year. We kind of had some ups and downs, but that’s expected. I think our goal going into the year was being in the top five in points, and to make the podium was pretty huge for a team like ours. We were beat by a couple of teams that are Outlaw quality, with great drivers and teams, so that’s nothing to hang your head about.”
Troy says he had confidence in Austin long before this season started. “Austin has done an outstanding job and I hope people see what we all felt, and I’ve seen over the years,” he says. “I think he needed the opportunity and a little guidance, and he’s done a great job. I can’t say enough about him. He’s mature for his age, and he’s very smart about the cars. That goes back to working on his Dad’s cars and doing his own setups. This is the year he needed to focus on driving and he’s done an outstanding job.”
“It was great to just be a driver, and show up with the helmet bag at 4:30 and go race,” says Austin. “Not worrying about tires, where the right rear is spaced, what gear we have in, and all the rest of it. The team did a great job and I was able to concentrate on mine as a driver. Troy is a great leader and mechanic.”
The team includes Scott Parker, who is currently superintendent of the new Bryan Clauson Suite Tower project at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and his son Brad, who works overtime as well. “My team is full of guys who work regular jobs,” says Troy. “We have to work around their schedules, and there are places we can’t go, because we just don’t have the help. We can’t afford to hire anyone, but that’s something we’re looking for next year. We’re looking for some help for us to do that. If we can do that, we can run some more races.”
If there’s one thing Austin feels was missing, it was a win at Knoxville. “I wish we could have gotten a win at Knoxville,” he says. “Hopefully, next year we can make up for that. I’m really looking forward to next year. We have a few races left this year, and hopefully we can pick up that first win.”
The season was also a great boost to his morale as a driver. “It has been a great confidence builder,” says Austin. “I hadn’t had the best last couple of years in my own car. To get with a good team and compete with Brian Brown, Terry McCarl and Danny Lasoski was a great boost to my confidence.”
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, Billy Bell House Removal and Gail Dielman.
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Photo: Austin ended up third in points (Chuck Stowe Images)
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