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Tuesdays with TMAC – Gold Cup Week!
(Bill W) September 3, 2007 – This week, sprint car driver, Terry McCarl, looks forward to one of the biggest events in the sport, "The Gold Cup Race of Champions" at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. TMAC goes into Chico having done well in recent weeks on the short tracks. Silver Dollar Speedway is a ¼ mile bullring of action, and should suit the Altoona, Iowa driver's "elbow's up" style.
"What I like about it more than anything is the atmosphere," says TMAC of the Gold Cup. "It reminds me of the old days of the Nationals with everyone camping out and having fun. There's not quite as much pressure as Knoxville."
Not only is it fun for the fans, but the drivers. "It's a fun race track for the fans with a lot of wheelies and banging wheels," he says. "I like the short tracks as a fan. It's a great place to watch. Anybody that has never been there, it's a great place to come and be a part of it… I like the money, but it's definitely one of the Top-Four events you want to win."
Cottage Grove and Calistoga
The last week with the World of Outlaws has been a tough one for TMAC. At Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon on Wednesday things started well enough, as the veteran timed in 5th quick. That's when things got rough. "We were way too tight in the heat race," says TMAC. "I was spun out and drove off the track." The heat incident put TMAC in the B. "It helped us to run the B main," he says. "We got a good handle on the car."
A win in the B main set TMAC up outside row six for the feature event. "We ended up with a great car in the feature," he says. "(Justin) Henderson spun out in front of me and other cars were involved. We were able to get our car back out and made a run from the back." The incident put him in the back of the pack, but the racy bullring was to his liking, and he brought the Big Game Treestands #24 home 13th.
Next up for the WoO was Calistoga Speedway and the Harvest Classic in California's Napa Valley on Saturday and Sunday. The draw played a big part in qualifying on a dry, abrasive track, and TMAC ended up on the wrong end of things there. "Both nights we came out for qualifying at the wrong time for the track," he says.
Night one saw him qualify 18th, transfer through his heat, and start 17th in the feature. "It was tough to pass," says TMAC of the main event. "I got by four or five guys. I was trying to make something happen, jumped the cushion, got up into the marbles and junked the car." The DNF sent the crew back to building a new car for Sunday.
With rubber-down racing on Sunday, the events resulted in follow the leader racing. "We put a new car together for Sunday, but there wasn't much passing going on after it laid rubber during the first heat," says TMAC. After another run of 18th quick in time trials, Terry started 16th in the feature, and finished 15th in a mostly single-file event. "The fans were great at Calistoga, we only come once a year, so they like the speed. I just wish we could have given them some more action!"
In"Terry"gation
Ron from San Jose, CA asks: What have been your favorite memories of the Gold Cup?
TMAC Answers: I think I won the C main there in 1987! I've got a big trophy to prove it! To be honest, we haven't fared really well. I love the atmosphere of the whole event though. The Chili/Bikini Contest, the campers, etc. It's almost like the Nationals were years ago with that kind of atmosphere. The racing is usually great, but even if it wasn't, it would still be the place to be.
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at [email protected], and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.
Did you know?
TMAC's best finish at Silver Dollar Speedway came in a Gold Cup preliminary on September 18, 1992. Driving the Offill #88, he finished sixth behind Jeff Swindell, Craig "Cowboy" Smith, Chuck Miller, Ronnie Day and Dale Blaney. Running as a low budget WoO rookie in 1992, that was one of the best finishes of the year for Terry. In 1991, he had five wins in local California racing action, with four of those coming at the San Jose Fairgrounds.
Website
Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
Ultimate Challenge Tickets (Refund/Exchange)
Unfortunately, severe weather cancelled Tuesday night's 6th Annual Ultimate Challenge.
A refund or ticket exchange (for your same seats) for 2008 can be requested at:
McTwo Promotions
Box 185
Altoona, IA 50009
(Please include your tickets with your request)
"Tuesdays with TMAC"
To receive "Tuesdays with TMAC", send an e-mail to [email protected] with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Big Game Treestands, Bosma Poultry, Inc., AmeriCash Advance, and Ground Max Hunting Blinds.
Could someone point me in the direction of my trailer? (H2H Photo)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
[email protected]
If this post isn't results, stories or something c
constructive, it isn't me!
@BillWMedia
www.OpenWheel101.com
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