Austin at Knoxville (Gordy O’Field Photo)
(Bill W) May 10, 2017 – The second run of the year at Knoxville Raceway was again solid for the TKS Motorsports #2KS team and driver Austin McCarl. Last Saturday night, the Altoona, Iowa driver again timed well (sixth quick) and checkered eighth in the feature. This weekend, the team plans on running at the Jackson Motorplex in Minnesota Friday and at Knoxville Raceway again Saturday.
Car owner and crew chief, Troy Renfro was pleased again after qualifying. “Everything went fine,” he says. “We timed in well again, which is important at Knoxville. We’re really happy with our Parker engine.”
Austin added, “We’ve been third quick and sixth quick the two weeks at Knoxville. Having only run three times total, I think Saturday was as low as we’ve qualified. We’re doing well with that. In today’s world with the format, qualifying is so important and over half the battle. If you don’t qualify well, it puts you in a big hole.”
After battling back in the pack in his heat, Austin finished fifth. “We raced with Kerry Madsen there, and got by Matt Moro with just a couple of laps to go,” he says. “I had a chance at Kerry and just didn’t get the job done there. With the way the points shook out, that position was a big one.”
The feature invert was eight, and Austin would start ninth. “The racetrack was a little different than the first week,” says Troy. “It slicked off early, but this time the bottom stayed there. One more spot in the heat would have been the difference us starting ninth where we did, or at the front of the feature. But we were ready.”
Austin added, “I felt we had a really good car, especially the last half of the race. Kerry and I went at it pretty hard at the beginning. I think we slid each other in every corner for five or six laps. One of these days, we’re hoping that’s for the lead instead of seventh or eighth. We were right there at the finish with the top five, so no complaints.”
The team is working hard to keep the car up front. “We just aren’t quite where we need to be yet,” says Troy. “We need to figure a few things out here to help us. We’re consistent. We just need that little bit more, and we’re working hard to get there. We’ve only got three races under our belt, but we’re really excited.”
The team is looking for their first win of the year, and they are happy with their components. “We always want to come home with a win, and that’s our goal,” says Troy. “The Maxim cars are great and the engine is running really well right now. We’ve talked about it before, but Austin is a great communicator when he gets out of the car. We’re just two nights in at Knoxville, and we’re definitely happy with the direction we’re headed.”
Sponsor the Front Wing with TKS Motorsports!
TKS Motorsports is always open to new perspective partners! 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 at Knoxville (Gordy O’Field Photo)
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