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Austin McCarl – First Checkers!
(Bill W) May 27, 2008 – Fifteen year old Austin McCarl has endured to some growing pains, to say the least, in his first year behind the wheel of a sprint car. All those pains were forgotten last Sunday night at the 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa, when Austin took his first checkered flag of his young career, and competed in his first feature event in the Janet Holbrook owned #17.
Competing with the Sprint Invaders Association, Austin drew well, putting him outside row one for his heat event. He won the battle to turn one with fellow front row starter Bart Andrews, and held off the likes of John Schulz, Russ Hall and Jerrod Hull for eight laps to record the first win of his young sprint car career. "That was just a big confidence booster," says Austin. "That was awesome! Once I got out front, I just tried to keep it straight."
A previous trip to 34 Raceway in April saw Austin finish one spot out of a transfer in the B main. He kept the car straight and smooth that night, and didn't see the need for many changes as far as setup. "We kept the car pretty much the same," Austin say. "We did watch the racetrack through the night to see what it was doing."
Starting outside row two of the shake-up dash, Austin ran a steady fifth. The roll of the dice put him outside of row two for the 25-lap main event. The 3/8 mile oval was holding moisture well, and a ledge was building in turns one and two. Austin found it quickly when the green flag fell. "I just drove in a little too hard on the bottom there on the start and got up over the berm," he says. "We came back nicely and were able to pass a couple of cars."
The experience riding the berm was not so good for Matt Sutton and Rager Phillips. Both took nasty rides after hooking it. The bobble definitely cost Austin a few spots, but as the race wore on, he grew more and more comfortable. "I was pulling the wing back as the race went on and the track got drier," he says. "I've got to thank my grandpa (and crew chief), Lenard and my Uncle Kenny. The car was awesome!"
Austin ran as high as eighth late in the going, and stayed on the lead lap, of a race paced by Josh Higday. Coming for the checkers, Austin spun, but it did not effect his finish position, which was tenth. Armed with a top ten finish, and with school now behind him, Austin looks forward to the next outing in the #17.
When Austin makes a feature, we'll do a release for him. Call it some motivation of sorts. If you'd like to be included via e-mail, shoot one to [email protected] with "Austin" in the subject line.
Austin would like to thank Janet Holbrook, Lenard, Big Game Treestands, Bosma Poultry, DeBerg Concrete, AmericashAdvance.com and Jack L. Anderson Auto Body for all their help!
Austin competes at the 34 Raceway (Dennis Krieger Imagery)
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