“Those are tough pills to swallow”: Motorcross legend and Kevin Harvick’s former driver reveals ‘frustrating thing’ about NASCAR racing

Motorcross legend and former NASCAR driver Richard Carmichael was recently featured on Kevin Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast, where he opened up about the biggest challenges he faced during his NASCAR career along with his two favorite tracks.

Carmichael is a former motocross and NASCAR driver. He worked with Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KVI) during his rookie season in the NASCAR Craftsman Turck Series and ran the #4 and #31 Chevy truck in 2009 for KVI, finishing in P22 in the post-season standings.

The former KVI team driver emphasized that aerodynamics was the biggest challenge he faced in his NASCAR career. He explained that aerodynamics played a major role in the races, and by the time he figured out the right settings for his truck, "it was too late.".

Carmichael further mentioned that he "loved" Texas and Atlanta Motor Speedway. He explained that all the breaking points were similar to the Supercross series, just focusing on gas and breaking, making the race less aerodependent. He added that he could easily score a top five on these tracks, but during the fall he struggled to enter the top ten.

Former Kevin Harvick Incorporated driver concluded:

"That was so weird to me, and it was hard for me to accept that, because I always wanted to take the personal responsibility of like, Hey, you know, I need to be better. I need to be better when, in all reality, it was probably just the card; the truck wasn't where it needed to be; those are tough fills that swallow." [01:51]

Richard Carmichael ran 68 races in his Craftsman career and secured impressive top-ten finishes and one pole position.

---

Kevin Harvick praised the 'underrated' rival Jimmie Johnson

Former Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick believes that Jimmie Johnson is the most underrated NASCAR champion. He added that despite winning several races in different formats, Johnson's accomplishments are taken for granted.

Johnson had his 600th start at the Pocono Raceway in 2018 and Kevin Harvick his rival. Harvick said:

“I don’t think you’ll really realize everything that he’s actually accomplished, and I’ve said this a number of times that Jimmy Johnson is the most underrated champion you’ve ever seen walk through this garage.”

He added:

“For whatever reason, I mean, it’s just you just kind of take it for granted, and I think as a competitor, you realize what he’s accomplished and how hard it is to win those races and championships, for the most part, and you know in different formats. So you know, they’ve done a great job for a number of years, and you know they’re having a tough time at it right now.”

The seven-time Cup Series Champion now co-owns the Legacy Motor Club. He bought the two-charter team in November 2022 and now runs for his team.