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Tuesdays with TMAC – Big Left Rear!
(Bill W) March 4, 2008 – Manzanita Speedway near Phoenix played host to the rough and tumble World of Outlaws series last Saturday night. With another top ten finish in this young season, sprint car driver, Terry McCarl, is solidly in the top five in the point standings as the series takes a week off before towing to Tennessee.
The historic ½ mile oval known as "Manzy" to many, has been a site of "feast or famine" of late for TMAC. After a 20 day layoff due to weather cancellations, the TMAC Motorsports team was champing at the bit to hit the track. A late qualifying pill (second to last) and an unimpressive 18th quick time would slow things down at the outset. "The last couple of years it's been good to qualify late at Manzy, so when we drew late, I was o.k. with that," says TMAC. "I was wrong about that. Everyone was going in the same groove, so anything outside of that was getting some marbles. I was good in three and four, but probably went a little low in one and two."
The heat race went well, as TMAC finished fourth after starting outside of row three. Things are going well with the new team. "The car was really good all night," says the Altoona, Iowa native. "I'm really happy, and (co-team leaders) Tyler (Swank) and Troy (Renfro) are doing great. We just kept working all night thinking about what we were dealing with and coming to a consensus. In the heat race, we moved forward so things were going well heading into the feature."
Strategy on the dry-slick surface included tightening the car up. "It's not like we were trying anything crazy, but we decided to go with a bigger left rear tire, and we were fast," says TMAC. "It was comfortable from the word 'go'. A lot of times when you have a tight racecar or a full load of fuel and you're starting that far back, it can get pretty brutal to get going, but we were great."
Luck played a part when the green flag fell. "There was a tangle on the start, and I was everything but in it," TMAC says. "We got really lucky there…I about stopped. That moved us up a row and we were able to move forward from there."
Move forward he did. TMAC quickly was into the top ten and surged to eighth by the completion of the fifth lap. "The car was awesome," he says. "I felt really good. I was really reeling in the guys in front of me and I thought we had something for them. We definitely picked the right tires. I was locked down really well through the middle of the track…then came the yellow."
A caution on lap five, was just one of several stoppages in the "stop and go" event that included a red flag fuel stop. TMAC made a successful bid for seventh when the green fell again, only to have it called back. "We slid by (Craig) Dollansky on the restart, but that came back because someone (Sam Hafertepe Jr.) hit the cone," he says. "Unfortunately, after that, the track laid rubber a little sooner than we thought, and that really hurt us with the tight racecar. I'm still getting used to not having the cockpit adjustable stuff. I could have really used it there! I was just kind of hanging on and a couple of those guys got by me late."
TMAC fell short in battles with Steve Kinser, Kerry Madsen and Tyler Walker late in the going as he battled his tight racecar. Nonetheless, another top ten finish has put him solidly fifth in the WoO standings. "We're happy," he relates. "The team really worked well together and that means a lot to me. We haven't been together that long. Overall, we were happy to get another top ten! These guys haven't seen their families in a month, so getting back and getting some time at home will be huge before we head to Bulls Gap. Sitting in hotel rooms through rainouts and everything else gets old."
The team will hit the road again next week and compete at Volunteer Speedway near Bulls Gap, Tennessee on March 14 and 15.
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
Michelle in Kansas City asks: Terry, Would you like to see the return of a "spec head" 410 series, like the 2004 Sprint Bandits? Did the series actually fail, or was it just put on the back burner?
TMAC Answers: I was on board with it at the time, and the motor that I had ran well. That said, I think most guys running a 410 are looking for something that's not restrictive…not necessarily unlimited, but is fast. I think a rule such as a sleeve rule, that is easy to police would work a little better than a head. It would cut down on cost, and it would be really easy to regulate. I fully support 410 racing, and will do everything I can do to promote and support 410s. I get frustrated when people talk about the difference in expenses between a 410 and a 360. There is not that much difference. Getting to the racetrack, tires, and parts are all the same. People talk about the 410 guys refreshing their motors every five races. I can tell you that with the World of Outlaws 95% of the guys aren't doing anything close to that. Take a guy like Daryn Pittman who was fourth in the points last year. He will go 15 nights on a motor without a refresh. We are about the same. When I ran Knoxville, we'd go 12-15 nights at Knoxville and then go a few more on the motor up at Huset's, with about a 15 to 1 compression rate. The difference in cost between the two is about $10,000 up front. I know that's a lot of money, but that's the only real difference. If you can tell me that the winners of the big 360 races the past few years have over 20 nights on the motor, I'll tell you you're crazy! These guys at Knoxville get me frustrated. They have to run fourth in the weekly 360 feature to make $500, while a guy gets that to start the 410 feature. It doesn't make much sense to me.
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!
On this date in 2006, TMAC set a new track record in time trials with the World of Outlaws at the raceway at United Sports Arizona near Tucson. He circled the 3/8 mile oval in 13.127 seconds. He would finish eighth in the feature after starting seventh.
Website Updates
Check out our "Photos" section for the latest shots of the TMAC Motorsports team.
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.
(John's Racing Photos)
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IAUSA
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