5/23/2018
TKS Motorsports – Great Weekend, On and Off the Racetrack!
Des Moines, IA (May 23, 2018) – Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports team completed this past weekend with two strong finishes on the track, including a podium at Knoxville, but the weekend was bookended by two other big events. Friday saw Austin and team owner Troy Renfro volunteer at a great charity event, while Sunday the Renfros celebrated the high school graduation of their daughters.
Before racing began on Friday night, Troy and Austin had the opportunity to join the team of one of their sponsors for the Special Olympics event at Iowa State University. “Last year, Austin and I were able to volunteer at the Special Olympics on the Casey’s General Stores team and were lucky enough to make it work again this year,” said Troy.
Troy and Austin had to work around their racing schedule to make the event, but couldn’t have been happier to join in the fun. “The race at Jackson on Friday had been pushed back from the prior week, so we had to have some of the TKS crew take the hauler up and we hustled to Minnesota after the event,” said Troy. “We had a blast again this year and it’s a great reminder that there’s more to life than racing, which we can forget sometimes during the season.”
Fresh off a fun Friday afternoon, the TKS Motorsports team finally had the opportunity to race on the newly configured Jackson Motorplex. “They’ve done a ton to that facility and the reworked track was fun to race on,” said Austin. “They’ll continue to get it fine-tuned, but for the first night out, it was pretty good.”
Both Austin and Troy noted that while it was a solid night overall for the TKS Motorsports #2KS, the night itself was fairly uneventful for the team. “We timed in 5th quick, but there was a lot of moisture in the track from the rainfall during the week,” said Troy. “The track stayed pretty heavy throughout the night and it never really slicked off. However, we were able to get some good notes and learned a lot for our next visit.”
The night ended with a 6th place finish in the A-main for Austin. “I tried to work the bottom through the early part of the feature after starting on the inside of the fourth row,” said Austin. “The cushion just stayed too fast and eventually we had to fall in line.”
Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway started with the TKS Motorsports team going out late in qualifying, but Austin came through with a lap good enough for 8th on the speed charts. The team tried to change a bit too much for their heat race, but were still able to finish third. “We hurt ourselves in our heat by trying out too many different things, but Austin was still able to move up a spot,” said Troy.
Watching the 360 A-main spurred a conversation between Troy and Austin before they rolled the car to staging for the 410 feature. “We saw a lot of the 360 drivers rolling the bottom and cleaning it up a bit,” said Troy. “Austin was able to use the bottom early to make his way forward.”
It wasn’t just the bottom that Austin was able to use, as the team had the Casey’s General Stores #2KS working well wherever it was on the track. “The car was really maneuverable,” said Austin. “It felt great whether I was in the middle, up on the cushion, or running the Lasoski line and making the track as short as possible.”
McCarl was able to race his way onto the podium with a 3rd and his team owner is feeling great at this point of the season. “We had a great points night and we’re really happy with how well Austin has been doing for us!” said Troy.
Owners Troy and Tammy Renfro’s busy weekend didn’t end when the checkered flew on Saturday, as they had to prepare for their daughters’ graduation party on Sunday, with Knoxville Raceway being well represented. “Our daughters Katelyn and Sydney had their graduation party Sunday and they ended up asking for the food to be typical racetrack food,” said Troy. “Though Sydney had the special request of her favorite, the chicken bites from Knoxville.”
Austin and the TKS Motorsports #2KS will be in action this Saturday night at the Knoxville Raceway, where all fans with a valid military ID get in free for Memorial Day! Check out the new TKS Motorsports website for the season schedule and more from the TKS team.
TKS Motorsports is thankful for the support from all of their loyal sponsors:
Casey's General Stores, Des Moines Industrial Products (DMIP), Midwest Basement Systems, Neumann Brothers Construction, AFA Wheels, AL Driveline, All Star Performance, AO Designs, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Billy Bell House Moving, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt, Fibreworks Composites, Gail Dielman, Hoosier, HRP, Indy Race Parts, Justice Brothers, KSE Racing Products, Liberty Ready Mix, Mag Tech Ignition, Maxim Racing Chassis, Parker Performance, PennGrade Motor Oil, Schoenfeld Headers, Slade Shock Technology, Snyder Landscaping & Lawn Care, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Top Flight Wings, Walker Filtration Systems, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, and Winters Performance Products.
Photo Credit: Chuck Stowe
Morgan Broeg
broegracewriting@gmail.com
West Des Moines, IA USA
Twitter: @BroegW