Carmichael Turns Switch Into Something Special

By Martin Henderson

May 5, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Would Michael Schumacher leave Ferrari for Sauber-Petronas? That’s what Ricky Carmichael did this season, leaving Honda for Suzuki, and then delivering that manufacturer its first supercross title since 1981.

Carmichael, who tested in Hesperia on Tuesday and Wednesday, clinched the THQ AMA Supercross title last weekend in Houston, giving him four championships on three different motorcycles in its elite class.

“This one is really special, it’s really close to my first one when I beat Jeremy [McGrath],” Carmichael said. “It’s very special because everyone says there was the Suzuki curse, that the bike wasn’t good enough, the team wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t good enough after my injury last year. I don’t think anyone bet on me to win the title except those who were around me all the time.”

Carmichael also has five championships in motocross, and his nine combined titles on a 250cc bike are two more than McGrath. The motocross season begins May 22 in Auburn, Calif. Carmichael didn’t lose any of 24 motos contested last season, his second perfect season in three years on a Honda.

But first, Carmichael’s yellow Suzuki will try to squash the momentum of 19-year-old prodigy James “Bubba” Stewart, who missed eight supercross races with a fractured forearm. Stewart has three victories and 113 points in six races since his return; series runner-up Chad Reed has scored 110, and Carmichael 106.

Carmichael has won seven times this season, giving him 115 in his career, but none in the last seven races.

“I raced more cautiously the second half of the season,” Carmichael said. “But I’ve been the only guy on the podium every time since Bubba came back.”

With the championship won, Saturday’s season-ending Round 17 in Las Vegas reduces the sport to its simplest form.

“Now that the title’s over,” Carmichael said, “there’s nothing to race for but the win.”

NASCAR is running under the lights at Darlington, S.C., on Saturday, the continuation of a recent trend. The broadcast begins at 7 p.m. EDT.

NASCAR is in the midst of running four races over a five-week span with start times in the late afternoon or early evening on the East Coast, which competes with a Saturday night staple -- short-track stock car racing.

“Certainly, it affects our attendance,” said Bob DeFazio, vice president and general manager of Irwindale Speedway. “Instead of fighting it, I think we can all benefit from it with a little cooperation.

“I’ve asked [officials] in Daytona Beach to let those [viewers] know that NASCAR racing takes place in their own backyard. They could turn lemons to lemonade; those broadcasters know about short-track racing in their own hometown. If they did that, it could be a benefit to us.”

So far, it hasn’t happened.

The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Assn. revealed Wednesday the top five vote-getters for its Newsmaker of the Half-Century Award: Alphabetically, Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, the France family, the Hulman-George family and Roger Penske.

The 12 nominees included Kenny Bernstein, John Force, A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Dan Gurney, Wally Parks and Richard Petty.

The winner will be announced May 15 in Indianapolis.

Stadium off-road racing returns to the Southland on Saturday at National Orange Show in San Bernardino, bringing back the wheel-banging that Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group last held in Anaheim and San Diego in 1995.

Classes include stadium trucks, buggies and lites, and there also will be an eight-lap exhibition by drivers in the Championship Off-Road Racing series, including Curt LeDuc, who finished fourth in Pro 4 last season. Gates open at noon, qualifying begins shortly afterward and heats begin at 5 p.m.

The USAC/CRA 410 Sprint Car Series makes its debut at Ventura Raceway on Saturday, and drivers should approach 90 mph. Among those featured are Rip Williams, who won his 100th race a few weeks ago, and Damion Gardner, who started last but passed Cory Kruseman last week at Perris for the victory.

Super Stocks, Hornets, Modifieds and Lightning Sprints will race Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway. Eschewing the Mother’s Day theme, everyone born in the 1950s will be admitted for $5.

Six divisions will compete Saturday at Irwindale Speedway during a Mother’s Day special in which moms will be eligible for prizes drawn at random. ... Formula Drift will return to Irwindale Speedway on Aug. 27.

Shav Glick is on vacation.

This Week

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP

Dodge Charger 500

* When: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 2 p.m.); Saturday, race (Channel 11, 4 p.m.).

* Where: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (egg-shaped oval, 1.366 miles, 25 degrees banking in Turns 1-2, 23 degrees in Turns 3-4).

* Race distance: 500 miles, 367 laps.

* 2004 winner: Jimmie Johnson.

* Next race: Chevy American Revolution 400, May 14, Richmond, Va.

NASCAR BUSCH

Diamond Hill Plywood 200

* When: Friday, qualifying (Speed, 12:30 p.m.); Friday, race (FX, 5 p.m.).