Austin at Knoxville (Ken Berry Photo)
Des Moines, IA (May 16, 2018) – Last Saturday morning, TKS Motorsports owners Troy and Tammy Renfro sat drinking their coffee and watching it rain, thinking that there was zero chance that racing was going to take place at the Knoxville Raceway… The night ended with the team rebounding well from a hard crash the previous week, as Austin McCarl wheeled the #2KS to a 4th-place finish in the A-main.
Troy and the TKS team were thrilled to have the opportunity to race on Saturday, as it had been a very long week. “When we surveyed the damage from the wreck a couple of Saturdays ago, there was absolutely nothing left,” said Troy. “We had to completely rebuild the car and everyone put in a lot of time to get us ready for Saturday night.”
It looked like the extra hours would be for not, as the majority of central Iowa was blanketed with rain Friday and Saturday. However, the Dunkins and all those involved with the Knoxville Raceway were able to pull off a small miracle and have the track and pit area ready to race. “I’m really not sure how they were able to pull it off,” said Austin. “If it were any other track, I don’t think that we would have been racing.”
The unsung heroes of Saturday night were the drivers that take the track every week without having their names read out. “You have to commend Knoxville, but specifically all of the push-truck drivers that were out there working their butts off,” said Troy. “It’s incredible what they were able to do, especially with the dirt sections of the pit area.”
All of the extra moisture in the track that was provided by Mother Nature led to a hammer-down, fast racetrack through the entirety of the night. A qualifying time of 15.004 would usually be atop the leaderboard, but on Saturday, left the Casey’s General Stores #2KS in eighth. “I need to qualify better,” said Austin. “With quite a bit of points being awarded for those at the top, we need to be a bit better early, but it was another night where the car felt better and better every time we hit the track.”
Austin was able to move up one position in his heat to take third, which left him starting on the inside of the fourth row in the A-main. Things got hectic fast when the green flag flew in the feature, with a multi-car accident down the frontstretch. “Austin did a great job of missing the wreck on the opening lap, which happened right in front of him,” said Troy. “From there, the race went pretty smooth, except for one close call right after the restart.”
When the race resumed, Austin banged wheels with Brooke Tatnell, but both drivers were able to race away. “Brooke got in over the cushion a bit, which allowed me to get a run, and we came back down the track we came together,” said Austin. “We both lifted and kept the cars straight, but that allowed Justin (Henderson) to get a run on the top to take away 4th.”
McCarl would settle in and gained a spot later in the race when AJ Moeller broke while running second, leaving the Renfro-owned #2KS with a 4th place finish. All things considered, it was a solid recovery for the team. “Austin did a great job,” said Troy. “Starting where we did on a track that was still super fast and narrow due to the rain, I’m really happy with a top five and being able to roll the car into the trailer in one piece.”
Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports #2KS will be back at the Knoxville Raceway this coming Saturday night, looking to make it back on the podium! 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, 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: Ken Berry
Morgan Broeg
broegracewriting@gmail.com
West Des Moines, IA USA
Twitter: @BroegW