Catchfence

PREVIEW: RICKY CARMICHAEL (NO. 4 MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET)

VENUE: KANSAS SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)

CIRCUIT: NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES (RACE 5 of 25)

EVENT: O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 250 (167 LAPS, 250.5 MILES)

DATE: MAY 2, 2010

CARMICHAEL ON KANSAS: Sunday’s running of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway will mark Carmichael’s second start at the track. The Florida native made his first career start at the 1.5-mile tri-oval last season and scored a 23rd finishing position after qualifying third.

CARMICHAEL ON TRUCKS: Carmichael has scored two top-10 finishes (Atlanta and Martinsville) in the first four races of the 2010 season. Last season he competed in 18 Truck Series events and scored two top-10 finishes during his first season of NASCAR competition at the elite level. Carmichael spent the last two Truck Series off weekends competing in the ARCA Racing Series to gain track time.

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW: Carmichael’s protégé Ryan Dungey captured the Monster Energy Supercross Championship title over the weekend in Seattle. Dungey is only the second rider in SX history to capture the title during their rookie season.

MONSTER MANIA: Fans can log onto www.monsterenergy.com for a chance to win race tickets, garage passes and a meet & greet with Ricky Carmichael during the 2010 season. The promotion will run throughout the remainder of the season and a winner will be awarded at each venue the Truck Series visits.

BEHIND THE WHEEL: Carmichael will pilot chassis No. 7 this weekend in Kansas. Carmichael scored his career best finish (sixth place) at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season in this particular chassis.

BACK 2 DIRT FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Earlier this week Carmichael tested a dirt late model in preparation for the 2010 Prelude to the Dream. Though familiar with racing on dirt it will be his first time to pilot a 2,300-pound dirt late model. The Prelude is set for June 9, 2010 and proceeds will benefit four different children’s hospitals. New for this year’s event each driver will compete on a team instead of individually. Carmichael will compete on Team St. Jude to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. His teammates include Denny Hamlin, Ken Schrader, Aric Almirola, Carl Edwards and Ray Evernham.

STAY UP TO SPEED: Flag to flag coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 can be seen LIVE on SPEED at 12:30 p.m. EST on May 2, 2010. For information on SPEED TV listings visit www.speedtv.com

CARMICHAEL ON PRELUDE TO THE DREAM: “I have watched the prelude over the past several years and it is such a fun event. Anytime you can get a group of drivers outside of their normal element you are going to have a good time. Everyone wants bragging rights for the next year. The best part is we get to raise money for several children’s hospitals.

My twins were born early and required care in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) so I know firsthand how important children’s hospitals are to families. I have a pretty good career on dirt when it comes to Motocross, but I am not so sure I will break any records this time around. I am going to spend the next few weeks testing so I don’t look to bad out there. I am lucky to have my buddy Clint (Bowyer) and Ken (Schrader) to lean on for advice.”

- Turner Motorsports, LLC Press Release