KERNERSVILLE, N.C. (June 1, 2009) – Ricky Carmichael will make his sixth career start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) this Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway in the WinStar World Casino 400. He has two top-five starts and a career-best finish of eighth so far this season. The Texas race is one of 11 remaining races on the truck series schedule for Carmichael in 2009.
In the history of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), no other rider has won as many championships (15) and races (150) as Carmichael, earning him the nickname the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). Carmichael was a record five-time AMA “Rider of the Year.”
Ricky Carmichael Quotes: “The track looks awesome. I got to do a few laps at Texas Motor Speedway on a Suzuki motocross bike with the Ft. Worth Police Department (see note below), and it looked very fast and exciting. It seems like forever since the Kansas race (in late April, when Carmichael last raced), and I feel like I have some things to prove. I’m looking forward to working with a new crew chief (John Monsam) and racing six times in the next couple of months to get some momentum going for the Monster Energy team.”
Texas Victory: Carmichael has already earned one victory at TMS. He joined the Ft. Worth Police Department motorcycle unit at the track in May for a motorcycle skills and competition training course on pit lane at the Texas oval. Carmichael covered the course on his Suzuki motocross bike in 49.733 seconds while Officer Mike Richey covered the circuit in 52.971 seconds on his cruiser. The Ft. Worth Police Department presented an “honorary police motor officer” award to Carmichael.
Top Gear: Carmichael spent much of last week in California, shooting a segment for the popular BBC-TV show “Top Gear.” Carmichael rode a motorcycle on an obstacle course in conjunction with Monster Energy rally car driver Ken Block for the automotive enthusiast show which is seen worldwide. The show is telecast in the United States on the BBC America channel.
New Crew Chief: The No. 4 KHI All-Stars team is led by crew chief John Monsam. This will be the first race together for Monsam and Carmichael. Monsam assumed crew chief duties for the No. 4 team last week at Dover with driver J.R. Fitzpatrick.
Ricky Carmichael
No. 4 KHI All-Star Team Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Remaining Scheduled Starts:
June 5 Texas
June 19 Milwaukee
June 27 Memphis
July 18 Kentucky
July 24 Indianapolis
August 1 Nashville
August 29 Chicago
September 5 Iowa
September 12 St. Louis
September 26 Las Vegas
October 31 Talladega
Ricky Carmichael / Camping World Truck Series Stats:
Career Starts: 5
Avg. Start: 11.2
Avg. Finish: 21
Top-10 Finishes: 1
Points: 23rd place
Chassis: No. 23
This chassis raced most recently at Kansas Speedway
WinStar World Casino 400
167 laps / 250.5 miles
Texas Motor Speedway
Race Date: Friday, June 5
Start: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: SPEED 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) 8:30 p.m. ET
Monster Energy supports the sport, no matter how radical or extreme. Be it Ricky Carmichael’s high-speed, high-banked NASCAR racing program, supercross, rally, insane distance jumping, motocross, MotoGP, roadracing, supermoto, off-road, freestyle motocross, skate, MTB, rock crawling, wake, mini bikes, surf, snow, BMX – the list goes on – the athletes that participate in these unique forms of athleticism are sparked by Monster Energy. Available in Original Monster Energy, Monster Lo-Carb, Monster Assault, Monster Khaos, Monster’s fruit juice hybrid dubbed “M-80,” the party-friendly MIXXD, the ground-breaking Java Monster premium coffee & cream drink line (supercharged with our Monster Energy blend), as well as the new Monster Energy “Hitman” energy shot, there’s something for everyone. Wherever they go, Monster Energy beverages power the Monster Army of athletes. Be sure to check out their never-ending series of adventures at www.monsterarmy.com and www.monsterenergy.com.
Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI), established in 2001, is a 70,000 sq. ft. facility located in Kernersville, N.C. KHI houses two full-time Truck Series teams, including the 2007 series champions, the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ricky Carmichael, J.R. Fitzpatrick and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala competing full-time in the Nationwide Series, with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), Hornaday and Cale Gale. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.