Ricky Carmichael
No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado
Event Preview Fact Sheet
* This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado . Ricky Carmichael will pilot Chassis TMS-018 from the Turner Motorsports stable in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). This is the same Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado Carmichael raced last September at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and again in November at PIR where he finished 29th and 27th, respectively. * Phoenix Facts . Carmichael will make his third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) start at PIR in the Lucas Oil 150. In two previous NCWTS starts at the one-mile desert oval, the 15-time American Motorcycle Association (AMA) National Champion has logged a 17.5 average start, a 22.5 finishing average, completed 287 of the 301 laps run and earned just over $17,000 in purse money. In NASCAR Nationwide Series action, the 31-year old driver made one start, for Braun Racing, where he rolled off the starting grid 41st and rallied to a 21st-place finish. * A Look Back at Last Week . Carmichael started fourth and finished eighth in last Friday night’s season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The Clearwater, Fla., native led one lap, raced in the top two for the first 70 circuits and left Daytona with a career-best, eighth-place finish in NCWTS competition at the “World Center of Racing.” Meanwhile, Carmichael’s Turner Motorsports teammates James Buescher and Brad Sweet recorded ninth- and 21st–place finishes, respectively. Carmichael and Buescher are currently tied with Jeffery Earnhardt for third in the NCWTS driver point standings while Sweet sits 16th. * In a Nutshell . The 2011 season will mark Carmichael’s second season competing on a full-time basis in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut, 44 races ago, the father of two has gone on to earn three top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Over those same 44 races, Carmichael has logged a 13.7 average start, a 16.5 average finish, completed 92.6 percent of the laps run and earned just over $550,000 in purse money. * Heading for the ATL . Following Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150, Carmichael will head to Atlanta for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross at the Georgia Dome. Doors open on Sat., Feb. 26 at 12:30 p.m. with the main event scheduled for a 7 p.m. green flag. The five-time Supercross champion will sign autographs at 3 p.m. at the Monster Energy display inside the Supercross Pit Party. Carmichael will also provide color commentary during SPEED’s live telecast of the event. * See the Monster Energy Silverado . The Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado show truck will make a pair of stops in the Phoenix area this week. On Wednesday, from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., the truck will visit Bashas’ located at 7586 W. Thunderbird in Peoria. On Friday, the No. 4 machine will make a pit stop in Tolleson at the QuikTrip at the intersection of 99th and Van Buren. * Welcome Aboard . Turner Motorsports and Monster Energy are pleased to welcome Bashas’ and QT Kitchens to the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado. QT Kitchens, located inside select QuikTrip locations, offers fresh sandwiches, wraps, fruit, salads and pastries. Bashas’ is a family-owned grocery store chain with more than165 stores serving every county in Arizona, in addition to locations in California and New Mexico.
. So Much for the Weekend Off . Next weekend, Carmichael will head back to Daytona where he will be in the booth for SPEED’s coverage of the annual Daytona Supercross. The event is the longest continuously running Supercross in America, dating back to 1971. The second annual Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross event is scheduled for Sun., March 6 with the Ricky Carmichael University slated for Monday, March 7. The Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross Championship, produced by MX Sports, offers an opportunity for amateurs to compete on some of the most prestigious motorsports grounds in the world. Run in conjunction with the Daytona Supercross, the event marks the only chance during the year for riders to take lessons from the Greatest of All-Time. The 2010 inaugural event sold out, filling every position on the gate, making the event a once in a lifetime experience for participants of all ages. For more information, please visit http://www.mxsports.com www.mxsports.com. The RCU is a Supercross school developed by Carmichael to help riders of all ability levels hone their individual Supercross skills. Past champions who will serve as instructors include, Jeff Stanton, a four- time Daytona Supercross winner and six- time AMA Champion, former Supercross champ Jeff Emig, who won the grueling Daytona Supercross race in 1997, along with Damon Bradshaw and Kevin Foley. Carmichael is the winningest rider in motocross history at the fabled Daytona Beach race course with a total of six overall victories. He notched his first win in 125cc competition in 1998 and followed that up two years later with his first career win in the AMA’s premier class, becoming the first rider to win both a 125cc and 250cc race at Daytona. He went on to record four consecutive Supercross wins (2000-2003) to tie Stanton for the most victories and set the record three years later with a win in 2006. Carmichael has been the architect of the Daytona Supercross track since 2008. Live coverage of the 40th annual Daytona Supercross will be televised live on SPEED Sat., March 6 at beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
. Up to Speed . Live coverage of the Lucas Oil 150 from Phoenix International Raceway will be televised on SPEED Fri., Feb. 25 beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel 128. Qualifying for the Round 2 of the 2011 NCWTS championship will be televised live on SPEED on Friday at 5 p.m. EST.
RICKY CARMICHAEL QUOTES
Statistically speaking, it looks like Phoenix has been a struggle for you.
“When we finished 18th, it was my first race with Turner Motorsports and at that point, it was a brand new team . brand new everything. Provided the circumstances, I thought we did ok. That was the first time I’d ever been to the track. Last year was frustrating because we got wrecked and that’s why the end result was so bad. I love the race track and that’s one of the reasons it was so frustrating. I don’t feel like my results are a true indicator of how we’ve performed. I’m looking forward to Phoenix and trying to build up our finishing average. I’ve always got a positive attitude when I go to Phoenix because I like the race track so much. We missed the set up last year, which put us behind, and that’s what led to us getting wrecked, It’s a fun track for me so I’m very optimistic about our chances of doing well. We’re looking to maximize on points and earn as many as we can like we did last week at Daytona.”
Are you looking forward to the track being resurfaced and reconfigured or do you like it the way it is?
“I like Phoenix the way it is. That being said, I don’t like how narrow it is on the frontstretch so as I understand it, they’re going to widen that part of the race track, which will be awesome. That’s going to help get you out of harm’s way and help keep people from getting wrecked coming off Turn 4. There will be a lot more room coming off the corner and on to the frontstretch.”
You’re in a lot better position heading into the second race of the season this year than you were last season. Does that change how you go about your business this weekend as opposed to how you did it last year?
“I want to be there at the end of the race every weekend and maximize as many points as we can. I think that was one of my strong points in motocross. This year, in the Truck Series, I have so much more confidence because I know what to expect. We had a great start to the year last weekend at Daytona and that sets the tempo heading into Phoenix.”
Since superspeedway races are their own animals, will Phoenix be a truer indicator of where you’re at as a driver and how your team sets up for the bulk of the season?
“Phoenix is going to set the tone for the next five races. We’re not out there trying to climb out of a hole and make up points. We’re ahead of the curve right now as opposed to being behind like we were at this time last year. We’re in control of our own destiny a lot more over the next several weeks than we were at Daytona. It’s nice to be in front of the eight ball as opposed to behind it coming out of the gate.”
What are your favorite types of race tracks?
“I really like the flat, one-mile tracks like Phoenix and New Hampshire. To me, it feels like those are the kind of tracks where the drivers play a very critical role in the outcome of the race. Of the mile-and-a-halves, Atlanta and Texas are probably my two favorites. Those are tracks that I really get amped up for and feel like it will be a good weekend for me. Those four tracks are probably my favorites.”
After Phoenix, you’re heading to Atlanta for the Monster Energy Supercross. What do you have up your sleeve for Saturday?
“First thing Saturday morning, we’ll get up and catch a flight for the Atlanta Supercross. I won my first Supercross race at Atlanta in 1997 so it’s a special place for me. That was always like a home race for me. The crowds were always great and it’s just an awesome event. I won’t be racing but I’ll be participating in autograph sessions for my sponsors and I’ll be in the booth for SPEED’s live broadcast Saturday night. I’m really looking forward to it. Atlanta is an epic Supercross race. The atmosphere is electric. It’s got a great vibe and it’s close to home.”
As far as the off-weekend after Phoenix, it doesn’t sound like you’ll have much time off at all.
“On the weekend off for the Truck Series, I’ve got something really exciting happening. I’ll be down in Daytona for the Supercross next Saturday night and then on Sunday, I’ll be hosting the second annual Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross. We’ve got the Ricky Carmichael University the Monday after so it’ll be a busy weekend but one I’m really looking forward to.”
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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-native, 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 house 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 and Brad Sweet. 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, Monster Energy, BRANDT, Rexall, Exide, AccuDoc Solutions, Wolfpack Rentals, Fraternal Order of Eagles and ABF Freight. For more information on Turner Motorsports, visit http://www.turnermotorsportsllc.com www.turnermotorsportsllc.com.
