Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL Photo courtesy WoO Media
Terry McCarl sure loves to celebrate.
Heck, he’d probably run down the frontstretch in his underwear like Ricky Bobby if given the time. The weather might have had something to do with it on Saturday night, when McCarl did his best in victory lane to pump up the nearly sold out crowd amid 25 mile per hour wind gusts and temperatures dipping into the 40s at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL.
McCarl even managed to plant one on World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series announcer Johnny Gibson to conclude the postrace interview after McCarl’s win at the 42nd annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment.
“Anyone who knows me knows when I win, I’m happy,” McCarl said. “The day I win and I’m not happy is the day I’m going to quit.
“When you win any feature it’s great. When you win an Outlaws show it’s even better and to win an event like this, there’s so many tough competitors, it’s even better.”
It snapped a winless streak dating back to July 17, 2009, for McCarl, whose last World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series victory came at Eldora Speedway during the Knight Before the Kings Royal.
Battling broken bones and building his own team since then, McCarl had only recorded four top-five finishes since that last win. On Saturday, it all went to plan.
McCarl won his heat race from the pole and fast qualifier Craig Dollansky pulled the No. 8 during the dash draw, putting McCarl on the pole for the six-lap dash that determines the starting lineup for the first five rows of the feature.
Steve Kinser, who started on the outside of the front row, got the jump and outlasted McCarl to win the dash. However, that gave Kinser the bottom line for the start of the feature and McCarl the top groove.
“Actually that was a Godsend,” McCarl said. “I think the top was a little better run on the start.”
McCarl cleared Kinser for the lead on the backstretch of the feature’s first lap, but he never held a comfortable lead. Once the leaders entered traffic on lap five, Kinser was within a couple of car lengths of the lead.
Meanwhile, defending World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz drove from eighth to fifth in the first two laps and was up to third by lap nine. McCarl, Kinser and Schatz battled within a handful of car lengths through traffic for several laps before the only caution took out the two strongest contenders to McCarl.
On lap 15, Kinser jumped the cushion in turn two. When he drove back down into the groove, he collided with Schatz. Kinser spun down the track and Schatz ended up stopping in turn three with damage to the front. Neither car was able to restart with Kinser finishing 21st and Schatz 22nd.
Daryn Pittman, who won the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series season opener on Friday, rocketed around Kraig Kinser in turns one and two on the restart for the runner-up position. The momentum allowed Pittman to pull next to McCarl, who had the preferred line around the cushion entering turn three.
McCarl pushed his lead to several car lengths until Pittman began to close in the final five laps. With two laps remaining Pittman was within striking distance and he finished less than two car lengths behind McCarl at the finish line.
“Our car just seemed like it was getting a little better and I think he was getting a little tighter,” Pittman said. “I would have liked to have had a shot at trying to slide him. I don’t know if I could have pulled it off or not. It just was really tricky. The curb was big and treacherous.”
Kraig Kinser finished third to record his first podium of the season.
“Definitely I feel really positive with the way our team is going,” he said.
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Tim Shaffer placed fourth and Brad Sweet charged from 12th to fifth.
Jason Sides finished sixth, Dollansky was seventh and David Gravel earned the KSE Hard Charger Award for driving from 22nd to eighth. Brian Paulus ended ninth and 18th-starter Jac Haudenschild rounded out the top 10.
The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series wraps up its three-day event at the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented Summit on Sunday. The front gate opens at 5 pm with hot laps around 6 p.m. and Opening Ceremonies at 7:20 pm.
UNOH DIRTcar Nationals
Volusia Speedway Park – Barberville, FL
WoO STP Sprint Car Series – Feb. 16, 2013
1. 24-Terry McCarl
2. 9-Daryn Pittman
3. 11K-Kraig Kinser
4. 83-Tim Shaffer
5. 49-Brad Sweet
6. 7S-Jason Sides
7. 7-Craig Dollansky
8. 89G-David Gravel
9. 28-Brian Paulus
10. 59-Jac Haudenschild
11. 51-Paul McMahan
12. 1-Sammy Swindell
13. 29-Kerry Madsen
14. 19-Brooke Tatnell
15. 71M-Joey Saldana
16. H07-Justin Henderson
17. W20-Greg Wilson
18. 4-Cody Darrah
19. 13-Jason Leffler
20. 63-Chad Kemenah
21. 11-Steve Kinser
22. 15-Donny Schatz
23. 45-Danny Holtgraver
24. 1S-Logan Schuchart
25. 1Z-Danny Lasoski
26. 6-Bill Rose
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