|
Tuesdays with TMAC – Kon Tiki Memories!
(Bill W) February 26, 2008 – After a pair of rainouts put a damper on a trip to California for sprint car driver Terry McCarl, the World of Outlaws series will pick up this Saturday night at the Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. With some time on his hands, TMAC checks in with some memories of Manzanita, a look ahead, and an update on the downtime for he and the crew.
There was a time when the Western World at Manzanita was a gathering of the best in the open wheel business in October. It was the place to be according to TMAC. "I remember going to Manzy with my dad (Lenard) back in the middle '70's for the Western World," says TMAC. "At the time, it was every bit as big as the Knoxville Nationals, and on par with the Pacific Coast Nationals at Ascot. Not only did it pay good money, but they gave away a car for winning it! I remember Earl Wagner winning (1973), and his wife crashing the car!"
Jumping in the truck with Lenard and heading for Arizona had to be an educational experience. "I was about 10 years old in those days, and I remember the go-kart tracks best," adds TMAC. "Crew guys would take my brother Tom and I to those places, and we would have a blast. The Western World itself was just a huge race…every bit as big as the Nationals back in the day. We'd check into the Kon Tiki Motel on 24th and Van Buren and off we'd go!"
The Kon Tiki and its unique Hawaiian theme architecture were razed in 1997, and TMAC adds it may have had "hourly" rates there towards the end. As he looks towards this weekend, he thinks about the rich tradition at a track that he is yet to taste victory at. "I hope things work well for the new owners (Martin family)," he says. The facility has a ¼ mile track sharing the front stretch with the bigger ½ mile run by the WoO. "The track has a lot of rich history for sure," says TMAC. "Having a ¼ mile and ½ mile combo generally can create havoc on the ½. It makes it tougher to enter turn one, and tough coming off of four. But Manzanita is one of the tracks that definitely use both of those, where some tracks don't."
As in other locations TMAC has local support when he comes to Phoenix. "We love going there," he says. "Dan Olson from Westside Radiator Service has been sponsoring me at that race for several years. I met him around 1990 in Phoenix, and its fun to have him around when we're out in that area. Mainly, coming from Iowa, you just want to get in the warmer weather this time of year."
The recent road trip from Florida to Mississippi to Arizona to Northern California was a costly one for the team. "For a car owner, it's just like throwing money out the window," says TMAC. "It's really a tough time of year to be a car owner. When you make a commitment to do a series or a point chase, you can't second guess yourself; you have to commit to it. We've done it with the WoO, of course, and also at Knoxville and Huset's. We'd drive the five hours to Sioux Falls knowing it would rain, and it finally starts when you get all the way there. That's just part of the deal, so I try not to dwell on the cost of business, but it makes it tough."
The trip west was not fruitless according to McCarl. "It worked out well for me last week, because I got to visit with the Country Builders Construction guys out in Livermore, California, (former car owner) Welden Offill, Bill, Keith, Brian and their family. As far as that goes, it worked o.k., but for a car owner, it is really costly. I'm sure the folks at Tulare took it hard as well. I watched their ads on TV. That's what people don't realize. The promoters at the track probably lost 10-15 thousand on that. The most important thing that there is about promoting, is the one thing you can't control, and that's the weather."
The team hasn't raced since February 10, and there are only three WoO races scheduled for March including Saturday's race. TMAC says that is not all bad with the new team that has been assembled. The team consists of co-team leaders Tyler Swank and Troy Renfro, as well as Glen Saville. "We were a little bit behind this winter…we didn't get our cars as soon as I would have liked, so it will give us a little time at home and in the shop to get recharged," he says. "We can go back over the cars and motors and fine tune some stuff. A little time off is definitely appreciated this time of year, because when we get to May and June it is 'game on'!"
It's "so far, so good" with the team chemistry. "The guys are getting along well," says TMAC. "We're calling the new guy (Glen) "Cadillac" Saville. He has definitely been a great asset for us. He races himself back at Parramatta in Australia. With him, Troy and Tyler, we've got a great team."
A-MAC Update
Terry's oldest son, Austin, will be hitting a dirt track near you soon. "We're getting things ready for Austin…maybe both a 360 and a 410. He'll be running the Sprint Invaders schedule with his grandpa (Lenard)." Unofficially, the Sprint Invaders season will kick off April 4 at the Morgan County Speedway in Jacksonville, Illinois.
2008 FRC/UC Tickets!
Advanced ticket holders to the Front Row Challenge and/or Ultimate Challenge can order their tickets right now! 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
Chuck in Greenwood, MS asks: I know you were experimenting with some chassis late last season. What are you going with this year?
TMAC Answers: We kind of went back to what I know and has been good to me, and that is Eagle Chassis. We've been with them for a long time, and I met Jerry Russell when he was working at Maxim. We've really driven his cars since he first started building them. It's difficult when you're used to a certain setup to make a bunch of changes. We tried to experiment last year a little, because we were struggling in a lot of different ways. It wasn't necessarily the car's fault. We felt that to get things straightened out, the best way is to go back to what we know.
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.
Today in TMAC History (Leap Year Edition)!
Terry's lone action on a leap year day (February 29) came in his rookie season with the World of Outlaws in 1992 at Bakersfield Speedway. On the track billed as the "West's fastest 1/3 mile high banked oval", TMAC finished 14th in the Welden Offill #88. Steve Kinser won the event over Steve Kent, Bobby Davis Jr., Danny Lasoski and Stevie Smith. The speed plant rarely hosts sprints, but TMAC has two top ten finishes in four visits there. "I'd like to go back to that place. It's fast!" says TMAC.
Website Updates
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 battles with Steve Kinser at Volusia (John's Racing Photos)
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
|
