EXPERIENCE ABOVE THE REST: For the first time in Ricky Carmicheal’s Truck Series career he might actaully have more track time at a venue than the likes of Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner and Todd Bodine. Last year Carmichael competed in the second Camping World East Series race of the season at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway.
“I really like this track,” Carmichael said. “Last year in the Camping World East cars we started mid-pack and stayed there most of the day. The difficult part of this track is passing and keeping your car turning the entire day. I’m really excited to go back to a place where I have been before. I feel like that will give me an advantage. Even though the cars and truck are very different I am excited to already have an idea of where to run on the track and what kind of things to expect.”
PRIZE PROMOTER: What do NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers do when they are not behind the wheel of a Truck? If your Carmichael and KHI teammate Ron Hornaday, you travel to the Iowa State Fair to promote the inaugural Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway. On August 14th, Carmichael met with local media members, signed autographs and was able to view Iowa’s pride Buddy the Boar weighing in at an incredible 1,117 pounds!
MEET RICKY CARMICHAEL IN IOWA: Carmichael will make a special appearance at Casey’s General Stores on Thursday September 3rd. Carmichael and KHI teammate Ron Hornaday will be signing autographs at the Casey’s in Newton located at 3104 1st Ave East from 5 p.m. to
6 p.m..
BEFORE THE RACE: QUOTES WITH DRIVER RICKY CARMICHAEL:
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE INAGURAL RACE AT IOWA SPEEDWAY?
“Anytime I can get behind the wheel of the No. 4 Monster Energy truck I’m excited. It’s great to be able to say that I’m excited to go back to Iowa. I ran the Camping World East Series race last year and I really learned a lot. Hornaday and I came out here a few weeks ago to do a media advance and get all the fans pumped up to come to the race so I’m looking forward to full grandstands and a very competitive race.”
HOW HAVE THE FANS REACTED WITH YOUR TRANSITION FROM MOTORCYCLES TO TRUCKS?
“The response has really been overwhelming. It’s amazing when I’m at a truck race how many moto fans come out just to see me. I’m always impressed at the number of people who come to the track wearing some of my old moto jerseys and gear. Although, I feel I might have gained some new fans on the truck side too.”
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 4 Monster Energy team will unload truck chassis No. 023 at Iowa Speedway. Chassis 023 last competed at Nashville Superspeedway with J.R. Fitzpatrick behind the wheel. Fitzpatrick was involved in an accident and finished the race in the 23rd position. Earlier this season Carmichael took the helm of chassis No. 023 earning a top-15 finish at Texas Motor Speedway finishing the race in the 11th position.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Last week at Chicagoland Speedway Carmichael and the No. 4 Monster Energy team recorded an 18th-place finish. The team struggled with a loose-handling race truck the entire weekend. Carmichael was making progress through the field until he became extremely loose off of turn four on lap 95 spinning through the grass. The truck sustained minimal damage but pinned Carmichael a lap down to the leaders. Carmichael battled to gain positions and recover from the spin. He would cross the start-finish line and record his sixth top-20 finish of 2009.
ONLINE MEDIA KITS: Media members can now access KHI media kits online at KevinHarvickInc.com. Included on the site are driver bios, driver and team images, KHI history and statistics, team profiles and schedules. Please contact Jessica Stroupe (JStroupe@kevinharvickinc.com) or Alicia Deal (ADeal@kevinharvickinc.com) at KHI for access to the new site.
About Monster Energy
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.
About Kevin Harvick Inc.
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 team is led by three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and the No. 4 KHI All-Stars team is comprised of Ricky Carmichael, the most successful motocross racer in American history, J.R. Fitzpatrick and a variety of NASCAR Sprint Cup stars. KHI is also home to the No. 33 Nationwide Series team competing full-time with drivers Kevin Harvick (a two-time Nationwide Series champion), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman, Ron Hornaday, Cale Gale and Kelly Bires. The 2009 season marks KHI’s sixth year of full-time competition in NASCAR’s elite divisions. Visit www.kevinharvickinc.com for more information.
QUICK NOTES
September 5, 2009
Iowa Speedway
Lucas Oil 200
Race length: 200 Laps/ 175 Miles
Banking/Turns: 12-14-degrees compound banking in turns, 10-degree front straight-a-way; 4-degree back straight-a-way
Track layout: 0.875-mile
Shape: Tri-oval
Pre-Race Schedule
Friday:
Practice: 11:10 a.m. - 12:20 p.m., EST
Practice: 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., EST
Practice: 4:30 p.m. – 5:20 p.m., EST
Practice: 7:10 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., EST
Saturday:
Final Practice: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., EST
Qualifying: 6:45 p.m., EST
TV: The Lucas Oil 200 can be seen on SPEED at 9:30 p.m., EST
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will broadcast live at 9:15 p.m., EST
No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado Specs:
Chassis: 023
Engine: PME
Ricky Carmichael
No. 4 Monster Energy Truck
KHI All-Star team
NASCAR Truck Series
Remaining Scheduled Starts:
September 12 St. Louis
September 26 Las Vegas
October 24 Martinsville
October 31 Talladega