2/24/2015
Terry McCarl
Tuesdays with TMAC – Solid Return to East Bay!
Tuesdays with TMAC – Solid Return to East Bay Caps Florida!
(Bill W) February 24, 2015 – Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports #24 team capped off their Florida trip with a top five finish amongst 67 cars assembled at the Ronal Laney Memorial. The opening night at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa saw a great race when the Altoona, Iowa native charged from 17th to second. The team will take a weekend off before heading to The Dirt Track in Las Vegas, Nevada where they will begin their west coast trip with the World of Outlaws.
TMAC enjoys returning to East Bay, where he has had a lot of success. “It’s one of my favorite tracks, and it’s always tricky,” he says. “It can make some really fast guys look bad. We’re always pretty good there, and we were pretty good again last weekend.”
Things started on Thursday with a bad draw. “It was a brutal heat race,” says TMAC. “Everyone in it was fast. We did well to get to fourth (from seventh). We were able to pass (Jason) Sides and run down (Greg) Hodnett. We felt really good.”
It wasn’t enough to crack the A, but TMAC won the B from the pole and set himself up inside row nine for the feature. “It was a great track,” he says. “There was a little bit on the bottom, and a little bit on the top. Actually, I think we could have got to the lead with no yellows. That’s how good our car was. We actually did get the lead going by (Aaron) Reutzel and Mark Smith. I had been running the bottom and I kind of changed my line by going to the top in three and four.”
He would checker second. “I got really tight,” says TMAC. “I don’t know if the tide came in or what, but the moisture was coming back in the track. We were all doing it. The car just wouldn’t turn. I was too tight for that, and ran second. I think the fans were happy. It was a great race.”
Friday, TMAC started things with a heat win after starting fourth. “We were really good in the heat race,” he says. “Unfortunately, on Friday the track was laying rubber in the B’s and I drew a number eight for the feature. You never know how much to loosen or tighten there, and I pushed in the first corner and lost a few spots. It was one of those deals where you fall in line and think about the big picture. In that sense, we were locked into Saturday night, which was our goal.”
The draw saw TMAC start fourth in Saturday’s $10,000 to win finale. “We got to third right away,” he says. “I think Mark outsmarted us on tires a little bit, and I knew that when we pushed off. The track was changing. Wayne (Johnson) was getting some heat in his tires in the B going around the top. It was a little bit harder on tires, and I got the car a little tight on the right rear.”
He would battle the setup a bit, but still came home fifth in the stacked field. “There was a rough spot in two and another hole in three and four,” say TMAC. “I thought it might go away and it didn’t. We kind of hung around there and had a respectable fifth place finish. A lot of good cars didn’t make all the shows at Volusia or East Bay. We left Florida with some good finishes, and now we’ll get ready for Vegas.”
Crew chief Doug Rankin will be back with the team as they head to Vegas March 4 and 5. “I want to thank Gary Isom for helping us in Florida,” says TMAC. “Doug is back from Australia and we’re looking forward to heading west.”
To check out opportunities to partner with TMAC Motorsports on a nightly basis, visit www.TerryMcCarl.com or call 515 957-0020!
Websites for the McCarl Gang!
Driverwebsites.com develops the websites for the McCarl boys. Check out www.TerryMcCarl.com, as well as www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!
This Month in TMAC History!
Groundhog Day was good to TMAC in 2006. He won the 410 Winternationals Preliminary feature at East Bay Raceway Park near Tampa. He followed that up two days later, winning the $10,000 finale. In the prelim, he bested a top five consisting of Danny Lasoski, Greg Wilson, Gary Wright and Bob Felmlee. In the final, Chad Kemenah was second, ahead of Lasoski, Greg Hodnett and Jason Sides.
"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 sprntcar@hotmail.com with "TMAC" in the subject line.
TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Country Builders Construction, Rossie Feed and Grain, Bosma Poultry, SnowPlow Snow Pushers – www.TheSnowPlow.com, DeBerg Concrete, Colin Bulmer, A.R.T. Speed Equipment, Berryhill Racing, Phil and Vivian, Justice Brothers/Gillund Enterprises, Ryan Yager Trucking, Vortex Racing, Hoosier Tire, Chris Spaulding – Attorney at Law, SuperFlow, Schoenfeld Headers, K&N Filters, Rens Trucking, NutriShop – Maple Grove, MN, HRP, All Pro Cylinder Heads, Bob and Beulah Elder, Engler Injection, Snap On Tools, Sposato Paint, Winters, Kilani Fender, Inc., DriverWebsites.com, CM Rock, Taco Bravo, Brown and Miller, Pro Shocks, Ben Cook, Bell Helmets, Burnett's Rock and Landscaping, Van Der Brink Trucking, Van Der Brink Designs, Morgan Strawberry Farms, Buttman BBQ, Dynasty Stucco, Aurora Rod Ends, Crow Safety, KSE Steering, Snyder Lawn & Landscaping, Strange Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Scribner Plastics, Waterman Fuel Pumps, Butlerbuilt, PBS Bushings and Mote Fasteners.
Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@hotmail.com
Twitter: @BillWMedia
