Station to Station:
Ricky Carmichael Live from Talladega Superspeedway on Friday
This Friday, October 3, at precisely 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, make sure your television is turned on and tuned to Speed TV, where a live broadcast is set to emanate from the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Participating in the day’s 250-mile, 94-lap ARCA RE/MAX 250 race—for which cars will negotiate the Alabama circuit’s 33-degree banks and 4,000- and 4,300-foot-long front and back stretches, respectively—will be none other than Monster Energy’s Ricky Carmichael. The G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time), as we like to call him, will be turning yet another page in the ever-evolving history book that is his race career.
Currently seventh in the 2008 NASCAR Camping World East point standings, with three top-five and seven top-ten finishes to his name, the ten-time AMA motocross and supercross champion (and 150-time race winner) will take a huge step forward on Friday in fulfilling one very big dream: to make it to the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Carmichael was granted this first opportunity to race on NASCAR’s biggest and fastest track by 2007 Daytona 500 and eleven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner Kevin Harvick. Aware of Carmichael’s legendary work ethic, desire, and will to win, the native of Bakersfield, California, arranged for Carmichael to participate in an ARCA test at Talladega on September 17 with twenty-two other race teams. (One of the other drivers at the test was the sensational young and highly regarded talent, Joey Logano—Tony Stewart's replacement in the #20 Home Depot Toyota Camry for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.) Driving a 750-horsepower, 3,400-pound, V8-powered, non-descript, black ARCA Superspeedway car, RC passed the test with flying colors, paving the way for his first ARCA start on October 3.
“I think it went very well,” said Carmichael, when asked about going nearly 185 miles per hour around the huge asphalt salad-bowl of speed. “The solo runs [on the first day of testing] almost made me sick because I was so focused and so anxious to get out there and learn about drafting. That was all I was thinking about ¬—drafting ¬—because it was such an unknown to me. Things that are unknown are usually scary, and my brain was solely focused on that.
“[But] I really enjoyed it,” Carmichael continued. “It’s a different skill than racing on a short track, where you can just throttle-up coming off of a corner. My goal is to learn as much as I can and do a good job for KHI so I can get approved by NASCAR to race at Daytona next year in the Truck Series. That’s the big picture here: showing what we can do and trying to get the sponsor support to go Truck racing in 2009. I need to finish the race, avoid trouble, and try my best to earn all of the experience and respect that I can. I have a great car and the KHI team is so supportive and confident in me. I’m thankful for the chance, and I think we’ll do well together.”
So what was it about Carmichael that made Harvick not only sit up and take notice, but also take the time and effort to arrange a car for him to test and race in? “I like the fact he has the determination and drive to have won multiple championships running motorcycles,” explained the driver of the #29 Richard Childress-prepared Shell/Pennzoil Sprint Cup car. “I believe he will put the same will and determination toward his stock car career. He knows how to race, and he takes care of his equipment. Every time I’ve seen him race, he has shown great promise.”
Every bit the racer as Carmichael, Harvick has a master plan in mind for the motocross/supercross/X Games champion, but he also realizes that such a thing takes time and patience. “We’re going to Talladega to get him some Superspeedway experience in hopes of running a full truck season in 2009,” said Harvick, citing ARCA as one of the last true stepping stones to the Sprint Cup Series. “Our main goal is for him to make laps, get drafting experience, and finish the race. There are no unrealistic expectations from our point of view.”
So there you have it: Lie, beg, borrow, or steal, just make sure you’re in front of your TV at 5 p.m. Friday, and set the channel on Speed. Every other true race fan will.
