Expectations continue to rise for Carmichael in '10

If Ricky Carmichael wants someone to blame for getting him mixed up in the insane and fanatical world of NASCAR, he can look no further than his pal Clint Bowyer.

He can blame him, yes, or he can thank him.

Considered widely to be American Motorcyclist Association's all-time greatest rider, Carmichael is finding his footing fabulously in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series.

In his sophomore season, Carmichael entered the series last year with minimal expectations, as his learning curve would be steep transitioning from two wheels to four.

But early in the season, he has already posted two top-10 finishes and sits seventh in the point standings, 10 points behind Ron Hornaday in sixth and 188 points behind points leader Timothy Peters.

And it's all thanks to Bowyer, well sort of ...

Both racers met during their early moto days. Their families became friends as they traveled across the country to go racing. Carmichael's career took off but Bowyer decided to explore his dirt car career and forge a path into NASCAR. But their families stayed connected and in 2004 reconnected in Daytona where Carmichael was bit by the proverbial stock car bug.

"That year I was hurt and had to sit out the Supercross season. I ended up going to the Daytona 500 to watch Clint [Bowyer] race," Carmichael said. "It was his first Daytona 500, I think."

The two-wheel racer was impressed with what the drivers could do with four and was immediately interested.

"And what I knew at that time that no one else did was that I was negotiating my next contract for only three more years. I left the race and went on with my normal deal and later in that season Kasey Kahne's manager called me and asked if I was interested in running a late model," he said.

Carmichael, up for a new challenge, jumped at the opportunity.

"I knew racing in NASCAR was something I could do for a long time if I could succeed at it," Carmichael said. "I absolutely love it and I guess the rest is history."

But what was it about motorcycle racing that made racers such as Jimmie Johnson and Bowyer lay down their bikes permanently? Both Johnson and Bowyer stopped racing on two wheels while they were still amateur. They turned their focus to race cars, while Carmichael turned pro. (Continued)