Notebook: Carmichael out to prove he can 'hang' in Trucks

            HAMPTON, Ga. -- Having established himself already as one of the best ever to race on two wheels, Ricky Carmichael is well into his second motorsports career.

            Though still looking for his first victory in the Camping World Truck Series, Carmichael, 30, was last year’s Most Popular Driver in trucks. Some of his former Supercross fans invariably follow him to venues like Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the Atlanta 200 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

            Carmichael, a native of Clearwater, Fla., said he hopes to succeed in NASCAR by taking advantage of the same work ethic that propelled him to the top of motorcycle racing.

            “It’s definitely not going to be a ‘gimme.’ I’m not scared to work hard at it,” he said. “Whatever I need to do, I’m going to do. That’s the hardest thing: Everyone wants to give up when it gets hard, and I’m definitely not going to do that. That’s where my work ethic’s going to kick in.”

            Here’s a surprise – Jimmie Johnson leads the driver ratings based on his past experience at Atlanta. Johnson’s rating – it is derived from a complicated mathematical formula – is 110.1 at the 1.54-mile track, followed by Carl Edwards at 105.0 and Jeff Gordon at 102.2. Significantly, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranks fourth in driver rating with a 99.8.

            Still early – The Truck Series’ Atlanta race will only be its second – it’s Sprint Cup’s fourth – meaning that the Daytona surprise winner, Providence native Timothy Peters, arrives here as the point leader.

            “I’m hoping, the way the season started, this could be one of those ‘Cinderella seasons’ for us,” he said.

            New twist – Kyle Busch has competed in trucks five times at AMS, winning four races. Now he owns his own Toyota team. His former Truck Series owner, Billy Ballew, is fielding Toyotas here for Aric Almirola and Steve Wallace.

            “This year will be a little different with my own stuff,” said Busch, “but I’m looking forward to it.”

You may contact Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.