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Tuesdays with TMAC – Mother Nature Wins!

Tuesdays with TMAC – Mother Nature Wins!

(Bill W) October 13, 2009 – It was a long weekend for all involved in the 2nd Annual Cowtown Sprint Nationals held south of Kennedale, Texas last weekend. Unseasonably cool weather and drizzle plagued the schedule. In the end, sprint car driver Terry McCarl qualified for a finale that ultimately succumbed to the elements.

A Friday/Saturday schedule became Saturday/Sunday after Thursday night rains. TMAC drew the pole for a late heat in the prelim Saturday, and knew he had to win it with 70 cars present, and only 16 of the top drivers in passing points locking in out of the eight heats held. “I was at a disadvantage starting on the bottom beside Aaron (Berryhill),” he says. “He has a lot of talent as a driver, and if he could put 100% into this…look out! Unfortunately, he has to focus on business. I tried to outsmart him on the start, but he wasn’t having any of that.”

Berryhill bicycled after hitting a hole in turn two, and TMAC was there to pounce for the heat win. “The track was slick on the straights and rough in the corners,” he says. “It was difficult to see where the holes were. One lap you could go through an area and you were good, but the next you would go through and get knocked out of the ballpark. Fortunately, we had a restart there, and we were able to get by Aaron. That was good, because with this system, you have to win the heat from the pole.”

In the end, TMAC locked himself into the 30-lap main event, outside of row five. “Starting tenth wasn’t bad with this field of cars,” he says. “Short, rough racetracks are definitely not my forte, but we had it going pretty good there. As a mechanic, it is a big challenge for me, and we learned a lot. We got up to fifth or sixth and traded spots with (Jesse) Hockett a couple of times. Then we were battling Travis Rilat and had a fighting chance of locking ourselves in. My car really started coming in. We passed each other a few times. We came down the back straightaway and I thought he would go to the bottom like he had been. He went to the cushion, and took the air off the car. I spun off the racetrack and with a couple laps to go, decided to pull in.”

It was time to start all over for Sunday’s final. TMAC’s draw would see him in undoubtedly the strongest of seven heats held. “That’s one of the bad things about a draw system,” says the Altoona, Iowa driver. “You had (Johnny) Herrera and Berryhill up front. (Brady) Bacon and (Sam) Hafertepe in row two, and Wayne Johnson behind us. We were able to get up to third at one point and had a good race with JP Bailey. I tried to go way above the rough stuff in one and go around Brady, and that didn’t work. Bailey passed us and we were able to run him back down. We just couldn’t quite get around him.”

Brian Brown and Gary Wright were both scheduled to start in front of TMAC in the B, but both scratched. TMAC still had to fight and claw to finish second behind Brian McClelland. “I finally figured out how to best set the car up in that B,” he says. “I had to race my butt off in that one just to get second. I think we made the pass with two laps to go. Brad Welborn runs there regularly and did a good job.”

TMAC was complimentary of the people who have worked on making the Cowtown Nationals one of the premiere 360 events in the country. Unfortunately, the finale was a wash. “I like to think of things as a promoter and I really respect the way Bo (Rawdon) and the rest of his crew kept working to make things happen all weekend,” he says. “They were dealt an extremely tough hand. Going on Saturday and Sunday was a tremendous risk with the purse they were paying out. The reason we ran the race was the way it was promoted by Darin Short and everyone else, and we wanted to be a part of it. I wish they would have split the purse amongst the feature qualifiers instead of starting order in the end, but overall it’s a good event.”

The draw system is a tough one with the number of cars that Cowtown drew. “That format is really tough to run with 70 cars,” says TMAC. “There are some guys who just are going to be the odd man out. With that number you really need a system like we have with the Ultimate Challenge or the one they have at the Short Track Nationals. That’s one of the reasons we’re skipping the Devil’s Bowl this weekend. That draw format is best with around 30 cars.”

Contributing to the Travis Rutz Effort!

Terry McCarl and primary sponsor Big Game Tree Stands participated in the Travis Rutz recovery effort at last weekend's Cowtown Sprint Nationals.
Travis was critically injured in a sprint car accident during the All Star Circuit of Champions feature race at Terre Haute, Indiana on September 27th.

The team donated a total of fifty #24 Big Game racing hats into the mix. Big Game Tree Stands also provided a grand prize of a 15 foot "Big Buddy" 2-person ladderstand.

1/18 Scale Model Big Game Treestands #24 Now In Stock!

The 1/18 scale model Big Game Treestands #24 has just arrived. The cost is $79.95 plus shipping. Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted. To order, call the McTwo Promotions office at 515 957-0020, or they will be available at the Big Game Treestands #24 trailer at the races!

Websites for the McCarl Gang!
Driverwebsites.com has developed websites for the McCarl boys. Check out the new look of www.TerryMcCarl.com, and check out the newly developed www.AustinMcCarl.com and www.CarsonMcCarl.com!

In"Terry"gation

Lane Elliott asks: What do you consider your hardest crash?

TMAC Answers: It was definitely with the World of Outlaws at the Devil’s Bowl in 2002 when we met up with Brooke Tatnell’s right rear. I had never been scared in a crash in my life until then. It’s the hardest hit I’ve ever taken. I was blind in one eye for awhile. As I was trying to crawl out of the car headed the opposite direction with no wing on it, something ripped my uniform. Turns out, Tyler Walker’s bumper was in my cockpit. It was a brand new car. The motor was ripped out of it.
Got a question for TMAC? Send it to us at sprntcar@iowatelecom.net, and we may answer it in this section! Put "? for TMAC" in your subject line.

This Day in TMAC History!

TMAC has no wins on the 13th of October, but he does have a pair of second place finishes. In 1990, he drove the Offill #88 to a runner-up finish at the San Jose (CA) Fairgrounds in NARC competition. Tim Green was the winner ahead of TMAC, Brent Kaeding, Kevin Pylant and Greg DeCaires. In 2000, he trailed Brad Furr to the checkers at the prelim for the U.S. Dirt Nationals at the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana. The race was sanctioned by WoO Gumout. Jason Meyers was third ahead of Lance Dewease and the late Ronald Laney.

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 sprntcar@iowatelecom.net with "TMAC" in the subject line.

TMAC Motorsports would like to thank sponsors Big Game Treestands, AmeriCashAdvance.com, DeBerg Concrete and Remington Treestands.

Bill Wright
Bill W Media
Monroe, IA USA
sprntcar@iowatelecom.net

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