At the age of 28, Carmichael reminds me of Tony Hawk – and not just because he has video games named for him. Carmichael carries himself with the same effortless sense of cool: a fascinating mix of friendly humility and confidence that would add another unique flavor to the ever expanding mix of NASCAR drivers. He seems secure in his ability to be a success in stock cars while maintaining a realistic view of the difficulty of climbing the ladder to the Sprint Cup level. He is a laid-back, happy-to-please family man wrapped in an edgy, fiercely driven and charismatic competitor once the helmet is strapped on.
Should Carmichael succeed in auto racing, he would certainly not be the first motorcyclist to make a successful leap. Jon Surtees is perhaps the most prominent example. Surtees won seven world road racing titles on motorcycles in the 1950s before switching to Formula One, where the Brit won the world title in 1964. In the United States, Joe Leonard was a multi-time AMA dirt track champ who eventually moved into Indy cars and became a two-time USAC National Champ in an era when the championship consisted of a mix of ovals (including the Indianapolis 500), road courses and what are now known as Silver Crown cars on dirt ovals. More recently, Jeff Ward, another motocross superstar, made the leap up the ranks into the Indy Racing League, posting several solid seasons and finishing second in the 1999 Indianapolis 500.
Can Carmichael do it? Too soon to tell, but if talent, personality and demeanor count for anything, he’s on his way.
Watch the ARCA RE/MAX 250 from Talladega Superspeedway this Friday afternoon on SPEED beginning at 5 pm Eastern
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel
Jade Gurss is the owner of fingerprint, inc., a sports publicity company. He has written two New York Times Best Sellers, including what is believed to be the biggest-selling motorsports book in American publishing history (Driver #8 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.). His two decades of publicity and marketing experience involves nearly every category of motorsports, including nine innovative seasons as NASCAR publicist for the Budweiser brand and Earnhardt Jr. His blog can be seen at:
http://fingerprint.typepad.com
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