wholesaleonestop@hotmail.comMonster Energy’s Carmichael struggles with handling problems
Despite a spirited effort and a never quit fortitude, Monster Energy’s Ricky Carmichael and team were left with a 31st-place in Friday night’s Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Phoenix International Raceway.
“We worked really hard and put ourselves in position for a decent finish and we ended up on the hook because another guy drove into Turn 1 way over his head,” said Carmichael. “We struggled with the handling of our Monster Energy hats Chevy in practice and qualifying but Mark (Rette) and the guys worked their tails off to make it better. We should have finished somewhere inside or close to the top 10 but it is what it is. We’ll go to Darlington in two weeks and try and get some of our points back.”
Carmichael and company lost a lap early, clawed their way back onto the lead lap and positioned themselves for a potential top-10 finish, only to be collected in a late-race incident of another driver’s doing. As a result, Carmichael slipped from being tied for third points to 13th in the standings. Still, the 31-year-old driver is just 21 markers behind point-leader Matt Crafton and a slim seven points outside the top 10.
The Monster Energy-sponsored team chased an ill-handling truck in Friday’s first and final practice session, posting just the 28th-fastest time of the 41 entries to make laps on the uniquely-shaped one-mile oval.
While qualifying didn’t prove to be much better, Carmichael felt his black Chevy Silverado would race well heading into the 150-lap event.
The green flag waved just after 6:15 p.m. local time before a crowd just south of 30,000 race fans.
Carmichael’s machine suffered from a loose-handling condition in the early goings but he raced his way up to 23rd before falling a lap down to leader Kyle Busch on lap 29. Over the next 53 circuits, the father of twins fought to position himself as the first driver one lap down to the leader and be awarded the “Lucky Dog” free pass to get back on the lead lap.
With 19 laps to go, he was racing for 15th when another competitor lost control heading into Turn 1, collecting the Tallahassee, Fla., resident in the process. The damage proved to be too much to repair with only a handful of laps remaining, leaving the Monster Energy team with only a 31st-place result to show for a hard night’s work.
Busch went on to win the race beating Clint Bowyer to the checkered flag by just under three-tenths of a second. Ron Hornaday was third, Johnny Sauter finished fourth and Austin Dillon rounded out the top five. Fellow Turner Motorsport’s stable mate Brad Sweet logged an impressive 11th-place showing.
While the NCWTS teams will enjoy a weekend off before heading to Darlington, S.C., in two weeks, Carmichael will return to his two-wheel roots next Saturday for the annual Daytona Supercross at Daytona International Speedway. While he won’t be competing on the track, the 15-time AMA National Champion will be in the booth providing color commentary for SPEED’s live television coverage of the event – as he did in Atlanta this past Saturday night.
The second annual Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross event is scheduled for Sun., March 6 with the Ricky Carmichael University slated for Mon., March 7. The RCU offers riders of all ages and skill levels a chance hone their skills and receive instruction from not only “The Greatest of All Time,” but from legendary motocross racers Jeff Stanton, Jeff Emig, Damon Bradshaw and Kevin Foley. Carmichael returns to the seat of the Monster Energy Chevrolet in two weeks at the daunting Darlington Raceway – generally referred to as the “Track Too Tough To Tame.”
Monster Energy Hats,Monster Energy,Monster Hats on www.wholesaleonestop.com
.jpg)
nickislauw
