Tuesdays with TMAC – Hard Work Pays Off in 2012!
(Bill W) December 22, 2012 – It may have been the hardest the McCarl family has worked, but it paid off in a successful season. Terry McCarl registered a seventh track championship at both the Knoxville Raceway in Iowa and the Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota. His crew chief, Austin McCarl, won a pair of races at Huset’s and just missed a runner-up points finish. Carson McCarl was the 360 Rookie of the Year at Knoxville…and they did it as a family with plenty of elbow grease!
TMAC, who registered nine wins on the season, also won at his 59th track, the Lonestar Speedway in Kilgore, Texas. His title at Huset’s was not planned to start the year. “I really didn’t intend on going after the points at Huset’s,” he says. “For the bulk of the year, it was just Austin, Carson, Lori and me. Justin Boese and Marty Barber helped us up there and we picked up Alex Johnson, and Bob Vogel helped too. Bob was the only one other than me to drive the truck.”
Towing every Sunday to Huset’s became the pattern. “I don’t think Huset’s got rained out, other than when we were already there,” says TMAC. “That was the only place Austin could run. Bargain Barn Tire ended up letting him run their motor. He works so hard, and it was important that he was able to go run. We threw both cars in one trailer. That seems like it would be a good thing, but it’s a lot of work!”
The budget was slim for the team all year. “I’ve won some championships, but these mean a lot to me, because it was such a family thing,” says TMAC. “I’d say 75% of the season I had one engine and one car. A lot of the season, I had a mag problem and I didn’t realize it. The motor wasn’t running well, and I just kept running it. We finally got some fresh stuff back and I came on at the end of the season. I don’t think I’ve ever worked as hard as I did this year. I was down (from 200) to 175 pounds around Nationals time.”
Some help was also needed from a good friend in July. “I crashed at the Huset’s Outlaw show on a Tuesday, and I didn’t have a car for the weekend,” says TMAC. “It was Twin Features at Knoxville. Lynton Jeffrey loaned me a car and we did well. We won the big race at Huset’s that weekend too. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to run there for a couple of weeks.”
Many think the McCarl’s operate on an unlimited budget. It is far from true. “I have to thank Bosma Poultry for providing us with a beautiful rig,” says TMAC. “People assume we have a lot, but we don’t operate that way. You do have to look like a million bucks to get a million bucks. With most people, it’s not the case. Most are on a shoestring budget like we were. To come away with the championships with a budget like that, especially at Knoxville, is very difficult. At Huset’s, other than the week we crashed, we just had solid finishes. I think we started and finished every local show there, which is tough.”
One race could have turned a great season into an outstanding one. A twist of fate intervened at the Knoxville Nationals when TMAC was caught up in a heat race accident on his preliminary night. “On the white flag lap, I was running fifth,” he says. “When the fourth place car went up in smoke, I wish you could have read my mind. I saw smoke coming out of his car and thought, ‘I’m going to make it.’ I had qualified perfect, and I was going to start in the first three rows of the feature. That would have set us up well. I did well in the last two shows at Knoxville. Then I was caught up in it and crashed. That’s fate. If that hadn’t happened and I had a top ten at the Nationals, it would have been an incredible year.”
In addition to his championship at Knoxville, TMAC was awarded as the “Junior Fan Club Driver of the Year” for the second straight season. “One of the things I’m most proud of is getting voted that for the fourth time at Knoxville. It’s voted on by the kids. To me, that’s a great award to win. It’s very important to me.”
Austin narrowly missed finishing second behind his father at Huset’s. “Austin had a great year,” says TMAC. “He finished third at Huset’s, one point behind Mark Dobmeier. The Lunstra/Dobmeier team is one of the best in the nation. I’m proud of what he did. He worked so hard. I was really hoping he could finish second. I don’t know that a father and son have done that anywhere.”
Carson ran his first full year in a 360 sprint car, almost exclusively at Knoxville. “Carson ended up with Rookie of the Year at Knoxville,” says TMAC. “He did really well. He led the points after the first night. He was second after the second week. He did well. We’d like to see him running some other tracks next year. He’s working hard on getting a couple of rides. I don’t know that he’ll run points at Knoxville next year.”
Both boys are ride searching for 2013. “They are both on their own looking for rides,” says TMAC. “You know, we couldn’t afford to do it this year, and we really won’t be able to next year. They both have a ton of talent, and they need to learn the other side of things. That would be selling themselves and building relationships. They need to adapt. Nowadays you have to sell yourself along with being a great driver. They are both good drivers. They have proven that.”
As for TMAC, he is stoked that he will be racing for a potent team in Australia next month. “I’m excited to announce that I’ll be driving for Colin Bulmer, one of the premiere owners in Australia for the President’s Cup at Avalon and the Grand Annual Classic in Warrnambool,” he says. “Colin owns the Bay Aire Industries #2. The last time I was there in 2010, Shane Stewart won the Classic in that car.”
TMAC had success in his last trip to Victoria. “We were able to win the World Series race there a couple of days later on Australia Day,” he says. “That’s the last time we were there. I’m really happy to get this ride. Shane Stewart and Wayne Johnson had a lot to do with it, so I’d like to thank them. That will qualify me for the Speed Sport World Challenge at the Nationals, so I’m excited about it.”
Category: Driver Updates, Terry McCarl
