By Tommy Praytor, Circle Bar Racing
Photo(s): Power Stroke Diesel Ford F-150 on track at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo compliments of Ronda Greer.
The last 2 races for Rick Crawford and his Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International team have produced the worst finishes of 2007 with some of the team’s best trucks. They cut a tire leading the race in Mansfield, then tangled with a lapped truck at Dover running 2nd. That was the bad news, the good news was their Ford F-150 was upfront in both races. Crew chief Kevin “Cowboy” Starland knew he had the right medicine for his ailing Circle Bar team in chassis CB-21, better known as “Black Jack”, to tackle the high banks of Circle Bar Truck Corrals home track, Texas Motor Speedway.
Off the trailer Black Jack confirmed that Cowboy, part riverboat gambler, had picked the right chassis for the Sam’s Town 400. In the top 10 in practice and more importantly having the right feel that driver, Rick Crawford, was looking for had the team looking forward to the drop of the green flag. Qualifying put the 14 truck 14th but the team knew they had a truck that could run up front.
Crawford is one of only 2 drivers that have competed in every NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway and he leads all drivers for laps completed. In fact he leads in almost every category but 1 at the home track of the Circle Bar Truck Corral and with the drop of the green flag Crawford was out to fix that blemish on his stellar record at TMS, win. Within 8 laps Crawford wheeled his Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 from 14th to 8th and was looking for more when the first caution of the night flew. With the second caution just a few laps later Cowboy made his first strategy move of the night and brought the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 to pit road for a fuel only stop. The team had a quick stop and Crawford returned to the racetrack 3rd of the trucks that had pitted and in the 11th position. With different teams working different strategies Crawford lost some track position but it wouldn’t take him long to get it back. By lap 27 he was back up to 7th and Black Jack was doubling down the competition. During the next 50 green flag laps Crawford picked off the competition like sitting ducks and was up to 3rd when Cowboy called the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 to pit road under caution for 4 fresh Goodyears, a full load of Sunoco and a slight adjustment. The over the wall gang held serve and returned Crawford to the racetrack in the 4th position. Back under green Crawford marched back to the front moving up to the bridesmaid spot by lap 125. By this stage of the Sam’s Town 400 the race was taking on a green flag look and Cowboy gambled with a green flag stop on lap 148, right side tires only and a full load of Sunoco. A late race caution would leave most of the field trapped a lap down and only 6 trucks on the lead lap. Crawford had a good truck, but not a winner, Cowboy has never been one not to swing for the fence. With less than 10 laps to go, with Crawford in 3rd, Cowboy called the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 to pit road for 4 fresh Goodyears. When the green flag flew, Crawford was in a good old fashion Texas bar room brawl. Two wide, three wide with Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday all the way to the checkered flag with Crawford wheeling the Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150 to a third place finish.
Kevin “Cowboy” Starland: “Solid effort tonight by all our guys. I thought we might have something for them at the end, taking 4 tires on that last stop we just came up a little short.”
Rick Crawford: “How about this Ford F-150? Everybody needs to take the challenge and drive one of these things. It was fun for me to drive tonight. We made some bold moves out there and after starting 14th we came home third. I thought we had a shot at Travis and then again at Todd. Skinner and Bodine and I were racing pretty hard at the end. My hats off to Cowboy and the guys, some real gutsy calls tonight, that’s just all we had in our Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150. It was good to see our teammate up there with us in the top 5, they’ve been working really hard and I’m proud of them. We didn’t get a win for the boss tonight but we had 2 trucks in the top 5 and we’re pretty proud of that.”
The Circle Bar/Power Stroke Diesel by International Team will be in action when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series holds round 10 of the 2007 season in the Michigan 200 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday June 8th at 8:30 PM EST. For live trackside reports of practice and qualifying go to truckseries.com. Live coverage of the race provided by Speed, MRN and Sirius Radio.
www.circlebarracing.com or www.rickcrawford.com