It was a rookie weekend for NASCAR driver Ricky Carmichael took on the famed “Beast of the Southeast” – Charlotte Motor Speedway – in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 and came out with a top-15 finish in his first time visiting the Speedway on four wheels.

After continuing to progress during the first and second practice sessions of the day, Carmichael’s qualifying effort landed him in 19th position for the start of the 134-lap race, which was delayed nearly three hours due to heavy rains that plagued the Speedway.

Carmichael had climbed three positions when the first caution flag flew on lap 10 and continued to make his way around the very green race track.

The second caution came out on lap 23, and Carmichael brought his No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet down pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment.

Eleven laps into his run, Carmichael reported a “bad vibration” in his Silverado, but fought hard for next 29 laps before he went one lap down to eventual race winner Kyle Busch on lap 70.

After reporting to his crew that he was “struggling to find grip” on the track, Carmichael found luck on his side as the third caution flag flew just before he brought his truck down pit road. The Monster Energy crew gave him four tires, fuel and made an air pressure adjustment in the hope of helping Carmichael find the feel in the truck he was looking for.

Good fortune was once again with Carmichael only one lap after the re-start when the fourth caution was displayed and the No. 4 was the recipient of the “Lucky Dog,” putting him back on the lead lap in 17th-place. He quickly came down pit road for a wedge adjustment and one final splash of fuel before taking the green flag to re-start the race on lap 94.

The crew discovered a slight tire rub on the left rear of his truck after Carmichael detected the smell of rubber in the cockpit of the No. 4. The rub went away and, by lap 109, he felt the truck was the “best it had been all day.”

As the race came to a close, the field was hit with two more caution periods, giving Carmichael time to gain two more spots to 11th-place. His position behind a slow truck on the final re-start of the race caused him to drop three places and take the checkered flag in the 14th position.

Kyle Busch was the winner of the rain-delayed North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday, Turner Motorsports teammate James Buescher and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top-five.

FAST FACTS: The caution flag flew seven times during the 200-lap event for a total of 43 laps driven under caution conditions.

After enjoying a week off, Carmichael will return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday June 4 at Texas Motor Speedway for the WinStar World Casino 400k. The race can be seen on SPEED TV, or heard on MRN Radio beginning at 8:30 pm Eastern time.

RICKY CARMICHAEL: On his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway: “We ended up better than I thought we would have. The crew worked hard to make it better all night and they did make a lot of positive changes.”

“The track changed a lot more than I expected. Other drivers tell you to expect it to tighten up during the race, but I never felt that.”

“All in all, things weren’t that bad in my first time here. I just wish we could have come out a little better in the end.”

Ricky Carmichael – No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Race Recap
Venue: Dover International Speedway (1 Mile Oval)
Circuit: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Race 6 of 25)
RACE: Dover 200 (200 Laps, 200 Miles)
Date: May 14, 2010
Start: 35th – Finish: 4th

RACE RECAP:

• Despite enduring a weekend filled with bad luck, Carmichael battled his way from the rear of the field to score his career-best finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Dover International Speedway.
• A short time into the first practice session of the weekend, a lead weight bounced off of the track and through the grill of Carmichael’s No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet, breaking through the radiator, cutting the oil lines and causing a major fire to erupt. The Turner Motorsports crew worked feverishly to repair the truck and get Carmichael back onto the track.
• Limited track time during practice proved to be an enemy for Carmichael as he lost control of his truck during his first qualifying run, hit the wall and was forced to go to a back up truck for the race and begin from the 35th position.
• The first caution flag flew only four laps into the Dover 200, but in that short time, Carmichael was able to gain 10 positions on the competition. Despite Carmichael feeling loose on entry, the crew opted to stay out.
• Carmichael came down pit road to the attention of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Pit Crew on lap 21 during the race’s second caution with complaints of tight handling conditions on his truck. “It’s like my tires have 800-pounds of air pressure right now,” Carmichael said. The crew gave him four fresh Goodyear tires, made an air pressure adjustment and went down two rounds on the track bar. At the re-start of the race, Carmichael was ready to make his move from the 19th position.
• By the third caution, Carmichael was the first truck one lap down to a powerful Kyle Busch, but received the “lucky dog” and regained his spot on the lead lap. By this point, he needed more grip in the truck and was battling rising water temperatures. The crew gave him four tires, made an air pressure adjustment and removed tape from the nose to bring the water temperature down.
• When the fourth caution flag flew on lap 84, Carmichael was pleased with the adjustments that had been made on his Monster Energy Chevrolet. “It’s still a little tight in the center, but the adjustments you made on the last stop are definitely working. It’s a little slow to get going, but was really strong about 10 laps in,” Carmichael said. He re-started the race in the 16th position.
• The No. 4 returned to pit road on lap 122, under the 6th caution of the race for a full load of fuel and four fresh tires. From this point, the Monster Energy Chevrolet would be good on fuel until the end of the race.
• By the next caution, Carmichael was running in 18th place, but his lap times were faster than the four trucks ahead of him. He continued to pick off his competitors one by one before returning to pit road on lap 192 when the 9th caution flag of the race flew.
• Carmicchael re-started in 13th place, when skillful moves and great communication from his spotter helped him slice through a wreck on the re-start and gain six positions – moving him into 7th place in preparation for the first attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish.
• The Dover 200 closed only two laps later on lap 204 and saw Carmichael take the checkered flag in fourth place – a career-best finish for the AMA champion.

Aric Almirola won the Dover 200. Carmichael’s Turner Motorsports teammate James Buescher took the second-place finish as Justin Lofton and Todd Bodine joined him in the top-five.

FAST FACTS:

• The caution flag flew ten times during the 200-lap event.
• Carmichael will return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday, May 21 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. The race can be seen on SPEED TV, or heard on PRN Radio beginning at 7:30 pm Eastern time.

RICKY CARMICHAEL: On the emotion of his highest career finish in NASCAR – “I’m almost in shock. I’m happy for myself, but most of all I’m happy for this team. This is why you never give up. Honestly, it was a horrible weekend from the first incident in the first practice when we hit that lead. This team never gave up – they never do – we got a little luck and came out with a career best.”

“This finish makes all of the hard work worth it and it helps me a lot as a driver. I’ve always been pretty mentally strong, and that helped me a lot in motorcycles. We battled a lot of adversity this weekend, but this just shows that you have to stay positive and never give up.”
-TMS-

Media Contact:
Amanda Jones Ellis
Media Relations Account Manager
No. 4 Monster Energy /Ricky Carmichael
Cell: 731.697.0396
Amanda.ellis@turnermotorsportsllc.com

Ricky Carmichael – No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Race Recap
Venue: Kansas Speedway (1.5 Mile Tri-Oval)
Circuit: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 (Race 5 of 25)
Date: May 2, 2010 (167 Laps, 250.5 Miles)
Start: 7th – Finish: 12th

RACE RECAP:

• Ricky Carmichael and the No. 4 Monster Energy team headed to Kansas Speedway, looking to capture a solid finish and continue their strong showing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings. Carmichael, making his second start at the Midwest track, dialed in his Chevrolet during two practice sessions on Saturday and established his position inside the top-10 competitors.
• During the qualifying session to determine the starting line-up for Sunday’s race, Carmichael laid down a lap of 32.316 seconds at 167. 100 mph to place the Monster Energy truck in the seventh position.
• Starting from the inside of row four, Carmichael held his position as two quick caution flags slowed the pace of the field in the first 17 laps. The Florida native radioed to crew chief Mike Fritts that the No. 4 Chevrolet was “a little too snug.”
• Carmichael restarted on lap 21 from sixth-place and quickly battled with teammate James Buescher. The Turner Motorsports teammates swapped positions as the third caution waved on lap 28. Fritts called Carmichael to pit road and the Monster Energy pit crew changed four tires, added fuel, and made an air pressure adjustment to help loosen the Chevrolet. Quick work by the crew allowed Carmichael to pick up one position, restarting from sixth-place on lap 32.
• Over the next 10 laps, the caution flag was displayed two more times for multi-truck accidents on the racetrack. Carmichael continued to hustle his Monster Energy truck, breaking into the top-five and restarting from the third-position on lap 47.
• A 50-lap caution-free run ensued, allowing Carmichael to feel out the handling conditions of his Chevrolet during a long run. Carmichael communicated to Fritts that he was facing a “loose in, tight off” condition, as the Monster Energy truck slipped back to the 10th position. Green-flag pit stops began around lap 82 and three laps later, Carmichael came to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment.
• As the 36-truck field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Carmichael regained his 10th position until the caution came out for the sixth time on lap 98. With threatening weather in the area, the Monster Energy team not only raced their fellow competitors but also the storm. Restarting on lap 103, Carmichael was scored in the seventh position, but started to lose grip as the temperatures cooled.
• The storm, full of rain, lightening, and hail, arrived at Kansas Speedway on lap 114, placing the Truck Series under a red-flag condition for 90 minutes. After the officials dried the track, the field returned to racing action. As soon as pit road was opened, Carmichael came to the attention of his Monster Energy team once again for four tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments. Carmichael had to return to pit road the next lap to finish the track bar adjustment and top off with fuel.
• Restarting from 15th-place on lap 120, Carmichael continued to fight and jumped up to the 12th position in only two laps. The final 47 laps were completed under green-flag conditions, allowing the field to spread out, hindering Carmichael to improve his position even more. As the checkered flag flew, Carmichael crossed the finish line in 12th-place.

Johnny Sauter won the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250. Ron Hornaday Jr., Todd Bodine, Brian Ickler, and Johnny Benson completed the top-five finishing positions.

FAST FACTS:

• The caution-flag was displayed seven times, accounting for a total of 37 laps.
• Carmichael dropped one position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, to eighth-place. Carmichael is only two points behind seventh-place Jason White and 38 points behind fifth-place Johnny Sauter.
• Carmichael and the Monster Energy team will take one week off before returning to racing action at Dover International Speedway, on Friday, May 14, 2010. The green-flag will drop shortly after 5 PM Eastern and can be seen on a tape-delayed basis at 7:30 PM Eastern on SPEED.

RICKY CARMICHAEL: “Track position seemed to be key during the race. Once you got in the right spot, it seemed like you could just hold onto it. On the restart right before the red flag, I didn’t get a very good start and got hung up on the outside and lost some spots. We had a solid top-10 truck so it’s a little frustrating that we didn’t get that finish at the end. But all in all, it was a good day and a solid points day for my Monster Energy Turner Motorsports team. We’ll keep working at it and head to Dover.”
-TMS-

Media Contact:
Amanda Jones Ellis
Media Relations Account Manager
No. 4 Monster Energy /Ricky Carmichael
Cell: 731.697.0396
Amanda.ellis@turnermotorsportsllc.com