Catchfence

No. 4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado (Ricky Carmichael) - Photo Credit: Getty Images for NASCAR

Event / Date: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 – May 20, 2011

Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway – Charlotte, N.C.

· This Week’s Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado … Ricky Carmichael will pilot chassis TMS-021 from the Turner Motorsports (TMS) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) stable in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is a brand new Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado custom-built for this weekend’s race in Charlotte.

· Charlotte Numbers … Carmichael finished 14th in his first and only NCWTS race at Charlotte. The Tallahassee, Fla., resident started 19th, finished on the lead lap and notched a respectable top-15 finish.

· Dover Details … Carmichael took a hard hit at the “Monster Mile” but the driver of the No. 4 Monster Energy Chevy walked away unscathed after an ugly lap-72 wreck in last Friday’s Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway. Carmichael was racing for position inside the top 15 prior to the halfway mark when another competitor checked up in front of him exiting Turn 4. As the 31-year-old driver went to avoid the slowing vehicle, his truck got away from him and slammed head-on into the outside retaining wall. Despite the hard crash and as a testament to NASCAR’s safety protocols, Carmichael radioed to his crew that we was ok immediately after his truck came to a halt.

· In a Nutshell … The 2011 season marks Carmichael’s second year competing on a full-time basis and third year overall in the NCWTS. Since making his series debut 49 races ago, the father of twins has gone on to earn three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Over those same 49 races, the motocross legend has logged a 14.6 average start, a 17.1 average finish, led 38 laps, completed 89.7 percent of the laps run and earned just over $650,000 in purse money.

· Get to the Point(s) … Carmichael is currently tied for 15th in the NCWTS driver point standings and sits just 18 points outside the top 10. He is a slim 19 markers behind ninth-place Todd Bodine and a mere 22 points behind Clay Rogers in eighth. Meanwhile, fellow TMS teammate James Buescher picked up four more spots in the points with his eighth-place finish last weekend at Dover. Buescher is currently 12th in the standings – just 12 points back from seventh-place Max Papis. Brad Sweet, driver of TMS’s No. 32 Great Clips Chevrolet Silverado, had a tough outing last weekend in Dover and slipped to 23rd in points.

· Welcome Aboard … Turner Motorsports and Monster Energy are pleased to feature BI-LO and Sam’s Mart on the lower-rear quarter panels of the No. 4 Monster Energy Silverado this weekend in Charlotte. BI-LO and Super BI-LO grocery stores serve customers throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia with fresh, high-quality products and excellent service at the very best value. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Sam’s Mart operates over 140 convenience stores in the Charlotte and Atlanta markets.

· Nationwide Notes … In 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) races in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched one win, nine top-five and 24 top-10 finishes. Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet is currently second in the driver point standings and trails leader Elliott Sadler by a slim 10-point margin. Nationwide Series staple Jason Leffler is five points behind Sorenson, in third, while Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 31 Brandt Chevy Impala fell to fifth after a brush with the wall last weekend at Dover. Still, with an exceptionally tight battle amongst the top five in points, the Riverton, Ill., native is three points behind Leffler, eight back from Sorenson and just 18 markers out of the top spot.

· Ricky Carmichael Live … Carmichael will make three appearances on behalf of Monster Energy on Thursday, May 19 in the Charlotte area to sign autographs and greet fans. From 3 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., he will visit Walmart Store No. 1027 located at 150 Concord Commons Place in Concord and then head to Food Lion Store No. 1552 at 3673 Concord Parkway, South from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Immediately following his visit to Food Lion, Carmichael will make a final stop at Walmart Store 2134 – 7735 North Tryon Street in Charlotte – from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The Monster show truck will be at all three appearances as well as several other area locations throughout the next two weeks. For more information about when and where the Monster show truck will be, please visit www.turnermotorsportsllc.com or www.facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports.

· Up to Speed … The North Carolina Education 200 from Charlotte Motor Speedway will take the green flag Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The race will be televised on SPEED beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Qualifying for the seventh of 25 events on the 2011 NCWTS calendar will be televised on SPEED the same day at 4 p.m. EDT.

Ricky Carmichael - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images for NASCAR

Is Charlotte one of those tracks that you circle on your calendar as one where you’d like to do particularly well?

“Charlotte is very important race to do well. It’s a lot like Daytona in that respect. There is so much history at Charlotte and it’s obviously, where the sport’s home is. I’ve only run there once but it’s a race that I started thinking about before we even got to Daytona in February.”

What’s the key to a fast lap at Charlotte?

“To be fast at the mile-and-a-halves in the Camping World Truck Series, you have to be able to run wide open all the way around the track. The guys who are going to be fast are the guys who will be able to run wide open the longest. The key is getting the truck tuned up so you can be one of those guys.”

For this first time since the beginning of the season, you’re running back-to-back races. Are you looking forward to getting in a groove and racing on consecutive weeks?

“Being in the seat every week is key for me. I’m looking forward to being behind the wheel for a second week in a row. Obviously, I don’t have as much experience as most of the guys I’m racing against, so being in the seat and repetition is very important for me, personally.”

Talk about last year’s race at Charlotte.

“Honestly, last year, our result was probably better than where we should have ended up. I didn’t feel good about our truck until the last 20 laps of the race. I think we missed it on our air pressures because we made a change to our tire pressures during our last pit stop and the Monster Energy Chevy really came to life. I’m very optimistic about this weekend because of what I learned during those last 20 laps last May. We made up a lot of ground in the closing laps so I’m really looking forward to unloading and seeing what we’ve got. I’m looking forward to getting on a roll. We’re going to some tracks that have been good for me in the past so I’m definitely looking forward to starting things off on the right foot at Charlotte.”

Obviously, everyone looks forward to racing at Charlotte because of all the excitement it generates. Are there any parallels you can draw to a Motocross or Supercross race that attracts the same amount of attention?

“I think Anaheim is a lot like Charlotte from that standpoint. All the manufacturers are there. All the factory representatives from Japan are there. Both of those groups would come to Anaheim and Daytona so it was always really important to do well at those races. The motocross industry is out west so that’s why the manufacturers are always out in full force at the Anaheim Supercross. Obviously, Daytona is so rich in history that a lot of bragging rights go into winning down there. The environment down in the garages and pits are very similar in that regard. There are a lot of similarities. That’s the kind of feel I get when we race at Charlotte.”

You’re testing your Prelude to the Dream car next week. How much fun is driving a dirt car and what’s it like to be able to race at a place like Eldora?

“I’m really looking forward to testing the dirt car. I had the chance to race the Prelude last year and I have to thank Tony Stewart and his whole team for the invitation. That’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I enjoyed it so much because I grew up racing on dirt and when I went to Eldora, I kind of felt like I was at home. I can read dirt a lot better than I can read asphalt or concrete. It’s fun for me. It’s a great event and they do a great job with it. When I’m driving those dirt cars, I have a smile on my face 10 miles wide.”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release