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