6/12/2019
TKS Motorsports – A Clean Weekend
Dallas, TX (June 12, 2019) – Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports booked two solid finishes last weekend, taking 6th in MOWA competition at Lee County Speedway on Friday, before just missing the podium Saturday night at Knoxville. The Troy and Tammy Renfro-owned team will have the Midwest Basement Systems/Casey’s General Stores #2KS geared up for the World of Outlaw double header at Knoxville Raceway this weekend!
The TKS team kicked off last weekend at a track neither Troy nor Austin had raced on for years when they rolled into the pits at Lee County Speedway. Working with the draw/redraw system that MOWA runs worked in the team’s favor for the heat, as they would find themselves starting on the pole and making quick work of the field. “We started up front in our heat and the track was already pretty slick,” said Austin. “We were able to pull away and win that once pretty easily.”
While the heat draw went their way, luck was not on their side when it came time for the redraw to set the A-main lineup. “We drew the six for feature and we ended up finishing there,” said Troy. “It was good to get some laps on a shorter track and more time running the bottom for Austin. He’s great running the high side, but we’re searching for that balance, and Friday night was some extra work towards that.”
Saturday night started with Troy being officially relieved of drawing duties for the team by wife and co-owner, Tammy Renfro. “I’ve been fired from drawing,” said Troy with a chuckle. “After the results that I’ve posted picking out our qualifying spots so far this year, Tammy officially told me that I’m no longer allowed to draw for us.”
The late position in the qualifying line ended up being exacerbated by a medical emergency at the track that caused a lengthy delay. “During the delay, the track changed quite a bit and we had to do what we could to salvage a solid time,” said McCarl. “We were able to lay down a pretty good effort to be in the top ten, but I knew we’d have to make up some points in the heat race.”
Those laps spent running the bottom on Friday night came in handy during the heat race on Saturday, as McCarl would use the bottom to move from 4th to the win. “The car was great in the heat race,” said Austin. “We were hooked up on the bottom and I was able to get to second pretty quick and move by Tasker [Phillips] with two-to-go for the win.”
After two weeks of using the bottom of the track to score heat race wins, Renfro is happy with the progress. “We made a lot of changes to the car this year to help us be better on the bottom and Austin has done a great job the last two weeks,” said Troy. “We took a huge step this week and we’ll keep getting better.”
While the redraw bit the TKS team on Friday, the invert was just as nasty to them on Saturday, as Austin would roll off 7th in the A-main. “The invert didn’t go our way, but the car was great in the feature,” said Austin. “I was wishing it was a 25-lap race, because we definitely had a car worthy of being on the podium, but we just ran out of laps.”
“We got held up a bit there early in the race,” said Troy. “Once we were able to get in rhythm, Austin ran down [Matt] Juhl for fourth and we were ticking off lap times that were right there with the leaders, so it was definitely a good night for us and we have a big weekend coming up!”
With the Outlaws coming to town this weekend, the team is feeling good about their progress. “We had a good clean weekend with two solid finishes,” said Austin. “Our results aren’t reflecting how good the car has been the last couple of weeks, so I’m excited for the Outlaws to come in. If we can time well and put it in the dash, I feel good about our chances to score some strong finishes.”
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 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, Jersey Freeze, 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
Dallas, TX USA
Twitter: @BroegW