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Richard Joseph Carmichael (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
and stock car racing driver. He competed in the
AMA Motocross Championship The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...
s from 1997 to 2007 and in
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
from 2008 to 2011. Carmichael is notable for winning the AMA 450cc motocross national championship seven times and, the AMA Supercross Championship 450cc class five times. His unrivaled successes in the sport of motocross have given him the nickname "The GOAT"; standing for Greatest of All Time. His NASCAR career began with him competing full-time in the
East Series The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) an ...
in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
for Ken Schrader Racing, as well as part-time in what is now the
ARCA Menards Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nationa ...
for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. He drove in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full-time for three years, first with KHI for most of his rookie season in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, and then the rest of his time there with Turner Motorsports. He also made select starts in what is now the
Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to ...
as well as ARCA for Turner in
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and 2011.


Racing career


Motocross/supercross

After a dominant amateur career, Carmichael made his professional debut in 1997 for the Splitfire Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. In his rookie Supercross effort, he showed promising speed, winning multiple main events. However, crashes and inconsistency ultimately cost him the title of Suzuki's
Tim Ferry Tim Ferry II (born March 18, 1975) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Supercross Championships and AMA Motocross Championships for 18 seasons from 1992 to 2009, finishing in the top five in ...
. Outdoors, Carmichael was more consistent, beating defending champion Steve Lamson for the overall win at round 1, and went on to win the overall 125cc title. In 1998 Carmichael proved his ability to dominate indoors as well, winning all 8 of the 125cc East coast Supercross rounds, as well as the "East/West Shoot-Out" event. Outdoors, he defended his title comfortably despite early challenges from Lamson, John Dowd, and Mike Brown. Carmichael jumped to the 250 class for Supercross in 1999 with the Factory Kawasaki team. He had moderate success in the early rounds, including top 5 finishes, but frequent crashes throughout the remainder of the season resulted in a finish outside of the top 10 of the final standings. For the outdoor season, he remained in the 125cc class, which he won handily for a 3rd consecutive year. In 2000, Carmichael moved to the 250 class full-time. He showed more consistency in Supercross, getting his first premier class race win at Daytona. He finished 5th overall in the final standings. Carmichael again displayed his outdoor prowess in the 2000 AMA Motocross championship, winning the title in his rookie year despite challenges from Sebastien Tortelli. Leading into the 2001 Supercross season, Carmichael showed a newfound commitment to his physical conditioning, bringing on former professional cyclist Aldon Baker to oversee his training regimen. After contests in the early rounds from defending 250 Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath, Carmichael established himself as the new leader of the class, winning 13 of 15 rounds along with the championship. He then continued his streak of outdoor titles as well, fending off challengers
Sébastien Tortelli Sébastien Tortelli (born 19 August 1978) is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1994 to 1998 and, competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1999 to 2005. He ...
and
Kevin Windham Kevin Windham (born February 28, 1978), is an American former professional motocross racer. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha. He has raced for many factory teams and holds several titles, back to back AMA 125 West Supercro ...
. Carmichael moved to a new manufacturer, Honda, for the 2002 season. Despite a violent crash in round 1 of Supercross, he quickly rebounded and went on to win 11 of 16 rounds, as well his second 250 title over runner-up David Vuillemin. In the 2002 outdoor championship, Carmichael won an unprecedented 24 of 24 motos to take his third consecutive 250 outdoor title.


2003–2007

In 2003, Carmichael won both Supercross and National titles again; winning 7 races indoors where he faced a stiff challenge from Chad Reed. He won the National title again with 9 race wins over Windham. In 2004, Carmichael was injured for the Supercross season, he had a knee injury (torn ligaments/meniscus) but came back for the Motocross season to record his second perfect season; winning 24 of the 24 motos he raced and all 12 overalls on his Honda CRF 450; his first effort on a 4-stroke bike. Carmichael entered the 2005 season as the underdog, due to missing the prior season with the knee injury, now as a Suzuki factory rider. In what was projected as "the perfect storm", James "Bubba" Stewart made his debut in the premier 250cc class, along with perennial contenders Chad Reed and
Kevin Windham Kevin Windham (born February 28, 1978), is an American former professional motocross racer. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha. He has raced for many factory teams and holds several titles, back to back AMA 125 West Supercro ...
, Carmichael triumphantly regained his Supercross title, with seven victories to Reed's five, Stewart's three, and Windham's one. Later that summer, Carmichael won all 12 events in the 250cc Outdoor National Championship again; winning 22 of 24 motos on an RMZ450. Carmichael also scored the US Open of Supercross title and led Team USA to a convincing victory at the
Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...
. Carmichael campaigned the 2006 Supercross season aboard an RMZ450; his first attempt at indoor competition on a four-stroke. It was the most exciting series battle in recent memory. There were multiple points lead changes and race winners, and Carmichael, Reed, and Stewart all entered the Las Vegas finale within 5 points of each other. With Carmichael and Reed tied for the lead (316 points), and Stewart (311) only 5 points behind them, it was a close race. Carmichael rode to a safe second-place finish behind Stewart and ended the series with 6 victories and his fifth Supercross championship. He indicated that 2006 would be his last full-time season and planned to retire the following year. In the 2006 Outdoor National Championship season, Carmichael once again dominated all comers, including James Stewart, in winning 9 races and placing second twice. However, at the season finale at Glen Helen Raceway, Carmichael suffered a bad crash while challenging James Stewart for the win and was unable to finish the race. Carmichael had already clinched the overall championship at the prior round. In the crash, he sustained a shoulder injury and was unable to compete in the Motocross of Nations race in England. Ivan Tedesco replaced him on Team USA and helped lead the American team to victory. As planned, Carmichael raced only a partial schedule in
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
. He would only race select events for Team Makita Suzuki while pursuing his new stock car career. Carmichael finished with two Supercross wins and six Outdoor National wins, winning every race he entered. Carmichael capped his career with a winning performance at the
X-Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
and a victory with Team USA at the Motocross of Nations in Budds Creek, Maryland.


X Games

Carmichael won the gold in Supercross at the
X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
in 2007, won gold in Step Up in 2008, was jointly given the gold medal in the same event in 2009 with Ronnie Renner. In 2019, he won the bronze medal in Real Moto.


Stock car racing

In 2007, Carmichael signed a driver development contract with Ginn Racing, which would later be merged with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Under the tutelage of veteran
Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
, Carmichael started his transition to stock cars by racing late models throughout the country. With backing from Monster Energy, Carmichael later transitioned to Ken Schrader Racing, and ran a few races in the Camping World East Series, including the prestigious Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. In 2009, Carmichael was tabbed by
Sprint Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...
driver
Kevin Harvick Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champi ...
to drive the No. 4
Chevrolet Silverado The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from th ...
in 18 races for Harvick's team, Kevin Harvick, Inc. Though the transition wasn't easy, Carmichael finished 22nd in Truck Series points that year. In 2010, Carmichael and Monster left KHI and went to Turner Motorsports, where he would gain 9 top tens en route to finishing 13th in the points. Carmichael also made his Nationwide Series debut at
Kansas Speedway Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in the Village West area near Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It was built in 2001 and it currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also held races at the venue until 2011 ...
, starting 12th and finishing 18th. Carmichael returned to Turner for 2011, and split the No. 30 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series with teammates
James Buescher James H. Buescher (born March 26, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 2012 Truck Series champion. After parting ways with NTS Motorsports in 2015, Buescher became a real est ...
, Reed Sorenson,
Jason Leffler Jason Charles Leffler (September 16, 1975 – June 12, 2013) was an American professional open-wheel and stock car racing driver. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks, competing in the 2000 Indianapolis 500 before moving to primaril ...
and
Mark Martin Mark Anthony Martin (born January 9, 1959) is a retired American stock car racing driver. He has the second most wins all time in what is now the Xfinity Series with 49. He scored 40 Cup Series wins. He finished second in the NASCAR Cup Series st ...
. On September 2, 2011, Carmichael achieved his first career pole at
Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series s ...
in the
Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of ...
.


Consulting

On July 19, 2021, Carmichael entered into a partnership with Triumph Motorcycles. Along with World Enduro champion Ivan Cervantes, they are tasked with helping develop the prototypes for the new line of off-road motorcycles by Triumph for use in motorcross and supercross.


Sponsors


Current

*
Fox Racing Fox Racing is an American extreme sports (primarily motocross and mountainbiking), protective equipment and lifestyle clothing brand founded in 1974. Fox is owned by Vista Outdoor. History The early histories of Fox Racing and Fox Racing Shox ...
* Monster Energy (2006–present) * Triumph Motorcycles (2021–present)


Past

*
Kawasaki motorcycles Kawasaki motorcycles are manufactured by the Motorcycle & Engine division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. History Kawasaki Aircraft initially manufactured motorcycles under the Meguro name, having bought an ailing motorcycle manufacturer, Meg ...
(1997–2001, 2020–2021) *
Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
(2005–2020) *
Honda Racing Corporation Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is a division of the Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. The company combines participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of racing machines. Its racing activities are an important s ...
(2002–2004)


Other activities

In 2009, for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
show '' Top Gear'',
Ken Block Kenneth Paul Block (November 21, 1967 – January 2, 2023) was an American professional Rallying, rally driver with the Hoonigan Racing Division, formerly known as the Monster World Rally Team. Block was also one of the co-founders of DC Shoe ...
took
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter of the motoring programme ''Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 until 2015. He also s ...
out for
Gymkhana Gymkhana () ( ur, جِمخانہ, sd, جمخانه, hi, जिमख़ाना, as, জিমখানা, bn, জিমখানা) is a British Raj term which originally referred to a place of assembly. The meaning then altered to den ...
-style driving at Block's stunt course at Inyokern Airport; an operational California airport. Carmichael appeared in a supporting role, to which Block described Carmichael as 'a good friend'. He currently works on AMA Monster Energy Supercross Broadcasts on NBC with
Leigh Diffey Leigh Diffey (born 3 March 1971) is an Australian American auto racing commentator. His career began calling motorcycle races in his home country before moving to the United Kingdom to cover other forms of motorsport. Diffey then moved to the ...
or
Todd Harris Todd Harris (born June 4, 1970) is an American sports announcer and reporter for NBC Sports and NBCSN, with current duties focused in Olympic and extreme sports. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in communications ...
, Daniel Blair, and Will Christien.


Awards

He was voted
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of ...
Most Popular Driver. In 2015, he was inducted in the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, ...
.Ricky Carmichael
at the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, ...


Motorsports career results


AMA Motocross / Supercross

* *Ricky retired from full time racing at the end of 2006. In 2007, he raced a partial schedule in both SX and MX as a farewell tour. ;Titles *1997 AMA 125cc/Lites Outdoor National Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) *1998 AMA 125cc/Lites East Coast Supercross Champion (Kawasaki) - Perfect season: 8-0 *1998 AMA 125cc/Lites Outdoor National Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) *1999 AMA 125cc/Lites Outdoor National Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) *2000 AMA Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) *2001 AMA Supercross Champion (Kawasaki) *2001 AMA Motocross Champion (Kawasaki) *2002 AMA Supercross Champion (Honda) *2002 AMA Motocross Champion (Honda) - Perfect season: 24-0 *2003 AMA Supercross Champion (Honda) *2003 AMA Motocross Champion (Honda) *2004 AMA Motocross Champion (Honda) - Perfect season: 24-0 *2005 AMA Supercross Champion (Suzuki) *2005 AMA Motocross Champion (Suzuki) *2006 AMA Supercross Champion (Suzuki) *2006 AMA Motocross Champion (Suzuki) ; Wins *12 Wins in 125/250 AMA Supercross *26 Wins in 125/250 AMA Motocross: 8 (1997), 8 (1998), 9 (1999), 1 (2001), *48 Wins in 250/450 AMA Supercross: 1 (2000), 14 (2001), 11 (2002), 7 (2003), 7 (2005), 6 (2006), 2 (2007) *76 Wins in 250/450 AMA Motocross: 9 (2000), 7 (2001), 12 (2002), 9 (2003), 12 (2004), 12 (2005), 9 (2006), 6 (2007) *162 Wins in AMA SX/MX: 8 (1997), 8 (1998), 9 (1999), 10 (2000), 22 (2001), 23 (2002), 12 (2004), 19 (2005), 15 (2006), 8 (2007)


Other motocross / supercross

*2000
Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...
Champion (Team USA) *2001 U.S. Open of Supercross Champion *2005 FIM SX1 World Supercross Champion *2005 Motocross des Nations Champion (Team USA) *2005 U.S. Open of Supercross Champion *2007 Motocross of Nations Champion (Team USA)


NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)


Nationwide Series


Camping World Truck Series


Camping World East Series


ARCA Racing Series

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)


References


External links

* * *
Ricky Carmichael Motocross.com Profile

Career Motocross Results - Ricky Carmichael
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Ricky 1979 births AMA Motocross Championship National Champions American motocross riders Living people NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Clearwater, Florida Racing drivers from Florida X Games athletes Motorsport announcers Leon High School alumni