Ricky Carmichael and the No. 33 Monster Energy KHI All-Stars team finished the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Slick Mist 200 in the 21st position after returning from a lap-13 multi-car crash. James Beuscher won the 80-lap / 200-mile race while Joey Logano finished second.
Carmichael started in the 23rd position, and had patiently moved into the 19th spot on lap 13 when two cars immediately in front of him made contact, and swept the No. 33 car into the crash. The car suffered significant front-end damage, but the KHI All-Star crew were able to make repairs such as replacing the radiator. Carmichael returned to the track 28 laps behind the leaders, and was able to nurse the crippled machine for the remaining laps, finishing 21st, completing 52 of the 80 laps.
“It was just guys that weren’t being patient!,” said a frustrated Carmichael about the crash that damaged the Monster Energy entry. “It was so early in the race for that kind of thing. After about 10 laps, some of the guys in front of me started sliding around and my car was handling great - I was catching them in the corners and I expected to start moving forward.
“But, somebody wasn’t patient enough to run single file and two guys spun each other out. There was nothing I could do and nowhere I could go. I guess I’m a victim of circumstances. The laps I was able to turn gave me a sense of what I can work on and what to expect next week (in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona).
“I want to thank the team for working so hard to repair the car,” said Carmichael. “I’m inexperienced in this kind of racing, but they were all hustling big-time to make the repairs so I could get back out there and turn more laps. That means a lot to me to see that kind of work ethic and teamwork after a big crash. If I can get just a small bit of the luck I had in my motocross career, we’ll be alright in the Truck Series.”
Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, is scheduled to race 14 events this year in the No. 4 Monster Energy KHI All-Stars Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, beginning Friday night in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona.
STATS RECAP
Date: Feb. 7, 2009
Track: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Event Name: ARCA Slick Mist 200
Started: 23rd
Finished: 21st
NEXT ON SCHEDULE:
Date: Feb. 13, 2009
Track: Daytona Intl. Speedway
Event Name: NextEra Energy Resources 250 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series)
Broadcast Time:
TV: SPEED-TV at 7:30 PM, ET.
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast the race live at 8:00 PM, ET.