(Editor's Note:  We're always proud to see the level of intelligence and thought that emerges from residents of The Freak Nation!  Some examples are below.  Thanks FREAKS!!  Get your opinions noted in our poll at the bottom of our home page.)

Ricky has a  distinct passion for the art of racing. He has phenominal talent and therein lies enormous  potential for success on the NASCAR circuits.

Ricky's sprit and dedication is very much worthy of emulation. He holds positive attitude which is essential for his growth in the sport.

His diligence, "raw talent" and most of all his passion for the sport, in my opinion, are the key components of his success. Ricky will not be warmly welcomed by NASCAR but he will overcome the strong adversity NASCAR throws at him. If he does decide to start a new chapter of his career in NASCAR his past successes will not earn him the respect of his fellow drivers it however will provide a strong foundation on which he can build on. He needs to prove himself in the league of NASCAR now and it is my belief that he will undoubtedly succeed in this new endeavor.

Annissa
Long Island

Will they accept him, I would think that the drivers would more then some of the fans possibly. My thinking is that a lot of the racers and pit crews have rode MX or some off road riding before they got into the cars so they would have allot of respect for him in what he has accomplish so far. One good thing is that he respects others and usually doesn't speak too bad of anybody and has been very good for the MX sport as a good spokesman. I was surprise to hear about that last night on TV, but then he seems to be a smart guy and is looking ahead at the future and all his options I'm sure. He hasn't done Free Style MX and some of that, just stuck to being the best at what he was hired to do. This will be very interesting to follow and it will probably bring in some of his fan base to watch him drive cars too. Jeff Ward is a good example of another fine athletic too. Just my 2 cent.
 
Thanks
John from Iowa
 

Hi Statt Mann, I totally agree with you about any good Nascar team not being interested in R.C. Well like you said, they will probably want his name and fame, but look at how good Steve Kinser is at driving a sprint car on dirt, but when Kenny Bernstein put him in the big stock cars, honestly he sucked! It's ridiculous for Ricky to even expect those team to think he's capable of doing 4 hours at 200 MPH in a 3800 lb. stock car.

It's not his background. Sure they might give him a car and a private day at some rented track and try him out just because of who he is, but really every guy in Nascar has extensive auto racing roots. Most started in carts at age 5 or 6 and got into dirt stocks at age 13 or whatever, but not 1 just strapped in and took the green flag. I respect and love to watch Ricky ride, but I'd hate to see him head-on some concrete wall at 190 and die the way Dale did!!! just to prove that he thought he could do it.    

John Irwin
Portage, Pa.

Ricky Carmichael will be accepted into Nascar because of the fact that he is a known commodity to potential sponsors. He has the balls, reflexes, drive, and skills to go fast in or on anything, and car owners will give anyone with all of that and sponsors a chance. He will have to earn the respect of the other drivers before he will be able to succeed like any other new driver.

By the way, Boris Said didn't come out of nowhere. He was successful in sports cars, etc. and raced road race courses for Nascar owners to earn their respect.
 
Larry Martin
California Hot Rodder and dirt track mechanic/crew chief

I doubt that NASCAR will accept Ricky. Remember, just a few years ago Kevin Schwantz, 500cc World Motorcycle Road Racing Champ was openly ridiculed by NASCAR drivers when he tried to make it in the Busch series. If Ricky spends a couple of years in ASA or one of the other lower leagues and then goes to Busch he might have a chance. As far as the Boris Said argument goes, remember Boris was a hired gun for the road race tracks for several years and several different teams before he got his chance in Cup.
 
Lyle
Moreno Valley, CA

When an individual races MX for twenty plus years and learns to do eight different things at speed at the same time they can do any thing and do it well, Motocross is so demanding physically and mentally he will win at nascar as well!

Steve