Austin McCarl Experiences Exciting String of Sprint Car Races
- Jul 18, 2011
Eighteen-year-old, Austin McCarl and the TMAC Motorsport #17A Team were pretty busy throughout the month of June and into early July. On June 4th, racing in the 410 division, Austin experienced his career best at Knoxville Raceway when he finished third in the feature. On the following Sunday night, June 5th, Austin and his crew pulled into Huset's Speedway, near Brandon, South Dakota, with confidence on their side. When the dust settled, the driver had taken his first career feature.
As the month progressed, the young driver and his team experienced their ups and downs. On June 12th, Austin McCarl spun out in turn four, ruining any hopes of a victory. Returning to Knoxville on June 18, luck simply wasn't on his side. After running third for much of the race, Austin broke a shock, and dropped back to seventh. Austin finished 5th at Husset's Raceway on June 19th, and completed the race at Knoxville in 13th place on the second day of July. On July 3, he took eighth place in the 410 at Husset's Speedway. Austin and his team pulled into the Knoxville Speedway on July 9, with anticipation of logging another win in the 410 division. Little did they know that the driver was on the verge of experiencing a race that he and his family would likely remember for years to come. Dominating the first of two main events for a majority of the race, it was looking like Austin might experience his first career win at Knoxville, but things began to change when the red flag flew with only four laps to go. The driver suddenly found himself in a heated battle with his father, Terry, and when all was said and done, Austin had fallen short of the victory and earned second place, which was still an all-time best for him at Knoxville Speedway. When asked if he enjoyed the competition between himself and his father, Austin said, "I love it. We're a very competitive family. My dad has been doing this his whole life. He's made a good living. You want to win. You gotta win to make money. Competitiveness has kind of been a part of my whole life, between basketball and racing. Being competitive, our family doesn't like getting beat." "We enjoy the competition between each other," he continued. "Last week when I finished second, I led most of the race, and he ended up getting me at the very end. I was kind of upset about it, but it was pretty cool to run first and second with your dad, as tough as the competition is at Knoxville. Yeah, I think it's awesome, I think it's great." "We've had a very successful year," explained Austin. "Last year was my rookie year, and we definitely had our ups and we definitely had our downs. This year we've been very consistent. I'd say we're a force to be reckoned with and I think everyone knows that we're one of the top five cars to beat each week." "I have a great crew and a great teacher in my father," explained Austin. "I gained a lot of experience form all of those years I spent watching my father. Being at the shop every day, working on the cars and learning how they work has also helped. I've got a good crew and I go out there and do my best every week, and try to win." As a third generation driver, Austin is no stranger to the importance of preventive maintenance, and has been around K&N Filters from the word go, as his father and grandfather both were believers in and used their products. "Motor maintenance is a big deal." He explained. "It's called motorsports for a good reason. You need a good motor that runs at top performance all of the time. It's a very vital part of racing. I think K&N Filters are the best filters on the face of the earth. There's nothing else out there that can compete with them." Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
