Rick Crawford (NASCAR)
Encyclopedia
Richard Crawford is a race car driver who drives the #73 SUPERSEAL Chevrolet Silverado
for Tagsby Racing in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series. Crawford is the current record holder for the most NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races competed in with more than 325. He is a regular weekly guest on The Morning Drive on Sirius NASCAR Radio, Channel 128. On March 2011 Rick Crawford entered a multi year contract to be the promoter and manager at Mobile International Speedway
, His home track, in Irvington (Mobile) Alabama.
race. He also won the track championship at Five Flags Speedway
in 1981 and 1984, and won the championship at Mobile International Speedway
in 1981, 1982, and 1984. After that, he moved to the Slim Jim All Pro Series
, where he collected sixty-one top tens, and earned five victories. In 1993, he attempted three Winston Cup races in the #84, but did not qualify for any of them.
with his Circle Bar team. He qualified for every race, had ten top-tens, a top 5 at Texas Motor Speedway
and finished 12th in the points. He was also runner-up to Kenny Irwin, Jr.
for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. The next season, he picked up his first career win at Homestead-Miami Speedway
. Unfortunately, the team struggled to find consistency, with only five top-ten finishes and he dropped to eighteenth in the standings. Crawford started 1999 with two consecutive top-tens, but only wound up fourteenth in the points, scoring ten top-tens and four top fives.
In 2001, Crawford finished 8th in points, his first top-ten points finish, he would earn sixteen top tens and ten top fives. The 2002 season would prove to be Crawford's most successful to date, although winless for the season he had 17 top-ten finishes, a career high 12 top five finishes, two poles (at Dover and Phoenix), and finished second in the standings only 46 points behind champion Mike Bliss
. 2003 saw him grab his second victory, at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, in a memorable three-wide race to finish line at Daytona International Speedway
. He finished the season seventh in points with 16 top tens and 10 top fives.
In 2004 in his first race after a massive crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway
, in which Tina Gordon
and Hank Parker, Jr. were also involved, he picked up a win at Martinsville Speedway
. He would finish the season with 9 top tens and 4 top fives, and fell to 12th in points. Despite a win at Loudon
in 2005, Crawford finished seventeenth in points, mainly due to missing the first race of his Truck career after suffering injuries, ironically while practicing for the Built Ford Tough 225
. Boris Said
, who was scheduled to be a guest on the Speed Channel
's race coverage, was hired to drive the truck. While he wrecked later in the race, he returned to the booth to cover the rest of the race, as the late Neil Bonnett
once did at Talladega Superspeedway
in 1993 after taking a wild ride into the tri-oval. He did score two poles at Atlanta and Martinsville and had 11 top tens and 3 top fives.
For the 2006 season Crawford had four top-fives and ten top-ten finishes including a win on August 4 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, finishing 9th in the final standings. Rick had a consistent year in 2007 racking up 11 top 5 finishes, 18 top 10's and a near win at Mansfield Motorsports Park in route to a 5th place standing in the points championship. The eighteen top ten finishes would be a career high to date. In 2008 Crawford put together another solid season with thirteen top tens and seven top fives and a pole at Texas. He would end the season seventh in points. In 2009, now age 50, Crawford would again finish in the top ten in points at 10th. He scored seven top tens and three top fives and would win the pole at Martinsville for the second time in his career.
Crawford would start the 2010 season with a great deal of uncertainty. Long time sponsor Circle Bar Motel and RV Park would cut back their sponsorship of the team dramatically and Crawford stated that he was unsure how many races they would be able to run without a new sponsor. He would run the first four races of the season with Circle Bar, scoring two top tens. However, prior to Kansas Crawford announced that he would not race for Circle Bar in the #14 truck and would instead race in the Ray Hackett Racing
#76 truck with sponsorship from SUPERSEAL Construction Products. This would be the first race in his record 327 Camping World Truck Series starts that he would not be in the #14 and would not be racing under Circle Bar Racing. Crawford would qualify for that race 15th and finish 31st after an accident going for the lead. In August Crawford would take yet another unfamiliar step in his career as he would join forces with Tagsby Racing to race in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225
at Chicagoland Speedway
. This would be the first race in his career that he would race in a Chevrolet
truck. Crawford would earn his 3rd top ten finish in 6 races with an 8th place finish in the race. He ran in two more races with Tagsby to close out the season.
Crawford attempted to race with Tagsby Racing and make his 12th consecutive start in the season opening race at Daytona in 2011, but failed to qualify. Before 2011, Crawford was one of only 3 drivers to compete in all Camping World Truck Series races at Daytona.
race at Kentucky due to injuries sustained from a hard crash in practice. He had not missed a race since that date until failing to qualify at Daytona in February 2011. Prior to 2011, Crawford was one of the few drivers in the history of the sport with more than 50 starts who has never raced in any major series in NASCAR other than the Truck Series. However, that statistic was ended in 2011, when Crawford made his Nationwide Series debut driver for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing at Chicagoland, Qualifying 35th and finishing 36th. As of October, Crawford has not made any starts in the truck series in 2011, marking the first time in 14 years he has been absent from the series. Crawford's lasting legacy is that of a truck "truck racer", someone who never had the talent or opportunity to make it in the cup series, but found a niche in the truck series where he remained a popular, competitive driver for well over a decade.
Chevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
for Tagsby Racing in the 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...
Camping World Truck Series. Crawford is the current record holder for the most NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races competed in with more than 325. He is a regular weekly guest on The Morning Drive on Sirius NASCAR Radio, Channel 128. On March 2011 Rick Crawford entered a multi year contract to be the promoter and manager at Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway is a 1/2 mile paved oval North American Auto racing track located in the Mobile County, Alabama community of Irvington, Alabama. The track is situated along U.S. Highway 90...
, His home track, in Irvington (Mobile) Alabama.
Early career
Crawford began his racing career as a short-track racer in the southeastern United States. He won the 1989 running of the prestigious annual short track Snowball DerbySnowball Derby
The Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car automobile race held annually at the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The race has been contested every year since 1968 and is always run on the first weekend in December...
race. He also won the track championship at Five Flags Speedway
Five Flags Speedway
Five Flags Speedway is a paved ½-mile auto racing oval in Pensacola, Florida. It opened in 1953 and is located on Pine Forest Road. It is christened after the nickname of Pensacola—“City of Five Flags.”...
in 1981 and 1984, and won the championship at Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway
Mobile International Speedway is a 1/2 mile paved oval North American Auto racing track located in the Mobile County, Alabama community of Irvington, Alabama. The track is situated along U.S. Highway 90...
in 1981, 1982, and 1984. After that, he moved to the Slim Jim All Pro Series
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series
The NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series was a NASCAR-sanctioned amateur/semi-pro racing series based in the Southeastern United States. The series was formerly known as the Slim Jim All Pro Series. The drivers who have graduated from this series include Shawna Robinson, Rick Crawford,...
, where he collected sixty-one top tens, and earned five victories. In 1993, he attempted three Winston Cup races in the #84, but did not qualify for any of them.
Truck Series
In 1997, Crawford moved to the Craftsman Truck SeriesCraftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
with his Circle Bar team. He qualified for every race, had ten top-tens, a top 5 at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
and finished 12th in the points. He was also runner-up to Kenny Irwin, Jr.
Kenny Irwin, Jr.
Kenneth Dale Irwin, Jr. was a NASCAR stock car driver. He had driven in all three major of forms of NASCAR and had two total victories. Before that, he raced in the United States Auto Club against Tony Stewart, who was one of his fiercest rivals...
for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. The next season, he picked up his first career win at 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...
. Unfortunately, the team struggled to find consistency, with only five top-ten finishes and he dropped to eighteenth in the standings. Crawford started 1999 with two consecutive top-tens, but only wound up fourteenth in the points, scoring ten top-tens and four top fives.
In 2001, Crawford finished 8th in points, his first top-ten points finish, he would earn sixteen top tens and ten top fives. The 2002 season would prove to be Crawford's most successful to date, although winless for the season he had 17 top-ten finishes, a career high 12 top five finishes, two poles (at Dover and Phoenix), and finished second in the standings only 46 points behind champion Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
. 2003 saw him grab his second victory, at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, in a memorable three-wide race to finish line at Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 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...
. He finished the season seventh in points with 16 top tens and 10 top fives.
In 2004 in his first race after a massive crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
, in which Tina Gordon
Tina Gordon
Tina Gordon is a NASCAR driver and spokesperson for the Sticks 'N' Stuff furniture chain. After being released from her ride at Jay Robinson Racing, Gordon has not raced and her future plans are unknown. As of Fall 2008, she is no longer active in racing.Gordon currently lives in of Cedar Bluff,...
and Hank Parker, Jr. were also involved, he picked up a win at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
. He would finish the season with 9 top tens and 4 top fives, and fell to 12th in points. Despite a win at Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
in 2005, Crawford finished seventeenth in points, mainly due to missing the first race of his Truck career after suffering injuries, ironically while practicing for the Built Ford Tough 225
Built Ford Tough 225
The Kentucky 225 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. The race, originally held in June or July moved to September in 2010. One year later, the race was moved to October...
. Boris Said
Boris Said
Boris Said is an American race car driver from Carlsbad, California but considers his hometown to be Stamford, Connecticut. His father, Bob Said, was a Formula One race driver and US Olympic bobsled driver in 1968 and 1972. He drove the #26 Ford Fusion for Latitude 43 Motorsports in the NASCAR...
, who was scheduled to be a guest on the Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
's race coverage, was hired to drive the truck. While he wrecked later in the race, he returned to the booth to cover the rest of the race, as the late Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
once did at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega 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...
in 1993 after taking a wild ride into the tri-oval. He did score two poles at Atlanta and Martinsville and had 11 top tens and 3 top fives.
For the 2006 season Crawford had four top-fives and ten top-ten finishes including a win on August 4 at O'Reilly Raceway Park, finishing 9th in the final standings. Rick had a consistent year in 2007 racking up 11 top 5 finishes, 18 top 10's and a near win at Mansfield Motorsports Park in route to a 5th place standing in the points championship. The eighteen top ten finishes would be a career high to date. In 2008 Crawford put together another solid season with thirteen top tens and seven top fives and a pole at Texas. He would end the season seventh in points. In 2009, now age 50, Crawford would again finish in the top ten in points at 10th. He scored seven top tens and three top fives and would win the pole at Martinsville for the second time in his career.
Crawford would start the 2010 season with a great deal of uncertainty. Long time sponsor Circle Bar Motel and RV Park would cut back their sponsorship of the team dramatically and Crawford stated that he was unsure how many races they would be able to run without a new sponsor. He would run the first four races of the season with Circle Bar, scoring two top tens. However, prior to Kansas Crawford announced that he would not race for Circle Bar in the #14 truck and would instead race in the Ray Hackett Racing
Ray Hackett Racing
Ray Hackett Racing is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series team owned by Ray Hackett. Hackett is also the owner of sponsor . RHR fields the #76 SUPERSEAL Construction Products Ford F-150 for Ryan Hackett as well as the #75 JandRSupply.com Ford F-150 in NASCAR's Camping World...
#76 truck with sponsorship from SUPERSEAL Construction Products. This would be the first race in his record 327 Camping World Truck Series starts that he would not be in the #14 and would not be racing under Circle Bar Racing. Crawford would qualify for that race 15th and finish 31st after an accident going for the lead. In August Crawford would take yet another unfamiliar step in his career as he would join forces with Tagsby Racing to race in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225
EnjoyIllinois.com 225
The Fast Five 225 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.-History:The race debuted in 2009 and marked the first time that the Camping World Truck Series raced at Chicagoland, although the truck series had previously raced at Chicago...
at Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
. This would be the first race in his career that he would race in a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
truck. Crawford would earn his 3rd top ten finish in 6 races with an 8th place finish in the race. He ran in two more races with Tagsby to close out the season.
Crawford attempted to race with Tagsby Racing and make his 12th consecutive start in the season opening race at Daytona in 2011, but failed to qualify. Before 2011, Crawford was one of only 3 drivers to compete in all Camping World Truck Series races at Daytona.
Legacy
Crawford does hold the current record for most starts in the Camping World Truck Series. He raced in 210 consecutive races before missing the 2005 Built Ford Tough 225Built Ford Tough 225
The Kentucky 225 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. The race, originally held in June or July moved to September in 2010. One year later, the race was moved to October...
race at Kentucky due to injuries sustained from a hard crash in practice. He had not missed a race since that date until failing to qualify at Daytona in February 2011. Prior to 2011, Crawford was one of the few drivers in the history of the sport with more than 50 starts who has never raced in any major series in NASCAR other than the Truck Series. However, that statistic was ended in 2011, when Crawford made his Nationwide Series debut driver for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing at Chicagoland, Qualifying 35th and finishing 36th. As of October, Crawford has not made any starts in the truck series in 2011, marking the first time in 14 years he has been absent from the series. Crawford's lasting legacy is that of a truck "truck racer", someone who never had the talent or opportunity to make it in the cup series, but found a niche in the truck series where he remained a popular, competitive driver for well over a decade.