8/16/2017
Austin McCarl
TKS Motorsports – Putting It in the Show!
TKS Motorsports – Putting It in the Show!
(Bill W) August 15, 2017 – The TKS Motorsports #2KS team and driver Austin McCarl turned in a great Capitani Classic and Knoxville Nationals at the Knoxville Raceway last week. After finishing fifth in the “Cappy”, the Altoona, Iowa driver locked himself into Saturday night’s championship event. The team is tentatively planning on running at Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota Saturday.
First up was the Capitani Classic a week ago Sunday. “We’re trying to bounce back from the crash a month ago,” says team owner and crew chief Troy Renfro. “We’ve been building things back up and things came together nicely at the right time. We were really happy with the fifth-place finish with seventy cars there. It was good for us points-wise. It can either help you, or hurt you. It’s a flip the coin deal, and it ended up helping us.”
“In my opinion, the Capitani is one of the toughest one-night events in the country,” says Austin. “We were good enough to qualify well and get through the heat. We started fifth. Luckily, we had a good 25 laps. We had a great race with Chad Kemenah there for a while. I was lucky enough to clear him in traffic and finish in the top five. That was a huge confidence boost heading into Wednesday of Nationals.”
Qualifying night on Wednesday started on the right foot. “We qualified well,” says Troy. “We were happy with 11th, but we could have been a touch better. It wasn’t anything on Austin. It was just the way the racetrack was. We were really happy with the heat race. Austin has worked a lot on his starts, and he’s done a great job of learning. The heat race is the key to the whole thing at the Nationals. You have to get through that heat race and get as many points as you can.”
“We could have done a thing or two to be a little quicker, but you can always say that after the fact,” agrees Austin. “The start of the heat race was huge for us. We got to third right away. On the start, I kind of pinched Sheldon (Haudenschild) and we got a good run on (Aaron) Reutzel. We were able to run second for a while, but Kerry (Madsen) got us at the end. It was good enough to get in the show.”
Austin would start beside Kyle Larson in the front row of the main event. “Austin was running some good laps on the top there,” says Troy. “Kyle was on the bottom, and you have to go where those guys aren’t. That’s what he was doing. A mud clod came up through at that point, knocked the plug wire off and broke the plug. It shoved the mud guard right up between the header. We had to pry that out. He kept it on top and tried to keep it wound up. It’s all about points. He did a great job to finish fifth. We’re really proud of him.”
“I wish we would have had all eight cylinders,” laments Austin. “I think we really had a shot at Kyle. Who knows what would have happened? I at least think we could have led a few laps. If the engine runs, I think we had a win or at least a podium, but we were lucky for it to hold on the last 17 laps. To finish in the top five was lucky. We were fortunate we didn’t have more yellows.”
Austin had accumulated 466 points. “You’re nervous sitting seventh (on the night),” says Troy. “I’ve done this a long time, and we knew where we were in points…usually that safe zone is 468. It doesn’t sound like much, but you want to be in the top six. It depends on the next night, and how many of the quick guys get out of the heat and do well on the feature.”
Austin was nervous as well. “Thursday was pretty nerve-wracking,” he says. “I think I was more nervous watching my Dad (Terry) and calculating points. It was nice to end up 11th in the points and know that you’re in.”
Unfortunately, a part failure would end the team’s night early in Saturday’s championship. “We were having some issues even at the start of the feature,” says Troy. “We were a little tight. Then we had the motor expire with a part failure. In three years, we haven’t had a motor issue at all. This was nobody’s fault. It was a part failure, and that’s racing. All in all, I’m very proud of our entire team. I’m proud of Austin and what he’s done. I’ve known all along how good he was. He’s just needed the opportunity, and he’s shown what he can do when he has one. He’s come so far, and I hope everyone sees the progress he’s made. He’s shown what I’ve always known he can show.”
Troy is proud of the entire team and the individuals surrounding it. “It’s not just the people who work on the car,” he says. “I’ve got people I can lean on that have had great success. I lean on Don Lamberti and Bob Myers. I lean on my in-laws Rick and Belinda Lander. They are successful in business. I know race cars, but I’ve never been a people person. When I have to lean on them, they step in and help. Jonathan Goetz came in and helped me with the car. I can’t say enough about him. He took a load off for me, and he didn’t want anything outside of the room and board we gave him for it. That meant a lot to us. We also want to thank Kevin DeBerg of DeBerg Concrete for helping us out on Saturday.”
Other things also remind us that life is much bigger than racing. “Our thoughts were with Harley Van Dyke, who lost his daughter,” says Troy. “I can’t imagine what he was going through. What that team did in pulling together was amazing. In the end, it’s family that comes first.”
Sponsor the Front Wing with TKS Motorsports!
TKS Motorsports is always open to new perspective partners! Looking for an affordable way to be a part of a sprint car team? Whether you’d like to partner with the team for the full season, or put your company’s name on the nose wing for a night of your choice, contact Troy at tsrenfro8725@gmail.com!
TKS Motorsports would like to thank Casey's General Stores, Des Moines Industrial Products (DMIP), 1 Way Technologies, AL Driveline, AO Designs, “All Star Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Fibreworks Composites, Hoosier, Indy Race Parts, KSE Racing Products, Mag Tech Ignition, Maxim Racing Chassis, Schoenfeld Headers, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Butlerbuilt, Aurora Rod Ends, HRP, Volcano Joe’s Coffee, Walker Filtration Systems, Snyder Landscaping & Lawn Care, Justice Brothers, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, Winters Performance Products and Gail Dielman.
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Photo: Austin locked himself into the Knoxville Nationals championship (Chuck Stowe Images)
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