|
Tuesdays with TMAC – Bring the Thunder!
(Bill W) October 9, 2007 – In continuing their trek across the United States and back and back again, the World of Outlaws will land in Tulare, California this weekend to tackle the Thunderbowl Raceway. After bouncing back from a flip in qualifying last weekend to finish the feature in Princeton, Minnesota, Terry McCarl will return to a place he is very fond of.
The race this Saturday night will be dubbed as the First Annual Dave Helm Memorial. The longtime driver/owner of the #11H will be honored. "Dave Helm was a very nice man who supported sprint car racing," says TMAC. "As long as I've been around, he has been there. When I raced in California, he was competing as a driver. Even after he passed, the family has kept the car on the road and that is a testament to the kind of people they are." Australian Kerry Madsen currently pilots the #11H.
TMAC has had a great amount of success at Thunderbowl. Of the seven WoO features he has competed in there, he has finished in the top five on five occasions. The race is always one that drivers and fans alike look forward to. "This race is nice because Mr. (Dennis) Roth promotes it too," says TMAC. "He also has been a great supporter of racing over the years. Tulare is a really racy joint. Last spring, I encouraged Bosma Poultry to make the trip out because it is so exciting! It's usually Wheelie City, and the fans get their money's worth!"
The 1/3 mile clay bullring will be hopping this Saturday night!
Flying at Princeton
TMAC was looking forward to a return to Princeton Speedway last Saturday night, but to say his night got off to a bad start would be an understatement. "We were literally flying in time trials!" jokes McCarl. "Everyone was rolling the cushion going into turn one, and it was loose coming off of two. I did the first lap like everyone else (18th quick), and got above the cushion getting into one on the second. I got over the edge like a multitude of drivers did during the evening…that's how I set quick time there last year…but this time it didn't work out as well! I got over the lip and something caught and I flipped hard. You have to see the track to understand, but it was a pretty nasty crash! We did do some flight tests for J&J, and that part of it turned out well!"
The accident could have been worse, and the crew got the car ready in time for the heat. "We were lucky in hitting straight into the fence from the top," the Altoona, Iowa driver relates. "We got the bumpers too, so it was mostly bolt on parts to get ready for the heat. We were chasing a lot of new car things too, so it didn't help us that we had to do that. My confidence wasn't high, and we had no brakes in the heat. We were very lucky that a couple guys dropped out of the heat. We wouldn't have transferred otherwise."
Finishing in the fifth and final transfer spot to the main event gave a needed breather to the team. "Transferring gave us some time to thrash over things and restore the brakes," says TMAC. "The guys did a really good job to get it ready. I still had to pump the brakes a couple times to get them working when the feature started, and at a little track like Princeton, that isn't a good thing."
Lining up outside row nine for the feature, the car never felt right to Terry. "It took awhile for us to get going," he says. "We couldn't do much as far back as I was. About halfway through, we got going a lot better, but at that point, we'd been lapped. At that point, when you're not comfortable with the car, you don't want to get in anyone's way. There are a lot of tight point battles going on, and it was a narrow track. You don't want to screw any of those guys up. Chad Blonde was really kicking butt for awhile there."
In the end, TMAC survived with a 17th place finish. "When you start the night flipping out of the ballpark, it was a good salvage job," he says.
In"Terry"gation
Terry in Lee's Summit, MO asks: Terry, Does being a professional racecar driver make you more of an aggressive driver out on the highway? It must be difficult to drive 55 and 65 mph on the highway after driving an average speed of 120 at the racetrack all night.
TMAC Answers: I don't know about other drivers, but in my case, I drive very conservatively. I've always attributed it to the fact that I do get to drive over 100 mph on the weekend. My wife is actually way more aggressive than I am. I have to tell her to slow down all the time!
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?
Don't give up on Terry if he doesn't qualify the best on Saturday night. Some of his best finishes in Tulare have come when he hasn't qualified well. His win there with the WoO on October 30, 2004, came after starting 17th in the grid. In the seven WoO features he has participated in at Tulare, he has finished in the top five on five occasions, and the top ten in six.
Website
Check out some Williams Grove photos from Jason McConnell in our "Photos" section.
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 the 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 raincheck and a SASE 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.
TMAC at Williams Grove Speedway (Jason McConnell 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
|
