Dallas, TX (August 7, 2019) – The TKS Motorsports team made their first attempt at the Knoxville 360 Nationals with driver Jason Solwold behind the wheel of the Casey’s General Stores/Midwest Basement Systems #2KS. Missing the Saturday night A-main by three spots wasn’t quite the result the team was hoping for, but they’re ready to go for their Wednesday night prelim with Austin McCarl back in the seat for the Knoxville Nationals!
Last weekend got started in Friday night preliminary action for the Troy and Tammy Renfro-owned team at the 360 Nationals. Solwold qualified mid-pack in 22nd, before taking third in his heat to earn his way into the 20-lap A-main. Starting on the inside of the seventh row in the feature, Jason would finish the night with a 14th; tallying enough points to land in Saturday’s B-main.
Night one was a case of shaking off the rust, as it was Solwold’s first trip to Knoxville in a few years. “Jason hadn’t raced there for a while,” said Renfro. “He spends most of his season racing on shorter tracks out west with a very different left rear tire. It took a bit to get the balance back at Knoxville and making that adjustment, which left us to do a lot searching around on the qualifying night, but we definitely got better at the end.”
Looking to earn their way into the finale on Saturday night, Solwold and Renfro came together after their hot lap session and decided to make some drastic changes. “We still weren’t satisfied with how the car was feeling after hot laps, so we basically threw the kitchen sink at it,” said Troy. “I ended up going with a very old school setup.”
The throwback would get them close to making the transfer, though the night would end in 7th at the close of the B-main. “We actually were pretty good in the B,” said Renfro. “Had there not been a caution, I think we had a chance, but the caution kind of strung out the cars up front and that was the end to our night.”
While not the result the team set out to achieve, Renfro was happy with the weekend and the chance to get some more nights on the track after the early season rainouts. “I was happy overall,” said Troy. “It was a lot of fun to run with Jason and Mike [Anderson]; I’m really looking forward to heading out to Tulare this Fall and work with them at the Trophy Cup.”
Now it’s time for the biggest weekend of the year! Austin McCarl and the TKS Motorsports team will be hitting the track in the Casey’s General Stores/Midwest Basement Systems #2KS for their qualifying night on Wednesday, looking to tally enough points to make the main event on Saturday!
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