|
|
|
You are our
|
CRAWFORD HAS HUGE WEEKEND ON THE COAST
Pensacola Five Flags Speedway 10-12-07: With the bulk of the 2007 season having been spent racing at Mobile International Speedway, Adam Crawford and his Circle Bar Truck Corral late model team were looking for a tune up for the 40th Annual Snowball Derby at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway. The team arrived a day early to test at the rugged old racetrack. A full night of testing left the team looking for answers that would not reveal themselves until the final 10 laps on Friday night. A lackluster qualifying effort put Crawford in the middle of the pre-derby field of 35 cars starting 18th. With the drop of the green flag Crawford was hung up on the outside line. A slow car in front of him had Crawford hung out to dry as the rest of the field went by in the preferred line, putting Crawford all the way back to 28th. Finally able to get down, Crawford starting picking off spots working his way back up to 14th on lap 70. Under caution, Crawford would bring his Circle Bar machine to pit road for 2 tires (all that was allowed). The team was quick on the stop picking up 3 spots on pit road and returning Crawford to the track in the 11th position. With all of the leaders having pitted for tires and the race down to its final 20 laps, business was picking up at 5 Flags Speedway. Two laps into the green flag run 3 cars crashed in front of Crawford and with a good call from spotter Bob Moore, Crawford was able to dodge the wreck and pick up 4 spots to 7th. A red flag brought the field to a halt to clean up the debris and preserve green flag laps for the final laps. Back under green the field wasn’t through wrecking, this time spots 3-6 started wrecking high and low in front of Crawford. The young Mobile driver went high then low and shot the gap between the final 2 cars to clear the carnage while those behind him were tangled up in it. Another red flag would reset the field again with Crawford in the 3rd position behind leader Grant Enfinger and former Snowball Derby champ Eddie Mercer. Mercer had just returned to Pensacola after having run the ARCA ReMax Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Mercer had led early but Enfinger had opened up a huge lead before the pit stops. With 10 to go the pair were looking to duke it out in the final 10 laps, what they didn’t count on was another hungry racer looking for a piece of the lead. With the drop of the green flag the trio of Enfinger, Mercer and Crawford quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field. On the 2nd lap of the 10-lap shootout Crawford had the rear bumper of Mercer’s car over the hood pins of his Circle Bar Ford, serving notice it was time to go. Mercer took the cue and quickly rooted Enfinger out of the groove, Crawford followed to take 2nd, 6 to go. Enfinger was shuffled back to 3rd but not done. With a lap to recover, Enfinger was on Crawford’s back bumper and it was his turn to do the rooting. With 5 to go Enfinger and Crawford were side by side for 2nd with both drivers fighting for the spot. Circuit after circuit the pair made laps rubbing, banging and slamming to the finish. Crawford would finish 3rd but he served notice that he will be ready for the Derby. Adam on his night: “That was awesome! My spotter, Bob Moore, made some great calls tonight and our whole Circle Bar team worked their behinds off this weekend. We dodged some big bullets and I learned a lot racing with Mercer and Grant (Enfinger). I’m looking forward to coming back in December for the Derby.” Mobile International Speedway 10-13-07: Coming of the Rookie of the Year title at Mobile International Speedway in 2006 Adam Crawford was looking to improve on a solid Rookie year and make a bid for the Championship. An early season altercation would cost Crawford a top 5 finish and end his shot at the 2007 Millet Lite Super Late Model Title but coming into Saturday night he was resting in the 7th position just a few marker out of the top 5. After finishing 3rd on Friday night in Pensacola Crawford and his Circle Bar team were looking for more in Mobile on Saturday night. The team spent Saturday morning making the necessary changes for their Circle Bar Ford Fusion to run in Mobile. Off the trailer the Circle Bar machine was solid and the team tweaked on it and posted an 11th place starting position. The final installment of the Miller Lite Super Late Model Series took on a green flag look from the beginning and made it well past the halfway mark before a caution would gather the field back together. Under the long green flag run Crawford had worked his way up to 7th and with the bulk of the top 5 in the Championship standings not in contention Crawford was looking at a big move up in the points if he could stay on the racetrack. A long green flag run that started the race turned into a messy finish with the race having to go into overtime to get the final 5 laps in under green. One of the final cautions included Crawford tangling with one of Friday night’s antagonist Eddie Mercer. Down but not out Crawford battled back into the top 10 with a 7th place finish. The finish was enough to catapult Crawford from 7th in the Championship Points standings to 3rd. Adam on his night: “After last night’s run in Pensacola we were really hoping for more tonight in Mobile. When we didn’t have a car to win and with the other guys in the top 5 having problems we started looking at the big picture and still got in it with Eddie Mercer. What a great night in the points, we went from 7th to 3rd on the final night of racing. I feel like we turned a lot of corners this weekend and I wish this was the middle of the year instead of being close to the end.” Picture: Adam Crawford being interviewed by Pensacola pit road reporter Dave Pavlock.
CRAWFORD FILES ENTRY FOR PASS SOUTH
With a break in the racing action on the Gulf Coast, Adam Crawford and his Circle Bar team have filed an entry for this weekends PASS South, Over the Mountain 150, at Hickory Motor Speedway. After taking Rookie of the Year honors at Mobile International Speedway in 2006, Crawford is currently 7th in this year’s Miller Lite Super Late Model Series in Mobile. This weekends PASS South race will be the first race for Crawford off the Gulf Coast in 2007 but not his first trip to Hickory Motor Speedway. “I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ve got a lot of testing laps at Hickory but we’ve never raced there,” said Crawford. “We tried to make the PASS race last year at South Boston in the Mason Dixon Meltdown and got tangled up in the qualifying race. I feel like our race team has really improved this year and I’m looking for better results this weekend.” This weekends PASS South event is a two-day show with practice on Friday September 28th and the Over the Mountain 150 is scheduled for Saturday September 29th at 6:00 PM. For more on Adam Crawford www.adamcrawfordracing.com. Circle Bar PR
July, 20 & 21, 2007: Summer heat’s up the racing action on the Gulf Coast and having been off since Memorial day weekend, Adam Crawford and his Circle Bar late model team were looking to get cooking in a Pensacola/Mobile double header weekend. To prep for the weekend Crawford arrived a day early for testing at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway. The home of the Snowball Derby was hosting the 3rd of its Blizzard Series races leading up to the 40th Annual Snowball Derby. A full night of testing boosted Crawford’s familiarity with the rugged old track and the team was looking forward to Friday night. The Double Header 100 lap weekends on the Gulf Coast have been drawing the best of the best in Late Model drivers from all over the Southeast and as far West as Texas and Oklahoma. Friday night would be the same for the Coke Zero 100 lap feature at Five Flags with almost 40 Super Late Models in the pit area. With a Snowball Derby like field Crawford turned in a 19th place qualifying spot, placing him just ahead of short track veteran Wayne Anderson. The start of the race was messy and it took several retries before the field settled down and started making laps. Crawford was moving forward and battling former Nextel Cup driver, Stanley Smith, for position when the pair tangled ending both driver’s night early. The damage to Crawford’s Circle Bar machine ended his night but not the weekend. The team went to work and with a little help from some of his Dad’s old Mobile racing buddies, the team was able to report to Mobile International Speedway in time to practice for Saturday night’s Miller Lite Super Late Model race. After a quick shake down to ensure repairs made from Pensacola were in good shape, Crawford went to work on dialing in his Circle Bar machine for the high banks of Mobile International Speedway. A hot greasy racetrack made for an interesting hot lap session as the 2006 MIS Rookie of the Year put his Ford Fusion through it’s paces. The track allows the teams a scuff session with their race tires, so the tires can have a heat cycle in them before attempting 100 laps. With a fresh set of rubber Crawford quickly put himself in the top 20 on the speed chart. With a cooler track Crawford qualified 19th, the same spot as in Pensacola the night before. This time the team was looking for a better outcome. The start of the Miller Lite 100 in Mobile had the field scattering for cover by the flag stand. As cars bounced off of each other Crawford took the low line and came out with minimal damage. The second start of the race was better but cautions continually bunched up the field for the first half of the race. With each yellow Crawford eluded the calamity around him. By the midway point Crawford was 12th and looking for a spot in the top 10. After the early cautions the race took on a green flag look and Crawford started picking off competitors working his way up to the 6th position. As the green flag laps wore on, the Circle Bar Fusion started to get a little loose off the corners costing, Crawford valuable horsepower off the corners. Struggling with a loose car Crawford backed up 3 spots and finished 9th for his first top 10 of the 2007 season. Adam on his weekend: “We had nice car in Pensacola on Friday night and Stanley Smith and I got together and ended both our nights early. He came over and apologized for cutting me off but it was probably just as much my fault as it was his. Mobile turned into a slugfest early; I spent most of the night dodging other people’s wrecks. We were able to keep the nose on it and have our first top 10 of the year. After our season last year, I really thought we would have a handful of top 10s by now but it just shows the level of competition on the Gulf Coast. We’ll be back at the end of August.”
CRAWFORD TAKES 13TH IN MOBILE Memorial Day weekend is known for big races, The Indianapolis 500, The Coca Cola 600 and on the Gulf Coast, Pensacola and Mobile host their 100 lap super late model series in a big double header weekend. The lure of a two big super late model races within an hour of each other drew over 40 of the best super late models teams from as far away as Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Louisiana. The best in the business were ready to do business. Adam Crawford and his Circle bar team chose to concentrate on the Miller Lite 100 Lap Super Late Model at Mobile International Speedway. The elder Crawford and the bulk of the Circle Bar team were in Mansfield Ohio for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, leaving Adam and his long time spotter Bob “Backpack” Moore to make the trek from North Carolina by themselves. Instead of racing in Pensacola on Friday night Crawford spent the afternoon testing at MIS. While Crawford tested, the super Late Model herd was being thinned at 5 flags Speedway in a rough and tumble Smirnoff Triple Black race. On race day Crawford and Moore followed up their test on Friday with a solid practice session and the Circle Bar Ford was ready to qualify. The race on Friday night had cut the Late Model field from 40 to less than 30 but the group lining up for the Miller Lite 100 were loaded for bear. Crawford put down a qualifying lap equal to his opening night time on a hot and greasy racing surface that would put him starting 19th. A little tight during his 2 lap qualifying effort, Crawford freed up his Circle Bar Ford for the race under the lights in the cool night air. From the drop of the green flag Crawford’s Fusion was loose in, loose in the middle and loose off. Crawford held onto his ill handling machine staying on the lead lap for 100 laps to finish 13th. The team will be back in action in July when they return for the next Gulf Coast 100 lap weekend. Adam on his night: “It was pretty frustrating night, we had good car and over adjusted it and then had to fight it all night. Every time I go to the track I learn something new and we’ll mark up this past weekend as a learning experience.”
MOBILE OPENER BITTER SWEET Rain had postponed the running of the first of the Miller Lite Super Late Model 100 lap events at Mobile International Speedway. The week delay would give Adam Crawford and his crew an opportunity to test at the high-banked half-mile speedway before the season opener. A solid test had the 2006 MIS Rookie of the Year pumped up for the start of the 2007 MIS Season. With 30 cars in attendance, qualifying would come at a premium and with a time almost 5 tenths of a second faster than his last qualifying effort at MIS Crawford would start 14th. From the start of the race Crawford and Busch Series driver Cale Gale would run nose to tail as they picked off competitors one by one. The pair made their way through the pack and in to the top 10. Gale would loose the handle on his machine coming off turn 2 with 20 laps to go leaving Crawford to go it alone. Picking up where he left off on the restart Crawford was on the move 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, they quickly went by the way side. With another caution in the air Crawford was now 6th behind former NASCAR driver and 100-lap champion Dave Mader. When the green flag flew again Crawford had a full head of steam coming off of turn 4, a bold outside move put him in 5th and looking for more. Unfortunately, with less than 10 laps to go, another driver used up the Circle Bar driver going into turn 1 and sent him spinning off the racetrack. The spin broke the rear trailing on the Ford Fusion and what had been a solid effort was now over. Adam Crawford: “We really had a good car and a great run going, we just got beat up with 10 to go. It was fun to run up front with those guys I’ve watched all my life, I learned a lot racing with them. I appreciate them racing with me.” Adam will be in action again on May the 25th & 26th for a double-header weekend at Pensacola’s Five flags Speedway and Mobile International Speedway. BROKEN JACK SPOILS 5 FLAGS OPENER
After a solid showing in his first appearance in the 39th Annual Snowball Derby, Adam Crawford was looking forward to running the entire Blizzard Series at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway. With an off season filled full of changes at the Circle Bar Racing shop Adam had plenty of new experience to apply to his Circle Bar Ford Fusion late model. Solid off the trailer Adam and his team fine tuned their Ford looking for the right feel to get around the slippery old racetrack. Crawford started the season with a qualifying time faster than his Derby time but with 40 cars in the field he would start 25th behind former NASCAR driver Stanley Smith. With the start of the Smirnoff Ice Triple Black 100 Crawford was looking to log a few laps and work his way through traffic. Early on Crawford was picking off cars one by one taking a patient approach to the 100-lap event. Taking another position on lap 35 the car he was passing turned into him and sent him spinning. Now at the tail end of the huge field Adam’s goal changed to staying on the lead lap until the race reached lap 60 and he could come down pit road for tires. Blizzard rules limit tires to 2 extras during the race. Under caution on lap 62 Adam came to pit road for badly needed fresh rubber. The over the wall guys went to work and the changers had the lug nuts off but the jack wasn’t lifting the car to get the tires off. Struggling, the team was finally able to get the car off the ground high enough to get the tires off and a new set on. The broken jack would cost the team a lap and end any opportunity for a good finish. Back under green Adam was now up front in the lap down line and racing with the leaders. While Crawford wasn’t fast enough to get by the leader he was fast enough to run with the leaders. When the checkered flag flew Adam was the first car on his lap in the 24th position. Adam on his night; “We really had a good car, we just got behind when the jack broke. I learned a lot running with the guys up front and we should be even better next time.”
CIRCLE BAR TEAM HEADED FOR SPRING BREAK ON GULF COAST
With the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series taking a couple of weekends off, the Circle Bar Team is headed to the Gulf Coast for their version of Spring Break, a short track double-header weekend. After taking home the 2006 Rookie of the Year title at Mobile International Speedway Adam Crawford is looking forward to returning to the seat of his Circle Bar Super Late Model. Adam’s schedule this year will include all of the 100 lap events at Mobile International Speedway and at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway. “I learned so much last year and working on the Circle Bar trucks with great crew chiefs like Kevin Starland and Dennis Connor the last couple of months has been terrific,” said Crawford. “I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to apply some of what I’ve learned.” Crawford will take part in a daylong test on Thursday with the racing weekend starting on Friday night in round 1 of the Blizzard Series at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway and continue on Saturday night at Mobile International Speedway in the first of their 5 race Miller Lite Super Late Model Series. |
|
Send mail to
ACRacingPR@aol.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
