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Tuesdays with TMAC – TV Waves!
(Bill W) January 15, 2008 – Fun and Terry McCarl go hand in hand. That was evident as he took to the Tulsa Expo Center last weekend for the biggest contest in midget racing, the 22nd Annual Chili Bowl. A slow start on his qualifying night in the Wilke-Pak #11w Spike/Mopar, gave him some work to do on Saturday, but he persevered to climb from the C to the A main, giving his fans some thrills in between.
Drawing a 92 on his qualifying night (Friday) gave the Altoona, Iowa driver a last place spot in his eight-car heat race. He immediately drove to fourth, but got a little too far up in the saddle to progress further. "I was driving like a winged driver a little too much," he says. "I was a little too aggressive there in the heat. I was trying to win it. If we would have run third instead of fourth, our points would have looked a lot better. So I was disappointed in myself a little."
The gauntlet can get tough, but TMAC bettered a sixth place finish in his qualifier with a third place run in a B main. That put him outside of row eleven for Friday night's qualifying feature event. "We had a great car," he says. "It just takes a little while to get used to driving those things and your laps are really limited. We went out for the feature and they turned the bottom up. The night before (Thursday), the bottom was good for ten laps and then the fast way was the top. Unfortunately, on our night, there just wasn't moisture around the top. We were too loose and it was marbles up there."
Trying to ride around the cushion proved futile on Friday night and TMAC posted a disappointing 17th place finish. "I got up there because I wanted to lock into the A main (on Saturday)," he relates. "I was trying to make stuff happen, and it didn't work out. I learned a lot that night. (Crew Chief and owner) Greg Wilke is a very smart man. A wing driver drives different than a non-wing driver, plus my teammate (Jerry Coons Jr.) is a 'titanium driver', he's got about 60 less pounds than I do!"
The team turned a negative into a positive on the big night. "I was disappointed in my driving the first night, and we came back and did much better on Saturday," says TMAC. "Greg thought about it and made the right changes to the car to suit me. I was just so comfortable all night on Saturday. The car was awesome! It was going wherever I wanted it to all night long."
A relatively good starting spot in the second C main proved to be a curse at first. "I did start outside of row two in the C, but some guy rammed me in the first corner," remembers TMAC. "I went down to the other end and got him back, but I stalled the engine…I've seen wing guys do that a lot. I was fortunate that the motor slowly fired back up, but I lost about four more spots. We were in deep trouble, but the car was good. I could run high and low, and split cars, it was just excellent."
The race was broadcast on HBO pay per view, and some race fans may remember TMAC's wave to Donny Schatz as he passed him for the win at K-C Raceway in Ohio last July on ESPN2. He repeated the gesture as he roared around USAC sprint car champion, Levi Jones. "TV always seems to bring the best or the worst out of me," says TMAC. "The motor was stumbling a little on restarts, but I had time to get that figured out. I tried something and we were able to get by Levi for the win." Those who follow TMAC know that whether the cameras are on or off, he's going to do something out of the ordinary! Levi would run a good race and also climbed to the main event by the end of the night.
TMAC talked about the stout field assembled. "All of these races are loaded. The C is loaded, so starting 16th in the B, we knew we had some work to do. It was a tough race, but they're all tough. I wasn't too concerned; I just went out and did my best. I was focused on the car in front of me, and moving up one spot at a time. By the time we had a caution, I was up to seventh or eighth and they were taking six. We got up in there, and got real lucky to miss the Sammy Swindell/Bobby East accident which happened right in front of me. I should have hit them in the first place and I almost stalled the engine. Then I was rolling around just trying to miss the debris when some of it clipped my left rear."
TMAC made an outstanding charge to third in the B, but wanted more. "We had such a good car in those races," he says. "A lot of guys would just sit back and be happy with their spot, and maybe that's smart, but the car felt so good, I wanted to win them. Someone told me earlier you get a plaque for winning those races, so I thought that would be pretty cool, and we got the C plaque."
The car continued to run well in the feature, but TMAC's fortune would end with an incident and was scored 19th. "We were a little tight in the beginning, and if anything, I had a problem getting around the bottom and getting it turned right without pushing," he says. "As soon as the bottom blew off to where the track was in the B and C, we took off a little bit. I feel we were as fast as the leaders at that point. We slowly started picking guys off, and I ran down Davey Ray and Levi. I felt we would have definitely had a top ten, but they got tangled and I got into Levi. That straightened him out, but basically ended our night by knocking the right front radius rod out. I tried to drive it, but about drove straight into the fence."
TMAC is thankful for the opportunities afforded him and the expertise in his pit. "I wouldn't change anything about the car on Saturday night. I'd like to thank Greg and his team for the opportunity. Hopefully, we built a little rapport there, and I wanted to do well for them. Hopefully, we can do it again next year. They are a famous team, and I don't think they've had many, if any, winged drivers in their race car. I appreciate their love of this sport, and for them to give me a chance was really huge. I'd also like to thank Dan and Scott Pace and their Pace Motor Sports Park in Brownsburg (IN), and also Kevin DeBerg from DeBerg Concrete. They helped defray some of the costs. I was having so much fun Saturday; I was wishing we could do it all over again! Hopefully we will next year!"
2008 FRC/UC Tickets!
Advanced ticket holders to the Front Row Challenge and/or Ultimate Challenge can order their tickets beginning February 19. All other seats become available April 1. Call McTwo Promotions Tuesday-Thursday beginning from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 515 957-0020 to renew your seats!
Infield Party Passes for the August 4 and 5 events will be $20 in advance or $25 the day of the race!
For more information on the Challenges or on TMAC Motorsports, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com.
In"Terry"gation
KingMcCarl24 asks: Knowing how big of a Sprint car historian that you are, and how much the Knoxville Raceway and it's history means to you, what are the chances that you will return to weekly racing at Knoxville after chasing the WoO Championship for a few years? I know that your top priority right now is winning the WoO Championship, and the Knoxville Nationals; but is coming home to win two more track championships (to eclipse the all-time record) something that you would like to accomplish before you hang up your helmet?
TMAC Answers: I would say the chances of that are really good. It's getting more and more expensive out here with the World of Outlaws. We're set for 2008, but who knows what 2009 holds right now? If the sponsorship is there, I'll run the WoO again, but if it's not, I can come home. I'm lucky in that I live really close to Knoxville. Most of the guys out there don't have that option. I'm used to operating out of this area and running a "real" outlaw schedule without any set races, just going for the money. At this point in my life, with a family, I can't sacrifice everything to do the WoO deal. I did that in the past, but times are different now. The days of living in Lori's basement and borrowing money from (1992 WoO Competition Director) Bobby Jackson to get my crewman in the pits in New York are over! Those were the days of paying dues, and I wouldn't change it.
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.
This Week in TMAC History!
In 1994, the Slick 50 Winter Series featuring sprint cars moved some shows from Manzanita Speedway to Canyon Raceway near Phoenix. On January 17, TMAC came home 16th in his own #27 machine. The star-studded field televised on TNN included winner, Sammy Swindell, as well as Steve Kinser, Dave Blaney, Stevie Smith, Danny Lasoski, Fred Rahmer, Brent Kaeding and many more of the best in the business of the time!
Website
See Photos from the Chili Bowl supplied by Allan Holland and Doug Johnson in the "Photos" section.
Keep up to date with McCarl Motorsports at www.TerryMcCarl.com. We keep it fresh for TMAC fans!
"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 [email protected] with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Big Game Treestands, Bosma Poultry, Inc., AmeriCashAdvance.com and Remington Treestands.
TMAC at the Chili Bowl (Doug Johnson)
Bill Wright
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