On selected Saturday evenings, we see analyst Ricky Carmichael in the NBC broadcast booth alongside play-by-play colleague Jason Weigandt. His hair combed and dressed up in a sport coat and collared shirt , Carmichael utilizes the knowledge and wisdom he gleaned from 15 AMA Pro Racing championships and 150 race wins to keep us tuned into the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

Legendary media guy in USA, Eric Johnson caught up with the goat.

“It’s been a fantastic 450 championship,” said Carmichael. “Assuming that the weather is going to be inclement in Seattle, I believe it is going to be more about who can just get through and survive and maximize the points. I don’t mind going to Seattle. It’s a long flight, but I enjoy it when I’m there. It’s always produced great racing, whether the weather is good or whether it’s not. And Haiden Deegan will be there. Talk about an incredible athlete. It has really been a lot of fun to watch him, and just watch his craft grow. It’s also fun to watch just what kind of antics and fun stuff he’s going to do, whether it’s during the race, or after the race, or sometime during the day. He always gives us something interesting to talk about. We’ll just see if he can continue the dominance, or if guys like Levi Kitchen or Cameron McAdoo or someone from his team can step up and challenge him for a win.”

Five races into the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, there have been four different winners. A toss-up of a championship?

“It is a toss-up,” answered Carmichael. “I feel like the biggest thing is, can these guys stay healthy the whole way. It’s been a lot of fun. There have been some surprises. The biggest bummer, and not just for himself, but for the sport as well, is Jett Lawrence going out. Whether you hate him or love him, the sport needs as much parity and as many of these superstars lining up every single weekend. He’s a valuable asset to the series and I’m bummed to see him out.

"At the same time, I think about Eli Tomac. I mean, what an incredible story that is. It was awesome just how things worked out and how he ended up on the team that he is on. For him to come out at his age and just look like he’s at mid-season form already is amazing. He looks like he’s been on that bike for five years. He really does look that comfortable. That’s been really fun to see. And last and the biggest thing for me is just what in the world is going on with Chase Sexton? Over the last four years, this will mark his third manufacturer that he’s been on. We hear a lot of complaints and challenges with the bike, but it just seems like it’s the same story everywhere that he goes. I feel for him, because I feel like he’s plenty capable of winning. I feel like with all of the bikes that he’s raced – and that’s including his new team Monster Energy Kawasaki – I think that bike is plenty capable of winning. We’ve already seen it. I just don’t know how he can’t continue to do it week-in and week-out. I hope that someday he can figure that missing link ou

"I also think that Hunter Lawrence is doing great. I love that story. You think about his 450 career, and it is very similar to his 250 career. This is a guy who got beat and banged up and was contemplating retirement and just giving it all up, and then now look at him. He misses winning the SMX World Championship by a mere few points. And that was against one of the most talented riders I’ve ever seen ride a motorcycle, and that’s his brother. That guy doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. He’s very sneaky and I feel like that if you turn a blind eye to that guy, he might be the Monster Energy Supercross champion this year. Outside of that, no real surprises and no real letdowns.

"I feel like our sport has a lot of energy right now. It’s raw and it’s real. I really feel like we’ve got some good momentum. I don’t feel like I’m trying to build some type of narrative for anyone or anything, because the racing is that good. The story is there. I put all that in my notes this week. I wrote that I’m just going to sit and watch and talk and analyze what’s on the TV screen, because that’s how good the racing is. I don’t need to build any type of narrative or any story because the story is being written right in front of ours.”

Carmichael sees the racing in 2026 being every bit as fierce and competitive as the racing back is his day.

“With the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and with the SMX World Championship and where they are both at right now, the depth and the parity of the racing is as big as it has ever been. And I mean that respectively with the racers that I’ve raced against. I think there is just more depth of guys that can realistically win on any give night. And listen, I’ve raced the best guys in the world.

Having retired from the sport in 2007, it has been almost 20 years since Carmichael called time on his extraordinary racing career.

“Man, I tell you, time flies," he said. "Clint Bowyer just sent me a text today and he’s at Daytona for the season opener of the NASCAR series. In the drivers’ meeting room there are pictures of Daytona race winners throughout the history of Daytona International Speedway. There are pictures of NASCAR, IMSA, Supercross and the Daytona 200 and you name it. There is a picture of me back in 2002 on my first year on Honda and it’s me in the first corner coming off the holeshot. I’m in the lead. I said to Clint, ‘Holy crap, dude! Thanks for sharing that. That was 24 years ago!’ Clint had the same response! Clint said, ‘Holy crap! I can’t believe that was 24 years ago!’ Yeah, man, it seems like yesterday!

"Time is really a thief. The older we get, the years turn into days. Man, I’ve been really, really blessed with a fantastic life, and I’ve had some fantastic opportunities come my way. It seems like yesterday. It really does. And my body of work I feel has been good. I’ve touched a lot of things and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things and make no mistake about it. It’s all because of the opportunities I got from this great sport. Anything that I’ve been a part of is because of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship.”