Ricky Carmichael No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 – August 6, 2011
Venue: Pocono Raceway – Long Pond, Pa.
· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-013 from the Turner Motorsports (TMS) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Saturday’s Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 at Pocono Raceway. This is the same truck Carmichael raced earlier this season at Dover International Raceway before a hard crash sent him to the garage area prior to the conclusion of the event. Since then, this truck has been outfitted with a new body, including front and rear clips. This truck also saw action in April at Nashville Superspeedway where Carmichael started 23rd and finished 14th. Built new in 2010, this Chevrolet Silverado was the workhorse of the Monster Energy Team’s fleet last fall. Carmichael drove the same Monster Energy Chevy last year at Chicagoland Speedway (St. 13, Fn. 28), Kentucky Speedway (St. 5, Fn. 9), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (St. 8, Fn. 9) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (St. 22, Fn. 21).
· Pocono Points … Carmichael started 17th and finished 19th in his lone NCWTS start at Pocono Raceway and completed all 55 laps.
· Indy Info … An all but assured top-10 finish for the Monster Energy Team evaporated as the fuel tank ran dry on their No. 4 Chevy with only three laps remaining in last Friday’s AAA 200 Presented by J.D. Byrider at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Carmichael was a prominent fixture in the top 10 for most of the night and was on track to record his fourth top-10 showing of the 2011 campaign before his fuel pressure gauge registered zero leaving the 15-time AMA National Champion with a heartbreaking 19th-place finish. Despite the hard-to-swallow ending, the 31-year-old driver maintained the 16th spot in the NCWTS driver point standings with 12 races remaining on the 2011 calendar.
· 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 56 races ago, the father of twins has gone on to earn three top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Over those same 56 races, the motocross legend has logged a 15.4 average start, a 17.0 average finish, led 38 laps and completed 91 percent of the laps run, earning just over of $725,000 in purse money.
· A Salute to the Men and Women in Uniform … On Thursday, Aug. 4, Carmichael, along with a host of NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Truck Series officials, team owners and drivers will visit Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. This is NASCAR’s seventh visit to the historic medical center before it moves to a new facility in Bethesda, Md., in September. Drivers, team owners and NASCAR executives will visit with patients and their families on the wards before visiting the display and autograph area. A NASCAR-hosted dinner with singer Billy Ray Cyrus will follow that evening. Several show cars, including Carmichael’s No. 4 Monster Energy Chevy Silverado, will be on display for patients and their families to see.
· Going to Loretta’s … Carmichael will spend two days this week at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Riders compete nationwide from March through June in the various Area Qualifiers and Regional Championships to determine the final rider roster for the National. Carmichael will be on hand to make appearances, sign autographs and represent sponsors Monster Energy, Oakley, Fox, DC Shoes and Suzuki.
· Turner Truck Totals … In 13 NCWTS races in 2011, TMS-prepared entries have earned five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. James Buescher leads the way with five top fives, including last week’s runner-up finish in Indianapolis where he maintained third in points following his ninth-consecutive top-10 finish. With the exception of Martinsville, Buescher has finished inside the top 10 in every race in which he has competed in the division this season. Carmichael has logged three top 10s, including a season-best sixth-place showing at Texas Motor Speedway and is 16th in the standings. Brad Sweet wheeled the No. 32 machine for the first eight races of the year, logging a pair of top 10s in the process.
· It’s Mark’s Turn … NASCAR legend and 40-time Sprint Cup Series winner Mark Martin will take over the driving chores of Turner Motorsports’ No. 32 Chevy this weekend where Exide Batteries will serve as the primary sponsor. Martin has 23 NCWTS starts to his credit, dating back to 1996, and boasts three poles, seven wins, 16 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes. Martin will also pilot the No. 32 entry, in two weeks, at the division’s next stop at Michigan International Speedway.
· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael maintained 16th in the NCWTS driver point standings following his 19th-place finish last weekend. Still, he is just 22 points outside the top 13 and 43 back from the top 10. Buescher maintained third in points following his runner-up finish in Indianapolis but now sits just 16 points behind second-place Austin Dillon and only 20 behind point leader Johnny Sauter. While Martin has yet to make a NCWTS start in 2011, the No. 32 machine is assured a spot on the starting grid by virtue of being 20th in the NCWTS owner point standings.
· Welcome Aboard… Turner Motorsports and Monster Energy are pleased to feature Weis Markets on the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado this Saturday in Pocono. Weis Markets is a grocery store chain with stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia. Weis Markets employs more than 18,000 associates in its stores, distribution center, corporate office and manufacturing facilities. The company is proud to support its community through various programs and to support local growers by being one of the largest local purchasers in Pennsylvania.
· See the Monster Energy Silverado … The Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado show truck will make a pair of stops this weekend in conjunction with the NCWTS race in Pocono. On Friday, Aug. 5, Carmichael’s No. 4 machine will visit the WalMart Super Center located at 1169 South Main St. in Mansfield, Pa. from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., the Monster Energy Chevy will make a pit stop at Weis Markets – Store No. 159 – located at 1070 North Ninth St., in Stroudsburg, Pa.
· Nationwide Notes … In 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2011, TMS-fielded teams have notched three wins, 18 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes. Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet, slipped to second in points following his ninth-place run last weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway. Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevrolet, was 27th in the final rundown last weekend after a fire in the engine bay of his race car sidelined the Riverton, Ill., driver seven laps prior to the conclusion of the 200-lap event. Despite the disappointing result, Allgaier remains fourth in points. Jason Leffler finished sixth and held on to sixth in the standings. This weekend, the drivers and teams of the NASCAR Nationwide Series return to Iowa Speedway for the second stop on the division’s 2011 calendar at the seven-eighths-mile Newton, Iowa race course. The U.S. Cellular 250 Presented by the Enlist Weed Control System will take the green flag Saturday, Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT and broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
· Up to Speed … Live coverage of the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 from Pocono Raceway will take the green flag Saturday, Aug. 6 beginning at 12:30 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. Qualifying for Round 14 of the 2011 Camping World Truck Series Championship will be televised live on SPEED the same day at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
RICKY CARMICHAEL QUOTES What are your thoughts heading into Pocono? “Pocono is a lot like a restrictor-plate track for the Truck Series. The biggest things are not losing the draft and being good through the turns. It wasn’t a great track for me last year by any means. I think I raced it the wrong way so I’ve got a little different approach this year. Obviously, I’m hoping to be a lot better than I was last year. The straightaways at Pocono are so long and these trucks punch such a big hole in the air. A big part of being successful at Pocono is getting through the corners. If you can keep the truck wound up in the corners, you can get a big run on exit and make some passes on the straightaways.”
Where’s the best place to pass at Pocono? “I think getting on the inside of someone coming into Turn 3 and getting a good drive off the corner sets you up to make some passes on the front stretch. The Tunnel Turn is kind of dodgy so you don’t want to be playing around there. In order to pass someone in the Tunnel Turn, you have to be passed their door to make it work. The best places to make something happen are in Turn 1 and Turn 3. Drafting is also going to play a role so the straightaways should provide some opportunities to pass as well. It’s not a whole lot of fun if you lose the pack. You can end up just running around out there by yourself, which is what happened to me last year.”
It seems like a common theme at Pocono is giving up your comfort zone at one end of the race track to be good somewhere else. “You have to be good in Turn 1 and Turn 3. The straightaways are so long that if you’re not good coming off the corners, you lose too much momentum. If your truck is handling good on those ends of the race track, you can make up a lot of ground on the straightaways.”
You’ve got a very busy week between going to Loretta Lynn’s and Walter Reed Army Medical Center before you head up to Pocono. “It’s a really busy week for me. Loretta Lynn’s is the biggest amateur motocross event in the world. I raced at Loretta’s many, many times as an amateur and won a bunch of championships there. I still go up there every year to show my love for the sport and support my sponsors. “The thing I’m most excited about is going to Walter Reed on Thursday and, maybe, touch some hearts. I’m really excited to go to Washington D.C. and visit some of the men and women who have made incredible sacrifices for the United States. I want to be able to show my appreciation and thank them for their bravery and commitment to our country. I’ve been hoping to have this opportunity for a long time. From there, we’ll head up to Pocono. I’ve got a really good week ahead of me.”
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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 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 NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). 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, Steve Arpin, Blake Feese 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.
