Erin Crocker
Encyclopedia
Erin Mary Crocker Evernham (born on March 23, 1981) is an American
race car driver. She drove the #98 Gillett Evernham Motorsports owned Dodge Charger
in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
. In the past, she played soccer, tennis
, and varsity lacrosse
on both her high school and college teams. Her entrance to the world of top tier motorsports has been stalled due in part to a personal relationship between Crocker and her former boss, team owner and current husband, Ray Evernham
.
at the age of 7 in the Custom Quarter Midget Club, based in Thompson, Connecticut
, and the Silver City Quarter Midget Club from Meriden, Connecticut
and was named the Most Improved Novice during her first year of competition. She then moved on to win several awards and three Northeast Regional Quarter Midgets of America championships from 1993 to 1996 while in middle and high school. In 1997, Crocker began running Mini Sprints at Whip City Speedway in Westfield, MA. She became the youngest driver and the first female to win a race at the track. In 1998 she again competed in a 1200cc Mini sprint at Whip City and also with the Central New York Mini Sprint Association (CNYMS). In 1999, she moved to the Eastern Limited Sprint
Series, and was named Rookie of the Year.
Crocker started racing professionally in the World of Outlaws
while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy, New York
, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and management engineering in 2003. In 2002, Crocker signed with Woodring Racing to drive a 360 winged sprint car. She won five feature races as well as twelve heat events, earning her the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Outstanding Newcomer Award. The following season, she switched to 410 Dirt Sprints, and became the first woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals
. She won the 410 division's Rookie of the Year honors at season's end.
's driver development program
, and tested a Ford sprint for Bob East and Steve Lewis that season. She also became the first World of Outlaws driver to win a feature race that year in Tulare, California
.
' driver development program. During the season, she raced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
and collected 3 top 5's, including a second place finish, five top 10's, and two poles in six starts. She also made her NASCAR
debut that season at Richmond International Raceway
driving the #6 Country Crock
Dodge for Evernham in the Busch Series
, starting 42nd and finishing 39th after a wreck. In her next start at Dover International Speedway
, she qualified ninth, but wrecked eleven laps into the race after being tapped by Justin Labonte
. Crocker sustained a cracked rib from the incident forcing her to sit out some races she was scheduled to compete in. She ran two more races that season, one for Evernham and the other for FitzBradshaw Racing
, her best finish coming at Memphis Motorsports Park
, where she finished 29th for FitzBradshaw in the #40 Cheerios/St. Jude's Children's Hospital Dodge Charger. She also ran a pair of Truck races for Bobby Hamilton Racing
, at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway
, her best finish a 30th at Homestead-Miami Raceway.
, Evernham decided to close the #98 team.
in 2007. She however struggled, finishing 20th in the race.
During her tenure as a truck-series driver, a dispute between then-Evernham Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield
and Ray Evernham resulted in a series of lawsuits between Mayfield and Evernham. In Mayfield’s legal filings, he asserted that the #19 team’s lack of on-track success was due in large part to Evernham’s attention being focused on his personal relationship with an unnamed female driver. At the time, Crocker was the only female driver employed by Evernham Motorports. Evernham confirmed in an interview with ESPN that the relationship exists and has hurt Crocker's career.
, it was confirmed that she had left Evernham Motorsports. She ran a limited 2 race schedule in the truck series for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports
, before she was replaced by Red Bull drivers A. J. Allmendinger
& Scott Speed
. For the ARCA/REMAX race on September 6, 2008, she joined the broadcast booth for SPEED Channel.
were wed on August 26, 2009 in Las Vegas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
race car driver. She drove the #98 Gillett Evernham Motorsports owned Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (LX)
The Dodge Charger LX is a rear-wheel drive four-door automobile introduced in February 2005. Built by Chrysler for its North American Dodge brand, the car was created to continue the Dodge Charger line, and replaced the Dodge Intrepid as Dodge's full-size sedan...
in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...
. In the past, she played soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and varsity lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
on both her high school and college teams. Her entrance to the world of top tier motorsports has been stalled due in part to a personal relationship between Crocker and her former boss, team owner and current husband, Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham
Ray Evernham is currently a consultant for Hendrick Companies. In 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”.-Racer:...
.
Early career
Crocker first started racing quarter midgetsQuarter Midget racing
Quarter Midget racing is a form of automobile racing. The cars are approximately one quarter the size of a full size midget car. The adult size midget being raced during the start of quarter midget racing, used an oval track of one fifth of a mile in length. The childs quarter midget track is one...
at the age of 7 in the Custom Quarter Midget Club, based in Thompson, Connecticut
Thompson, Connecticut
Thompson is a rural town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,458 at the 2010 census...
, and the Silver City Quarter Midget Club from Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...
and was named the Most Improved Novice during her first year of competition. She then moved on to win several awards and three Northeast Regional Quarter Midgets of America championships from 1993 to 1996 while in middle and high school. In 1997, Crocker began running Mini Sprints at Whip City Speedway in Westfield, MA. She became the youngest driver and the first female to win a race at the track. In 1998 she again competed in a 1200cc Mini sprint at Whip City and also with the Central New York Mini Sprint Association (CNYMS). In 1999, she moved to the Eastern Limited Sprint
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
Series, and was named Rookie of the Year.
Crocker started racing professionally in the World of Outlaws
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning a national tour of sprint cars. It later purchased a national tour of late model stockcars called the World of Outlaws Late Model Series...
while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and management engineering in 2003. In 2002, Crocker signed with Woodring Racing to drive a 360 winged sprint car. She won five feature races as well as twelve heat events, earning her the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Outstanding Newcomer Award. The following season, she switched to 410 Dirt Sprints, and became the first woman to qualify for the Knoxville Nationals
Knoxville Nationals
The Knoxville Nationals is an annual sprint car event held at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa. An Associated Press writer called winning the event "sprint car racing’s premiere title". It is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Them All."-History:...
. She won the 410 division's Rookie of the Year honors at season's end.
2004
In 2004, Crocker won an opportunity to drive for Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's driver development program
Driver development program
A Driver development program is a program used by racing teams to develop younger drivers. It is widely used in both Formula One and NASCAR, usually consisting of a team signing a driver to a multi-year contract in which they run in minor-league racing divisions A Driver development program is a...
, and tested a Ford sprint for Bob East and Steve Lewis that season. She also became the first World of Outlaws driver to win a feature race that year in Tulare, California
Tulare, California
Tulare is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 59,278 at the 2010 census.Just eight miles south of Visalia, it is part of the Census Bureau's designation of the Visalia Metropolitan Area. The city is named for the currently dry Tulare Lake, once the largest...
.
2005
The following season, she left Ford to join Evernham MotorsportsEvernham Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports is a two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race team owned by seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty, Douglas G. Bergeron and financial company Medallion Financial. The team was founded as Evernham Motorsports in 2000, was renamed Gillett Evernham Motorsports in 2007 after...
' driver development program. During the season, she raced in the ARCA RE/MAX Series
ARCA RE/MAX Series
-History:The series started as a local touring group. Led by John Marcum, the Midwest Association for Race Cars was formed with drivers like Iggy Katona and Nelson Stacy being early drivers.The series became a part of the Daytona Speedweeks in 1964...
and collected 3 top 5's, including a second place finish, five top 10's, and two poles in six starts. She also made her NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
debut that season at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
driving the #6 Country Crock
Country Crock
Shedd's Country Crock is a food brand owned by food giant Unilever. It originally sold spreads, such as margarine, but later extended to side dishes, particularly mashed potatoes and pasta, made by Hormel under licence....
Dodge for Evernham in the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
, starting 42nd and finishing 39th after a wreck. In her next start at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
, she qualified ninth, but wrecked eleven laps into the race after being tapped by Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte is a former NASCAR Busch Series driver. He is the son of NASCAR driver Terry Labonte, and the nephew of Bobby Labonte. He currently does not have a ride in the Nationwide Series, and is rumored to be racing late models on North Carolina short tracks...
. Crocker sustained a cracked rib from the incident forcing her to sit out some races she was scheduled to compete in. She ran two more races that season, one for Evernham and the other for FitzBradshaw Racing
FitzBradshaw Racing
Trail Motorsports was a NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. The team is owned by Armando Fitz and Art Shelton, and was previously co-owned by Fitz's former wife Mimi...
, her best finish coming at Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis International Raceway is an auto racing park located across the Loosahatchie River from Memphis, Tennessee, approximately ten miles south of Millington, Tennessee. The facility opened in 1987 with a drag strip and 1.8-mile road course...
, where she finished 29th for FitzBradshaw in the #40 Cheerios/St. Jude's Children's Hospital Dodge Charger. She also ran a pair of Truck races for Bobby Hamilton Racing
Bobby Hamilton Racing
Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia was a former NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time NEXTEL Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton, Jr. was given ownership after the death of his father, but the younger...
, at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
, her best finish a 30th at Homestead-Miami Raceway.
2006
In 2006 Crocker drove the #98 full-time in the Truck Series. She finished 25th in the Craftsman Truck standings. After struggling during the 2006 season2006 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season began on February 17, 2006 at Daytona International Speedway with the GM Flex Fuel 250, and ended on November 17, 2006 with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Todd Bodine of Germain Racing was declared champion...
, Evernham decided to close the #98 team.
2007
In 2007, Crocker ran a select number of ARCA Series events. She won the pole for the season-opening ARCA race at Daytona International SpeedwayDaytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
in 2007. She however struggled, finishing 20th in the race.
During her tenure as a truck-series driver, a dispute between then-Evernham Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
and Ray Evernham resulted in a series of lawsuits between Mayfield and Evernham. In Mayfield’s legal filings, he asserted that the #19 team’s lack of on-track success was due in large part to Evernham’s attention being focused on his personal relationship with an unnamed female driver. At the time, Crocker was the only female driver employed by Evernham Motorports. Evernham confirmed in an interview with ESPN that the relationship exists and has hurt Crocker's career.
2008
Following the fall 2007 ARCA race at Talladega SuperspeedwayTalladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, it was confirmed that she had left Evernham Motorsports. She ran a limited 2 race schedule in the truck series for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports
Morgan-Dollar Motorsports
Randy Moss Motorsports with HTM is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. It is owned by David Dollar and former NFL wide receiver Randy Moss. Former driver Rob Morgan co-owned the team until 2004...
, before she was replaced by Red Bull drivers A. J. Allmendinger
A. J. Allmendinger
Allmendinger again failed to qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500. After three failures to qualify in 2 attempts , he was replaced by veteran driver Mike Skinner on a temporary basis. Allmendinger returned to the Cup series at Talladega...
& Scott Speed
Scott Speed
Scott Andrew Speed is an American race car driver. Formerly a driver for the Scuderia Toro Rosso F1 team, he made his Formula One race debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix; becoming the first American to race in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993...
. For the ARCA/REMAX race on September 6, 2008, she joined the broadcast booth for SPEED Channel.
Personal life
Crocker and former boss/team owner Ray EvernhamRay Evernham
Ray Evernham is currently a consultant for Hendrick Companies. In 1999, Evernham won the NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”.-Racer:...
were wed on August 26, 2009 in Las Vegas.