Track Schedules

Tuesdays with TMAC – Rainy Night in Georgia!

(Bill W) February 8, 2011 – The season got off to a rainy start last weekend for sprint car racer, Terry McCarl and the TMAC Motorsports team.  After putting himself on row one for the feature event with the All Stars in Georgia, rain fell.  A steering issue forced him to park it the following night in Ocala, Florida.  The Altoona, Iowa driver has been fast though, and he looks forward to five nights of racing this week at Volusia Speedway Park. 

Having spent much of the 2010 season on the shelf with a pair of injuries, it took TMAC little time to get back in the groove at Screven Motor Speedway in Sylvania, Georgia on Thursday.  He registered the fifth quick time of the night amongst 24 stout competitors.  “Really, I had only run about nine times since April 15 (2010), so I felt a little squirrelly the first few laps,” he says.  “After a while though…we were great.  I just wanted to get in there and ‘honk it’.  It had been so long since I’d been in a sprint car.” 

After cruising to fifth in his heat, TMAC drew the pole for the dash.  In 2011, the dash finish will determine the starting order for All Star features.  Dale Blaney got the jump on the outside and TMAC followed him to the checkers in second.  “I really felt great in the dash,” he says.  “It was starting to rain a little bit, and we were in the slick stuff down low for the start.  Dale kind of had the cushion to lean on.  I felt we were right there with him, but to be honest, it was pretty treacherous at that point.” 

The rain would not subside, and now the first race of the season will become one of the last.  The event was rescheduled for the Wednesday before the Dirt Track Finals in Charlotte in November.  TMAC will start outside row one for that one and another full show will be run.  “The biggest thing was the car felt good, and I felt great,” he says.  “I felt competitive.  The track was about the size of Huset’s with a little more banking.  It was a great place for me to come back and race at.  We put ourselves in great position to win that thing in November when we come back.” 

TMAC took the Hungry Howie’s Pizza/BubbaQue’s/Frubob Fruit Floats #24 to Florida and the Ocala Speedway on Friday.  He slipped to 13^th in qualifying amongst 27 cars.  “The track kind of threw me in qualifying, and I know better,” he says.  “We’ve won at Ocala, but we were just way too tight.  I didn’t have enough stagger on.  It was greasy in hot laps, and I thought we would be right on, but we weren’t.” 

After qualifying for the main event through his heat, the steering problem surfaced and TMAC pulled in after taking the green.  “We were dealing with a steering issue, and I just didn’t want to chance it the first night at Ocala there,” he explains.  “The second night at Ocala always pays more, but unfortunately, it rained on us.” 

The rainout sets up this week’s action.  After tonight’s practice at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, the All Stars will compete on Wednesday and Thursday, before the World of Outlaws kick off their season Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  “There were 24 cars in Georgia and 27 at Ocala, and just about every one of them came to win the feature,” says TMAC.  “You can’t give away anything qualifying.  At Ocala we were two-tenths off quick time and still down at 13^th quick.  The competition is only going to get tougher this week at Volusia.” 

TMAC is appreciative of the folks who made his Florida trip possible.  That list includes Hungry Howie’s Pizza, BubbaQue’s, Frubob Fruit Floats and Kazbor’s Grille, where he watched the Super Bowl on Sunday.  Mark Burch Motorsports has also lent a big helping hand.  “Mark Burch was nice enough to loan us a truck and trailer to get down here,” says TMAC.  “We were just throwing things together, and my crew is getting back from Australia one by one.  We’ll be better each night out.” 

The veteran is no stranger to Volusia’s Victory Lane.  “We’re looking forward to trying some things in practice tonight,” he says.  “Volusia has always been good to me, so we’re looking for a big week.”