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2006 RACE RESULTS

39^TH ANNUAL SNOWBALL DERBY
FILLED WITH HIGHS AND LOWS

Having been taken out in the Mason Dixon Meltdown on Saturday, the Circle Bar Team had 72 hours to repair and prepare their Ford Taurus for the 39^th Annual Snowball Derby. Sunday the team spent the day assessing the damage from the Meltdown and what it would take to restore their car and get it ready for the Derby. On Sunday, the Derby looked like a race that would have to wait another year. With a game plan in place the team got to work, by Monday, with a big hand from the entire Circle Bar Race Team, the late model team could see the light at the end of the tunnel. By Monday night, calls were made to Five Flags Speedway to confirm Adam’s entry into the 39^th Annual Snowball Derby. Tuesday was a busy day for the team as they put the finishing touches on their Ford with one eye on the car and the other on the clock. In order to make the move in deadline of 9:00 AM on Wednesday in Pensacola, the car would have to be loaded by 10:00PM EST in Concord. A little behind schedule loading the car the team made up for lost time on I-85 and arrived at Five Flags Speedway with over 20 minutes to spare.

Inside the Speedway the team breathed a collective sigh of relief that they had made the move in deadline but rest was out of the question as the tech line called.  Three hours in the tech line, a few more hours sizing and shoeing fresh Hoosier tires and Wednesday was in the books.  Thursday was the first day of practice for the late models at the Derby and the Circle Bar team was ready to be back on track. From the opening laps the team was showing up in the middle of the speed charts. With over 70 cars attempting the Derby mid pack would not be good enough to get in the show.  Each turn of the wrench seem to produce the same results and while the times would have been quick for a regular 100-lap event this was the Derby and they were on the outside looking in.  While North Carolina is the epicenter for big time racing some times a little local help is what the doctor ordered. With a little help from some Pensacola regulars the team started to improve.  With improving numbers on the chart the team was ready to qualify.

Getting in the Derby has become a race in itself. With over 70 cars attempting to make the field the process takes hours. First, all cars go back through tech, then they wait for each team to take their respective laps on the track. The Circle Bar Team had passed through tech with no issues on Wednesday but on qualifying day they had problems matching the body templates. A few bangs of the hammer and their Ford matched the template but now the team would be limited to 1 qualifying lap instead of 2.  What was already a pressure packed situation now intensified times 2.  Adam would have to try and make the biggest show of his career on 1 lap while the rest of the field got 2 turns around the famed half mile oval.  Under the gun, Crawford responded with the best qualifying time he had ever posted at Five Flags Speedway. Crawford’s 1 lap was over half a second faster than his last qualifying effort at Five Flags. However, this is the Derby and to get in he would need another couple of tenths.  The list of who didn’t make the field was as impressive as the list of drivers who did.  Former Derby champions, Busch, ARCA and Cup drivers were also on the DNQ list and they like Crawford would have to fight their way in the field through the last chance race.

 With 40 cars in the last chance races the field was cut in to 2 groups and each race would transfer 3 drivers. From the drop of the green flag the last chance race resembled a game of grab and growl more than a car race. Every driver was fighting for every spot, there was no give and take, it was all take. With 2 to go and the field under the caution flag Crawford found himself in the 4^th spot, 1 away from the Derby. With the green flag in the air Adam was a man on a mission and Tim Curry was the target. The first corner he dove 2 cars lengths deeper than he had all night, 2^nd corner 3 car lengths. With 1 to go it looked like the car would have to be picked up off of Pine Forest Road when Crawford buried it into turn 1 but it held. When the checkered flag flew the scoreboard showed Adam in 4^th, 1 spot away from the Derby. A spot away from the Super Bowl of short track racing, a spot that will have to wait until December 2^nd, 2007, the 40^th Annual Snowball Derby.

Adam: ”All in all it was a solid weekend for our race team. The last chance race was probably the most intense race I’ve ever been in.  Starting in the back and making my way up there was definitely a learning experience.  Those 20 laps felt like 300.  I wish that we could have had 10 or 15 more laps because we just came up a little bit short. We didn’t come here expecting to win, but we did come here to make the race. It’s a tough deal but it only makes me more determined to come back.”
 

CRAWFORD JUST MISSES
MASON DIXON MELTDOWN

Adam Crawford and his Circle Bar Late Model Team had just finished running the final Blizzard Series race at Pensacola Five Flags Speedway and were starting to prepare for the 39^th Annual Snowball Derby when Speed’s Bob Dilner approached Adam about running the Mason Dixon Meltdown at South Boston Speedway. Running the Meltdown created several problems for the Mobile, Alabama native. First, Crawford had just completed a successful Rookie campaign at Mobile International Speedway but had never turned a lap at South Boston. Second, the Meltdown was the weekend before the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, a date that had been circled on Adam’s calendar for as long as he can remember, the first Sunday in December. Problems in the Meltdown could prevent Crawford from attempting the Snowball. Even with all the reason not to go the team decided to make the trip. 

Even with no previous track time, Adam’s Circle Bar Ford soon found its way around the bullring of South Boston Speedway and the team found themselves in the top 10 on the practice charts just ahead of Nextel Cup driver Kyle Busch. With an overaggressive qualifying setup the team posted a disappointing 45^th place qualifying effort. Unlike other events the starting field of the Meltdown is determined by the finishing order of the heat races. To make the show Crawford would have to garner 3^rd or better, he came up 1 position short, finishing 4^th.  Being the first car out of the show would put Adam on the front row for the consolation race. With the drop of the green flag Crawford was a marked man and the field didn’t complete a lap before he was turned around and the front end cleaned off of his Circle Bar machine. The team now faced a 72-hour deadline to repair and prepare for the Snowball Derby.

Adam: “We had a much better car than what we were able to show. It was a tough deal to swallow, 1 minute we were just 1 car out of the show and the next we were torn up. Even though we don’t have very much time before the Derby I’m glad we came.”

CRAWFORD COLLECTS MIS
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONORS

Going into his first season of Super Late Model competition Adam Crawford’s goals were simple; makes laps, learn the car and earn the respect of the other drivers. Winning any kind of award was only a dream, in 2006 Adam made one racing dream come true. The 2006 Mobile International Speedway Miller Lite Super Late Model 100 lap series had 53 drivers competing for the point’s title, which was won by Charlie Bradberry. Adam’s 8^th place points finish was just behind former Nextel Cup driver Stanley Smith and earned him the 2006 Rookie of the Year honors.

 Adam; “This year has been a huge learning experience for me. I can’t thank my Dad, Bob, Jimbo and Ray enough for helping me. I’ve watched races for years at Mobile International and to have the opportunity to race there is awesome. During the year I got to race with some of the same guys my Dad raced with and they taught me a lot, on and off the track. I’m looking forward to coming back next year and racing for Mrs. Ida again.”

CRAWFORD PULLS DOUBLE
HEADER WEEKEND ON THE COAST

10-13-06-With the Rookie of the Year Title in his pocket from the Miller Lite Super Late Model Series at Mobile International Speedway, Adam Crawford and his Circle Bar Late Model Team returned to the Gulf Coast for a Double Header weekend.  A double header on the coast, consist of racing 100 laps on Friday night at Pensacola Five Flags Speedway and if you have anything left a 100 laps on Saturday night at Mobile International Speedway. Never having turned a lap at Pensacola the weekend would start with a test at Five Flags Speedway on Thursday night.

 Not only had Crawford never turned a lap at Five Flags, he also had a new racecar for the weekend. Crew chief Ray Stonkus spent months building a new car or what the team refers to as the “Blue Car” for Crawford to race after cutting his teeth on the “Red Car” earlier in the year. The Blue Car had been fine-tuned by Stonkus and was designed to take Adam to the next level and it showed right off the trailer. In testing on Thursday night the car was fast and the driver got comfortable quickly at a place that is notorious for being one of the toughest places to get around in the country. The pavement is 40 years old and the surface is like a giant piece of sandpaper eating tires in less than 10 laps. With a 100 laps of racing ahead of them Stonkus tuned for the long haul on Thursday night and it would pay dividends on race night.

 Crawford’s first qualifying attempt at Pensacola placed him 23rd out of 30 cars in what would be a preview of the 39^th Annual Snowball Derby. The poor qualifying effort reflected a setup for 100 laps not the first 2. From the drop of the green flag Crawford was on the move picking up spots and making laps. Several cautions would give the Pensacola Rookie experience in dodging the multi car pile-ups that end your night early. With each lap, the confidence in his car and familiarity with the racetrack had Crawford picking up spots. With 40 laps to go the caution flag would fly and Adam had moved all the way up to 13^th. The leaders would come to pit road while a miscommunication between driver and crew would leave the 14 car out on the track and they would have to pit on the next lap. The miscue would set the team back to 20^th position with 40 to go. Back under green Adam was on the wheel picking up spots and dodging cautions. With each lap the driver gained experience and the car got better. At the end of the green-white-checker finish Crawford had moved in to the top 10 and finished 9^th.   With round 1 in the books, it was time to load up and got to Mobile for round 2.

 The return to Mobile International Speedway was like putting on your favorite pair of shoes compared to the first time jitters of Five Flags Speedway. Crawford had already turned over 500 laps at the high banked oval and after a great opening night in Pensacola the team had high hopes for Mobile.  Off the trailer the Blue Car didn’t respond as well to MIS as it had the previous night in Pensacola. The two tracks have become like night and day over the last few years with Mobile getting a new racing surface in 2005. Grip versus no grip would have the team searching for speed all night. Qualifying had the team in the top 20 but not at the pace they were expecting. With the drop of the green flag in Mobile, the Blue Car would struggle to find the right groove and would eventually go a lap down to the winner Dave Mader.  On this Saturday night the Circle Bar team would not be the only team to get lapped by the former NASCAR driver. In the end there would be less than 10 cars on the lead lap and Crawford would post a 12^th place finish.

 Adam on his weekend: “Pensacola was a big question mark in my mind going in to the weekend. I’ve worked with a lot of teams that raced there and I know how hard it is to get around. The new Blue Car Ray built me is awesome and it really helped build my confidence up. As good as we were on Friday night I was expecting more in Mobile on Saturday night. I just never got the feel in Mobile I had Friday night in Pensacola. We learned a lot about both places and the new car and I’m looking forward to going back.”

BIRTHDAY RACE CANDLES GET BLOWN OUT EARLY 

The season finale of the Miller Lite Super Late Model 100 Lap Series was slated for Adam’s 18^th birthday. Adam’s birthday wish was to rebound from his previous 100-lap race where mechanical problems sent him home early. A solid qualifying effort put Crawford in a position to improve on his 8^th place standings in the points. An early wreck that took out 6 cars and wounded others had the young Mobile driver positioned to make a move up the points ladder. Fate would have other ideas when a cut tire on lap 46 would send the Circle Bar Ford to the top of the racetrack. By the time Adam could get the car back to pit road for service it had ground off the sway bar on the right side and the team was done for the night. A disappointing birthday gift but enough to keep him in the to 10 in the final points standings finishing in the 8^th spot.

Adam: “It’s too bad we lost the tire, our car was solid and it’s the most comfortable I’ve felt behind the wheel all year. I want to thank Ray and Bob again for making the haul all year from North Carolina so I could race.”           

Adam trades helmet and firesuit for cap and gown to graduate high school.

CRAWFORD JUST MISSES TOP 10 IN
SECOND 100 LAP SUPER LATE MODEL RACE 

 The first round of the Miller Lite Super Late Model Series netted Adam Crawford a 15^th place finish.   With a few weeks off to prepare, Crew chief Ray Stonkus scheduled a test session on Friday night to get the MIS Rookie a few laps before the second 100-lap event. The test would be good news bad news for the team with a broken rocker stud in the motor sending the team scrambling. The good news was it happened on Friday night so the team had time to work on getting it fixed before Saturday night. Under the watchful eye of Stonkus some old Circle Bar hands, Robbie Geist & Mike Maddox (pictured above) pitched in to get Adam back in action. A long day turned longer as each motor piece was checked and more was found to fix.  The team missed all of practice and qualifying and barely got to the track in time to race.

 Making a 100 lap Super Late Model race is an accomplishment, starting at the tail end of a 25 car field in your second race with no practice is impossible. The first task was to shake down the motor to make sure the repairs made earlier in the day held together. The second was to build some steam under the hood and make some laps.  As the cars made the parade laps around the high banked half-mile oval the team held its collective breath as the Circle Bar Machine came up to speed.  After a few laps to get settled Crawford started making his way through the field.  With each lap the young rookie added some confidence and some speed, picking up spots as he went along. When the checkered flag flew he had gone from dead last to 11^th and rolled his car back in to the trailer.

 Adam Crawford: “I can’t thank everyone enough for their help in getting me to the racetrack. These guys killed themselves all day. Tonight was another learning night and I’m looking forward to a normal weekend in June.”

CRAWFORD SCORES TOP 15 IN FIRST 100 LAPPER AT
MOBILE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Months of testing and preparation paid off for Adam Crawford in his first super late model start at Mobile International Speedway with a top 5 finish.  With opening night under his belt, Adam and his team prepped for their first 100-lap event.  Round 1 of the Miller Lite Super Late Model Series was slated as the second part of a double-header weekend with a 100-lap opener at Five Flags Speedway.  The car count was incredible at both tracks with the pit area bursting at the seams with close to 40 super late model cars at each venue.  It wasn’t just any 40 cars either; both tracks held a who’s who of super late model racing and in what will be an early preview of the Snowball Derby in December.   Matched up against the best in the southeast in his first long race was a tough hill to climb for the young Mobile, Alabama driver. Not only did he have to post a good qualifying effort, he would also have to go wheel to wheel with some of the grizzliest late model veterans in the sport.  With that many cars in the pit, practice time would come at a premium on race day but Adam soon found a solid pace for the long race ahead.  In his first 100 lap qualifying effort Crawford would start inside of the 11^th row.  

The game plan going into the night was for Adam to make laps, complete every circuit and be running at the end.  From the drop of the green flag Adam was patient and stalked each competitor as he set them up for the pass. On lap 20 several cars got together in front of him and in a bold move with 2 tires on the grass Crawford would pick up 4 positions.  The race went as planned with Adam being cautiously aggressive and keeping the nose on the car. At lap 55 a radio problem developed that would require Crawford to make a green flag stop that would cost him valuable positions on the track.  With 25 to go 2 cars were crashing in front of Crawford in turn 3, Adam dove to the bottom of the track to miss the cars and ended up in the grass.  Adam would get his first lesson on wet grass and slick race tires. The car spun left first, then right, and then left again as it gyrated to a halt on the slick Alabama grass.  Unscathed Crawford would put his Circle Bar machine in gear and resume the fight, once again loosing valuable track position.  Adam would spend the remaining 25 laps regaining real estate he had already paid for. Former Winston Cup driver Dave Mader would win the race, while Crawford would turn in a 14^th place finish and a car that still had all 4 corners on it.

Adam Crawford: “I learned a lot tonight.  I learned when you get in the grass you don’t press the gas, you just try to hold on and keep the car going straight. I felt like the car spun around 20 times before it finally stopped.  Having a chance to make the long runs really helped me with getting a rhythm for this racetrack.   I’m looking for ward to coming back in May.”  

Picture attached is of the working on Adam’s Circle Bar Ford Taurus during practice for the Miller Lite Super Late Model race in Mobile Alabama.  Photo courtesy of Catlin Clicks Photography. 4-15-06

CRAWFORD DEBUTS WITH TOP 5

            With a year’s worth of testing under his belt and veteran crew chief Ray Stonkus by his side, Adam Crawford rolled into Mobile International Speedway with high hopes for his first super late model start.  From the first practice laps to qualifying the Circle Bar Ford Taurus was solid. Crawford’s first qualifying effort would net him a 4^th place starting position.  The 4^th spot would put him behind veteran late model racer Wayne Niedeckin Jr. and next to the Presslar Brothers machine of Kevin Rehwinkle. Niedeckin had raced with Crawford’s Dad and Jim Presslar had been his Dad’s crew chief, a solid starting position and a good place to pick up a few pointers for the MIS rookie.  Starting on the outside row had Crawford looking for a way to get down to the preferred groove.  Several laps into the 25-lap feature Crawford found the bottom and started working on being smooth and making laps on the high bank oval.  The race would go green until lap 20 when a spin off of turn 2 would bring out the caution.   With the field bunched back up for a 4-lap dash to the finish, Crawford made his final pass of the night that would net him 4^th place.

Adam Crawford on his night: ”I was cool until we went out for the feature and I lined up behind a guy (Niedeckin) my Dad raced with.  I’ve seen that green 99 car make thousands of laps and win all kinds of races. He took me to school at the drop of the green flag. I wish I could have stayed with him so I could have learned more from him.  All in all I’m happy with our night but it was kind of a frustrating deal.  I knew I had a great car but I also knew I couldn’t give all it could take. I really appreciate Bob and Ray coming down and everybody that came out to cheer me on. I’m looking forward to the 100 lapper in 2 weeks.”

Picture is Adam with Roush “Gong Show” finalist Jason Hogan.

Martinsville to Mobile
Double Duty Weekend for Circle Bar Team

 With Adam Crawford making his first Late Model start at Mobile International Speedway, the Circle Bar Race Team is doing double duty this weekend. Part of the team is in Martinsville with the truck, while another group led by former crew chief Ray Stonkus is in Mobile, Alabama. Adam Crawford, a fixture on the Circle Bar truck team during the summer has been testing his Circle Bar late model for months in anticipation of the season opener in Mobile. Under the watchful eye of long time NASCAR crew chief Ray Stonkus, the younger Crawford has been making laps and honing his racing skills. Ray Stonkus, “The kid is real smooth and he has adapted really well to each race track we’ve tested him at. I’ve worked with his Dad since his late model days and Adam is way ahead of where his Dad was at this age.”

 It is no coincidence that Adam will make his first start at Mobile International Speedway (MIS).  Rick Crawford, “I cut my racing teeth in Mobile. I won a lot of races there and the fans there really pushed me to my success. Ida Fields (track owner) repaved the track last year and it’s a fun place to race. It’s a long haul to Mobile from North Carolina but I can’t think of a better place for Adam to get started.”

 After a few seasons in the 600 Racing program Adam Crawford is ready to take on his next racing challenge. “I’m already losing sleep thinking about opening night. I’ve watched hundreds of races at Mobile, dreaming of racing there and it’s finally going to happen Saturday. I’m in an awesome position, Ray Stonkus is crew chiefing and my Dad has been helping me get around the track. I’m pretty lucky.”

And where will Dad be on opening night? “The race in Martinsville doesn’t start until 3:00. We’ve tried to think of everyway possible for me to get down there but its just not going to happen. This won’t be the last time my schedule keeps me from seeing Adam race but I sure wish I could make this one. I’ll have to get the play by play over the phone.”

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Last modified: April 14, 2008