Terry McCarl Takes 257th Career Win and His 87th at Huset's Speedway
- Nov 11, 2011
During the heat, McCarl struggled, as the car obviously had other problems, but still managed to finish second quick. During intermission a cracked bell housing was discovered. Eager to compete in the feature, McCarl and his crew went back to work, and managed to pull the rear end, replace the defective part and put the car back together with ample time to race. "When asked if he thought the car would be ready for the feature, Terry said, "Actually, no. At Huset's you have to unload and don't have your trailer right there. We really didn't have all of the parts and tools that we needed. My crew really went to work. They had to basically take the whole rear end out, or at least pull it back where they had room to take the entire drive line out to replace the bell housing. I really thought we were crunched for time, and we got lucky when they had to re-do the race track after the heat races, so we were fortunate there. If I would have had to bet, I would have bet we weren't going to be finished in time for sure, but in the end, it worked out for us. McCarl said, "Experience is extremely important when something like this happens. This is when an experienced crew comes into play. They don't panic and stay focused. You can't get into too big of a hurry or you'll miss something or forget to tighten up the bolts. I'd say an experienced crew definitely earns their money in a situation like this." Starting the feature inside row two, it didn't take long to figure out that the problem had been alleviated; as the car ran to perfection from the word go. In fact, Terry passed Donovan Peterson in lap ten and wasn't challenged throughout the remainder of the race, and earned his eighty-seventh win at Huset's Speedway, at Brandon, South Dakota, and his 257th overall. "Wins like this are a little more special, especially to the crew," explained McCarl. "It shows when they work hard and stay focused, that good things can happen. You know, when you work that hard and win the feature, it makes everything worth while. Those types of wins are a little more gratifying." When asked the key to success throughout his career, Terry said, "You know, there's a lot of variables there. They call it motorsports for a reason, and the guys with good motors are going to have more fun in this sport. You have to have good equipment, a good crew, a good driver, and a little bit of luck on your side too. That's what makes it exciting, especially dirt track racing. The track changes so much as the night progresses, and it takes a lot of experience to stay up on it. I have been fortunate enough to have good people around me and good equipment for the past few years, and it's really paid off for us." Referring to K&N product's role in his success, McCarl continued, "Again, it goes back to motorsports. If you don't have a great running motor, then it's going to be difficult. The guy with the best running motor has a little bit of an advantage. These motors are so expensive these days that you've really got to take care of them. I try to tell all of the young mechanics that I meet that you have to keep the dirt out of the engines. In dirt track racing, the more you keep the dirt out of the motors the longer life they'll have. We've been with K&N forever," explained McCarl, "and I wouldn't change for anything. You always know it's going to be a high quality product, and they're great people to work with." Terry McCarl and his team will wrap up the 2011 season on Saturday, November 5, at the World Finals held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. |
