Ricky Carmichael
No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Coca-Cola 200 Presented by Hy-Vee – July 16, 2011
Venue: Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa
Ricky Carmichael’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Performance History at Iowa Speedway
· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-009 from the Turner Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Saturday’s Coca-Cola 200 Presented by Hy-Vee at Iowa Speedway. This is the same Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado Carmichael’s Mark Rette-led Turner Motorsports team prepared for last month’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway but an on-track incident during qualifying forced the team to roll out its back-up truck for the race. Since then, the truck has been re-skinned and outfitted with a new rear clip. Carmichael raced this truck earlier this season at Darlington Raceway where a late-race incident sent him to the garage area prior to the conclusion of the event, leaving him with a 30th-place finish. Built new in 2010, Carmichael raced this truck last season at Pocono (St. 17, Fn. 19) and Darlington (St. 16, Fn. 19).
· Iowa Info …Carmichael has a pair NCWTS starts to his credit at Iowa Speedway and calls a ninth-place finish a career-best at the seven-eighths-mile Newton, Iowa tri-oval. The Tallahassee, Fla., resident has notched a solid 11th-place finishing average, completed 100 percent of the laps run over those two races and earned just over $22,000 in purse money.
· A look back at Kentucky … Carmichael and the Monster Energy team battled through an evening filled with adversity but still managed to make the most out of a tough outing and turn in a 13th-place finish in last Thursday night’s UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway. Carmichael spent most of the 150-lap event mired in traffic but the 15-time AMA National Champion answered the bell in the closing laps and came away with a respectable top-15 showing.
· In a Nutshell … The 2011 season marks Carmichael’s second year competing on a full-time basis and third year overall in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut 53 races ago, the father of twins has gone on to earn three top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Over those same 53 races, the motocross legend has logged a 15.1 average start, a 16.9 average finish, led 38 laps and completed 91.1 percent of the laps run, earning just shy of $700,000 in purse money.
· Turner Truck Totals … In 10 NCTWS races in 2011, TMS-prepared entries have earned four top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. James Buescher leads the way with four top fives and eight top 10s and currently sits fourth in points. Carmichael has logged three top 10s, including a season-best sixth-place showing at Texas Motor Speedway, and is 13th in the standings. Brad Sweet wheeled the No. 32 machine for the first eight races of the year and logged a pair of top-10 finishes.
· Make it a Mike’s … For the third time this season, Canadian-born Steve Arpin will get behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevy Silverado with Mike’s Hard Lemonade serving as the team’s primary sponsor. Arpin will race the No. 32 machine three more times this season. In addition to Saturday’s 200-lapper, Arpin will steer the Mike’s Hard Lemonade Silverado two more times this year with stops at, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (7/29) and Chicagoland Speedway (9/16). Blake Feese will take his turn in the seat of the No. 32 Chevy next weekend at Nashville Superspeedway where AccuDoc Solutions will adorn the primary sponsorship positions on the truck.
· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael slipped to 13th in the NCWTS driver point standings after finishing 13th last weekend but the father of twins sits just six points behind 12th-place Max Papis. He is seven markers behind Todd Bodine in 11th and only 17 points back from Brendan Gaughan in 10th. Buescher picked up an impressive three positions in the standings following his ninth-place finish last weekend and trails point leader Johnny Sauter by only 32 points. While Arpin is 34th in points after his second start of the season, the No. 32 entry is safely locked in to the starting field in Iowa by virtue of being 21st in the NCWTS owner’s point standings.
· Welcome Aboard… Hy-Vee and QT Kitchens will be featured on the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado this weekend in Iowa. With sales of more than $6.9 billion and more than 232 retail stores across eight Midwestern states, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 20 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. QT Kitchens is QuikTrip’s brand of fresh sandwiches, salads and wraps that are delivered fresh daily to every QuikTrip store. QuikTrip’s chef takes the freshest ingredients available, crafts delicious combinations, then sets his highly trained staff to making them for QuikTrip stores. The result is a remarkably fresh, remarkably convenient lineup of QT Kitchens food.
· Ricky Carmichael Live … Carmichael, along with several other popular NCWTS drivers, including Buescher and Arpin, will sign autographs for race fans from 2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. on Saturday at the race track behind the Manatt Grandstands. The free autograph session is open to the public and fans are encouraged to arrive early to ensure they receive an autograph from their favorite driver. Autographs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Following the autograph session, Carmichael will visit with fans at the Chevrolet display form 3:50 p.m. – 4:05 p.m. The Chevy display is located outside Turn 1, in the speedway’s display and merchandise vendor area.
· See the Monster Energy Silverado … The Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado show truck will make a pair of stops on Friday, July 15 in the Des Moines, Iowa area. From 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., the No. 4 machine will be on display at QuikTrip Store No. 534, located at 2945 East University Avenue. From 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., the Monster Energy Silverado will make a pit stop at Hy-Vee at 7101 University Avenue in Windsor Heights.
· Nationwide Notes … In 18 NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011, TMS-fielded teams have notched three wins, 17 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes. Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet, slipped to second in points last weekend following his 17th-place finish at Kentucky Speedway but trails current points-leader Elliott Sadler by a slim nine-point margin. Jason Leffler finished 13th last weekend to maintain the fifth position the Nationwide Series driver point standings while Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet finished 19th to remain fourth in points, giving TMS owner Steve Turner three cars in the top five.
· Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee from Iowa Speedway will take the green flag Saturday, July 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on SPEED and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
RICKY CARMICHAEL QUOTES Iowa Speedway is in the heartland of America. The area offers a different glimpse of the country than you see at many other race tracks that tend to be in more metropolitan areas.
Does that grassroots feel make racing at Iowa Speedway a little more special? “There are great fans at Iowa Speedway … Very genuine people. With it being right smack in the middle of the heartland of the country, I always see a lot of motocross fans. It’s a fun race for me and it’s a great facility. We had a lot of motocross races in the Midwest so it definitely has the feel of a motocross race, without a doubt.”
What type of racing can fans expect to see at Iowa Speedway? “Iowa speedway has multiple grooves. You’ll see guys racing on the bottom, in the middle and on the top of the track. The track produces a great race. It’s a little less than a mile so it’s short, fast and a lot of fun.”
What’s the key to a fast lap? “You need a big arc going in to Turn 1 to make the back straightaway as long as possible. It’s important to be able to get back to the throttle as quickly as possible. It’s a tough place to qualify because you don’t have much time for your tires to come in. You need that big arc into Turn 1, get down into Turn 3 as hard as you can, let the truck roll through the center of the corner and back to the gas off of Turn 4 so you can let the truck do the work. That’s the key for me.”
You were obviously disappointed with the end result last weekend at Kentucky but does being in the thick of the season make it easier to put that behind you and focus on races in front of you? “Absolutely. I’m looking forward to being really consistent from now until November. When we struggle, we need to do exactly what we did at Kentucky and that’s make the best we can out of it and put the truck back on the trailer with all four fenders on it. If we do that, the points will start adding up and we’ll get back inside the top 10 where we need to be.”
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About Turner Motorsports: Turner Motorsports, LLC, established in 1999, is in the midst of its sophomore season of NASCAR competition. Owned by Texas businessman Steve Turner, the organization has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series. Turner Motorsports operates out of an 110,000 square-foot state-of-the art facility in Mooresville, N.C., and will compete with three entries in the Camping World Truck Series and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team boasts an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Justin Allgaier, Ricky Carmichael, James Buescher, Brad Sweet and Brandon McReynolds. The Chevrolet-backed team has created alliances with General Motors’ powerhouse teams Hendrick Motorsports, which will provide engine support for both its NNS and NCWTS programs, Kevin Harvick Inc. for body and aero support, and Earnhardt Technology Group for drive train and suspension technology assistance. Turner Motorsports’ marketing partners include Dollar General, Great Clips, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com.
