Des Moines, IA (June 19, 2018) – A big day is coming this Saturday for TMAC and his family, as he will be inducted into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame. Terry will be the second McCarl to be inducted, as his father Lenard was inducted as part of the 1985 class. TMAC’s induction will be sandwiched between two big nights of racing for the TMAC Motorsports #24: Friday night with the World of Outlaws at Farley Speedway and Saturday at Knoxville!
Last Friday saw TMAC and son Austin making the long haul up to Grand Forks, North Dakota, not only to race with the World of Outlaws at River Cities Speedway, but to also visit one of their sponsors. “We’ve been lucky to have Simplot Grower Solutions as a partner on both my car, as well as Austin’s #17A,” said Terry. “We actually had the opportunity to go on a tour of the French fry plant that they have in Grand Forks on Friday and it made for a very interesting day.”
Still working on getting back to 100% health after his concussion, Terry decided to take the night off on Friday and instead take up his role as part of Austin’s crew. “Austin had a great night on Friday,” said TMAC. “He qualified second and was able to win his heat to earn a spot in his first ever dash with the Outlaws.”
After starting on the inside of the second row in the night’s feature event, Austin experienced some bad luck, but still salvaged an 18th and gained great experience. “Austin tipped the car on its side in the A-main, but we were able to get the car back out to finish the feature,” said Terry. “Every lap he gets to run with the Outlaws is great experience, especially on a track like they have in Grand Forks, which is quite a bit different than what we usually get to race on.”
With a 10-hour drive in front of them, the night had basically just begun for the McCarls and crew when the checkered flew on the feature event. “As soon as the race ended, we got Austin’s #17A loaded up and started towards home, so that we could have time to get ready for Knoxville on Saturday,” said TMAC. “I drove until 5:00am, then my crew chief, Doug Rankin, took over and finished off the drive.”
If TMAC was tired following a long night, it didn’t show as he was able to start off Saturday night by laying down a solid lap in qualifying, before moving his way up in his heat after starting fifth. “The car felt good all night,” said Terry. “I was able to time in 6th quick in time trials, but really felt like I could have done even better. I got off to a bad start in my heat, falling back early, but was able to race my way back up to 3rd and felt like was catching Brooke (Tatnell) and Carson (McCarl), who won the heat.”
A promising run in the night’s A-main ended five laps too early when the motor let go when TMAC had the SnowPlow #24 running 2nd. “We started fifth and were able to work our way up to second by the halfway point,” said Terry. “Going through turn three with five to go, I could smell bearings, but thought that it was a lapped car. By the time I realized it was me, the car had locked up and came to a stop when I was trying to get off the track.”
While the finish was not what the TMAC Motorsports team was looking for, it was another step in the right direction. “We’ve improved every race since my injury,” said Terry. “Not being in a position to battle for the points championship has allowed us to test a lot of things out and I definitely feel like we’ve hit on some good setups for the remainder of the season.”
This Friday night will provide TMAC the chance to race with the Outlaws at Farley Speedway; a track he’s looking forward to getting back to. “Back in 1993, I ran 4th with the Outlaws at Farley in my black #27,” said Terry. “That was the first time that I remember a track taking rubber. I actually led early and was thinking that I was running perfect laps up on the cushion, but then got passed by Steve & Mark Kinser who were down on the bottom. It will be fun to get back on that track before a full day on Saturday.”
Saturday will definitely be a busy one for all of the McCarl family, as Terry will be inducted into the Knoxville Raceway Hall of Fame, which includes a luncheon during the day, before the inductees are announced on Saturday night. “I’ve always been big into sprint car history, so being inducted into the Knoxville Hall of Fame is awesome!” said TMAC. “My dad is in there, as are so many guys and gals that I grew up watching, so it’s an honor to be joining them. It means a lot to my whole family, and especially my wife, Lori, because she’s made a ton of sacrifices to get us to where we are today.”
After the celebrations conclude, Terry will be back on the track in the TMAC Motorsports #24, looking to cap off the big day with a win!
Front Row Challenge & Ultimate Challenge Tickets!
We are only two months away from the Sage Fruit Front Row Challenge presented by Musco Lighting, and the Sage Fruit Ultimate ASCS Challenge presented by Searsboro Telephone Company at the Southern Iowa Speedway!
You can purchase your tickets now by calling (515) 957-0020 between 10:00am-4:00pm; Adult tickets for Monday are $30, Tuesday for $25, or both nights for $50 if purchased before July 30th, with Children’s tickets $15 each night. You can also buy tickets at the TMAC Motorsports merchandise trailer or at the race hauler after the races!
Check out the Osky Challenges website to learn more at: http://www.oskychallenges.com/
McCarl Family Websites!
Driverwebsites.com develops the websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, as well as www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!
"Tuesdays with TMAC"!
"Tuesdays with TMAC" is an up close and personal look at colorful sprint car veteran Terry McCarl. To receive "Tuesdays with TMAC", send an e-mail to broegracewriting@gmail.com with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank their great list of partners for the 2018 season: SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, KC Breweries, Bosma Poultry, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, TW Vance Trucking, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, Simplot Grower Solutions, Rens Trucking, Hoosier Tire, Don Long’s Searsboro Telephone, Octane Ink, Destiny Motorsports, Country Builders Construction, 212 The Boiling Point, DeBerg Concrete, AL Drive Line, All Pro Cylinder Heads, All Star Performance, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Aurora Rod Ends, Bell Helmets, Berryhill Racing, Bob and Beulah Elder, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Butlerbuilt, CM Rock, Crow Safety, DriverWebsites.com, Dynasty Stucco, Engler Injection, HRP, JLT Ent., Kilani Fender, Inc., KSE Steering, Mote Fasteners, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, Phil and Vivian, Pro Shocks, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scribner Plastics, Silva Chassis, Snap On Tools, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, Sposato Paint, Strange Performance, and Winters.
Photo Credit: Knoxville Raceway
Morgan Broeg
West Des Moines, IA USA
broegracewriting@gmail.com
Twitter: @BroegW