4/25/2019
TKS Motorsports – Salvaging Sixth & A Near Miss
Des Moines, IA (April 24, 2019) – Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports team kicked off their 2019 season with a near miss at 34 Raceway, coming home second, before holding on for a 6th-place run on opening night at the Knoxville Raceway. The Troy & Tammy Renfro-owned team will be back in action this Saturday night for round two of the Knoxville Championship Cup Series!
For the first race of the season, the team hauled the Casey’s General Stores/Midwest Basement Systems #2KS down to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa to compete in an IRA/MOWA co-sanctioned event that brought a solid contingent of cars to the track.
Austin got the night started right; qualifying 2nd out of the 35 cars that took time. “We qualified really well at 34, especially with the pill draw we had,” said Austin, who went out mid-pack. “I didn’t really push too hard in the heat race, since our qualifying time made it where we only had to finish in the top five to be in the redraw.”
Taking third in the heat, the redraw placed the team in the outside second row starting spot for the 25-lap feature event. “We had a car to win the A-main,” said Troy Renfro. “Austin did a great job early to get out to the lead and we led a lot of laps, so it felt good to see us come out night one with a car capable of winning.”
A late race restart allowed Carson Short to get by McCarl using the lowline and TKS would have to settle for the runner-up spot. “I was feeling some pressure from Short after the last red and changed my line a bit,” said Austin. “That ended up being a mistake that I wish I could take back, but it felt good to be that fast on night one.”
McCarl and the TKS team carried that momentum into last Saturday night at Knoxville Raceway for opening night; once again coming up just short in qualifying. “We drew really well Saturday, which is a nice change for us from last year,” said Austin with a laugh.
“Brian [Brown] just got us in qualifying,” said Renfo. “Second felt great though, as we had some struggles through the middle of the season last year with time trials, so coming out and laying down that lap against the field that was on-hand Saturday felt good.”
A rather uneventful heat race, where Austin started and finished in the same spot, provided enough points to get the luck of the draw and place them on the pole of the night’s A-main.
While the team prepared to setoff from the pole, the track conditions were a concern for Renfro. “The track was a bit different than usual,” said Troy. “The cushion had a nice ledge, but it was pretty crumbly and dirty throughout the night.”
McCarl got beat on the start by the #7X of Justin Henderson, but disaster nearly struck on the 2nd lap, as Austin set the car into the third turn. “I hit the fence pretty hard going into three,” said McCarl. “Honestly, we were pretty lucky that wasn’t the end of the race for us.”
“The contact Austin made with the wall bent the torque tube, right rear wheel, and the rear axle,” said Renfro. “The fact that we were able to hold on and finish 6th is a testament to Taylor Weld and the job he’s doing on the wheels at TJ Forged. I’m not sure if there’s another wheel out there that would have held up the rest of the race.”
While the night didn’t end quite the way Austin or the team would have liked it, they were quick to mention the all-important rule of running for points: no DNFs. “I really would have liked to duplicate last year and have picked up the opening night win, but salvaging sixth with the damage we had and the field that was there isn’t a bad points night,” said McCarl. “I’m not sure we’ll se another regular weekly show with as many big names that were there on Saturday.”
“We got some good notes down in the book and are ready to get back at it this week!” said Troy.
Check out the 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, TJ Forged, AL Driveline, All Star Performance, AO Designs, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, Aurora Rod Ends, Billy Bell House Moving, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt, Capitol Renegade, Chalk Stix Torsion Bars, CIS – www.centraliowasheds.com, 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, Schoenfeld Headers, Slade Shock Technology, Snyder Landscaping & Lawn Care, Tony Moro Collision Center, Tony Moro Powdercoating & Sandblasting, Top Flight Wings, Tucker Trucking, Webb Family Farms, Wilwood, and Winters Performance Products.
Photo Credit: Dave Hill
Morgan Broeg
broegracewriting@gmail.com
West Des Moines, IA USA
Twitter: @BroegW