TOLEDO OH (11-13-09) - When Turner Motorsports, LLC announced on Tuesday that renowned, professional motocross and supercross champion Ricky Carmichael signed a multi-year contract to run the team's truck in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series fulltime in 2010, it was also welcome news to learn that Carmichael would be racing in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX in 2010.

"Ricky has a huge following - a universe of fans that follow him wherever he goes," said ARCA PR/Media Director Don Radebaugh. "It's great news for ARCA because it means that his fans and followers will be tracking his involvement here and, as a result, introducing more and more fans to the ARCA brand."

Carmichael, 29, of Clearwater, Florida, is the most successful rider in American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) history. No other competitor has won fifteen championships or over 150 races, accomplishments which earned him the nickname "GOAT" (Greatest of All-Time).

"I'm very excited about having the opportunity to compete full-time in the Truck Series next season for Turner Motorsports," said Carmichael. "To compete every week and gain as much seat time as possible is the only way that I will be able to get better as a driver. The Truck Series is a great place to learn and the racing is very competitive, no matter which track we go to. On top of the Truck schedule next year, we will run 10 ARCA races and possibly some Nationwide Series races which will give me some extra time in these stock cars. The two races that we will run this year at Phoenix and Homestead will definitely give us a chance to start getting everything ready for 2010 and I'm pumped about the future."

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran and Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya had a similar effect on the ARCA Racing Series when the Bogota, Colombia driver made his stock car debut in the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2006.

"Our numbers went way up when Juan Pablo came here (ARCA) to race," added Radebaugh. "Our television ratings went up and our website visitors at ARCAracing.com went through the roof. In fact, there were so many people logging onto our website, that the server went down because it couldn't handle the load. We have since fixed that situation so that won't happen again, but the overall effect that Juan Pablo had on our series was incredible to say the least. We don't know exactly what the effect will be from Ricky's participating in ARCA, but it will be interesting to find out. We know he has a huge following."

Carmichael signed a multi-year contract and will compete full-time in the 2010 Truck Series for owners Steve and Sandra Turner and the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team. In an effort to gain maximum seat time, Carmichael will also participate in 10 ARCA Racing Series races throughout the 2010 season. Turner Motorsports also announced that Carmichael will also be driving the No. 31 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado in the final two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events of the 2009 season, at Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"To have a driver with as much talent as Ricky is something that every owner wants to have," said Steve Turner, co-owner of TMS. "Ricky has accomplished a lot in his motocross career and he has the determination and passion to have just as much success in his stock car career. It's an exciting addition for our Turner Motorsports team and the two races this season will give us a head start heading into 2010."

Carmichael made the switch from two wheels to four in 2007, competing in a partial schedule in the Florida FASCAR Series before joining Ken Schrader Racing in the NASCAR Camping World East Series the following year. During the current 2009 NCWTS season, Carmichael has driven on a part-time basis for Kevin Harvick Inc., while challenging for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors.

Sponsorship details, truck number and personnel will be released at a later date. 

Turner Motorsports made its NCWTS debut last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, with driver Scott Wimmer capturing a 13th-place finish. Carmichael will make his first career start at Phoenix International Raceway this Friday, November 13th as the green-flag will wave on the Lucas Oil 150 shortly after 8 P.M. Eastern. Live television coverage can be seen on SPEED.